I have hinted at it in a previous post – our decision to buy two new Touratech Compañero riding suits is a bit of a mixed blessing for us.

Compañero summer suit

It is one of those things where New Zealand still feels a bit out of the way. With no one stocking them in NZ, we had to rely on mail order exclusively, without a chance to try different sizes beforehand. My suit is a great fit, Nina drew the short straw here – so taking bit of a loss for shipping we had to postpone buying hers until we can walk into Touratech Australia and try different sizes to find the right fit.

Now about the Compañero itself – I had the chance to go on a little test ride this Saturday. At about 10° C it was no question whether or not to ride with both suits (the Compañero combines a full summer suit with a rain and wind proof outer suit). Summer gloves, the flap on the rain jacket locked half open it was just right to stay nice and warm while riding, and I would say about the same as with my cheap old “all weather” suit.

The real difference, temperature wise, kicked in when I got of the bike. That has been the real crux with our old suits: What has felt good during riding turned into a pressure cooker as soon as you get of the bike or heavens forbid step into a heated shop or bar. On the other hand, what has felt OK off the bike would become uncomfortably cold after half an hour on the road.

compañero rain suit

The Compañero on the other hand has a much larger range. My bet is that the main reason for this is that there are many more layers between skin and the Gore-Tex layer to even things out. At the end of the day, I was definitively not as bathed in sweat the way it had happened before with my lined suit.

So far the only small downside is the bulk of the assembly while wearing a fleece layer underneath and both suits. Maybe the stiffer outer suit needs a bit of time to break in, or maybe I am just horribly unfit, but after getting on and off the bike four times, the thought of having to lift my leg over the 90 cm rear end of Rocinante evoked feelings of dread. The reason is, again, obvious – three “full” layer of clothing in combination with the weight of the suit(s). On the other hand, as soon as you are on the bike, everything “snaps” into place. The pads sit exactly where they need to be and all the bulk of the suit seems to disappear.

So what is the verdict after the first day? It is definitely the best suit that I have ever worn. It does what I expected of it and does it well. Given the high price point and the hype around it, it may come as a disappointment to some, that it does not deliver even more. It is not revolutionary. Like all things from Touratech, it a combination of the best materials, flawless finish and extremely well thought through design – the best suit you can buy. But it is not an iPhone like idea the world has just been waiting for. Still no miracles from Niedereschach 😉