As a snowboarder and skier, I was excited to hear that one of Specialized’s latest projects is a collaboration with 686, a Southern California-based snow and skate apparel company. “After years of talking about ways to collaborate, it took the rise of fat bikes to finally bring us both together,” says Peter Curran, head of Specialized’s apparel team. “The resulting pieces reflect our knowledge of fat-bike riders’ needs, combined with the expertise of 686’s technical winter clothing.”
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The fat-bike apparel collection consists of three items: the 686 x Specialized Tech Insulator; the 3L Tech Jacket; and the 3L Tech Bibs. I received the women’s versions, but all items are available in men’s versions, too.
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Tech Insulator ($250)
This hooded, puffy-style cycling jacket features 100-gram Primaloft insulation and a water-repellent finish. The jacket is more form-fitting than a typical snow or ski jacket, and tapers in at the waist and flares out slightly at the hips. Reflective piping on the sleeves offers extra peace of mind on nighttime bike commutes home.
The Tech Insulator is meant to be worn with the 3L Tech Jacket (a hardshell) as a system. Two stretch panels on the sides and under the sleeves of the Insulator help with the jacket’s fit, as well as overall mobility for the rider. They also provide a lot of breathability, which conversely meant that when it was very cold (30s and below) and windy, it took adding the Tech 3L jacket over the Insulator to keep the breeze from coming through the stretch panels. But the combination of the two feels bombproof against the elements. Zipped all the way up, the jackets effectively shield your neck from the cold—but curiously, the hood doesn’t fit over a trail helmet, which seems like an oversight for a fat-biking jacket.
If you’re big on ‘gramming your two-wheeled adventures, you’ll also appreciate the mesh pocket inside the chest, which proved to be the ideal place for storing and warming an iPhone—mine tends to shut down when it gets very cold.
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A single zippered opening on the lower back primarily serves the purpose of allowing you to reach items in the rear pockets of a cycling jersey or your 3L Tech Bibs, though it doesn’t do much for venting.
A spray skirt protects your butt when you’re pedaling but folds up and buttons out of the way when you don’t need it. (The 3L Tech Jacket has this feature, too.)
Tech Jacket ($500)
Both the 3L Tech Jacket and Bib are constructed from a three-layer, 20,000mm water-resistant shell fabric that also has a breathability rating of 20,000gm2. Both these numbers are pretty much at the highest end of the scale for what you can get for snowsports apparel, and along with taped seams that further help keep out wind and water effectively, the jacket has proven water-resistant enough to double as a light rain jacket. Velcro pull-tabs around the wrists let you tighten the sleeves up against the cold and snow, and double as reflective accents.
Two zippered pockets on either side of the lower back offer good venting (as do zippered vents on the sleeves), and access to the stuff in your bib pockets without having to take off your jacket. The vents on the sleeves are designed to be easy to unzip with one hand while you’re riding (and they are). Lycra sleeve gussets fit under gloves so your wrists stay protected from the cold when you’re riding.
Inside the jacket, a powder skirt with a silicone gripper—similar to the ones found on most ski jackets—helps to keep snow away from your back if you end up getting a little too rad.
A hallmark of technical riding apparel is a cycling-specific cut—it falls higher up front on the stomach, lower in the back—but both the 3L and Insulator Jackets feature cuts that are activity-agnostic enough to work for other winter sports and just as casual wear, a definite benefit out of items at this price.
3L Tech Bibs ($450)
The 3L Tech Bibs are constructed from the same highly water-resistant and breathable material as the 3L Tech Jacket. The pant legs are slim fit and tapered, but allow for enough movement that they’re not restrictive. A zippered gusset around the ankles enables the pants to fit over boots. Zippered thigh vents offer breathability, and with a full zipper in the front panel, these bibs are super easy to slip in and out of. The elastic straps are comfortable enough to wear with even a sleeveless base layer without irritating or chafing. Another nice touch: Three SWAT pockets in the back hold tools, food, and other stuff you’d normally carry in a jersey pocket.
A small pocket that doubles as a belt loop fits a multi-tool. Taped seams help make these bibs nicely wind- and waterproof, too, and built-in elastic gaiters at the ankles keep snow from wandering up the pant legs—even when you’re tromping around knee-deep in the cold stuff.
Gloria Liu is a writer-at-large, and formerly the features and gear editor at Bicycling. Gloria’s love for cycling spans disciplines from road to gravel to ’cross to mountain. She’s written popular features for Bicycling about a wide range of subjects, from the (at times hilarious) self-discovery gained by going #FullEnduro, to the intersection of #MeToo and cycling.
