Moose Racing Sahara Gear Set

What it is

• Moose's premium gear line.
• Vented gear set.

Moose Racing has long been a gear company with deep roots in the off-road segment. The Sahara line is designed for warm weather riding conditions hence its name and construction. The jersey is constructed of polyester mesh for maximum airflow with an athletic fit  and breathable sublimated graphics. The jersey is available in sizes SM-3XL. The Sahara pant features a mix of polyester mesh for the main chassis and reinforced high denier polyester in the seat area. Its knee area now boats a mesh structure for ventilation purposes while the inner knee utilizes full grain leather panels. For fit, the pant utilizes a ratchet style closure system along with adjustable side straps to fine tune the waist. The pant is available in sizes 28-42. The MX1 glove features knuckle pads for added protection along with a stretchy spandex backhand and Clarino palm for added comfort and control. It employs a traditional strap closure system and is available in sizes SM-3XL.

How it works

• Exceptional ventilation.
• Sizing is mostly accurate.
• Durability is sacrificed for ventilation.

With the name Sahara, one would expect Moose’s gear set to be ready to endure the brutal heat that the Sahara Desert is known for. Well, we’d like to think it could. The Sahara gear is some of the most ventilated gear we’ve tried to date. Both the jersey and pants have a sufficient amount of airflow through them and work great in the hotter temps. The ventilation does allow some dirt and sand to get into the jersey, but nothing more than normal with highly vented gear like this.

Due to its extreme ventilation, durability seems to be sacrificed as a result. The lightweight mesh construction allows for a good amount of airflow; however, it tears fairly easily -- especially on the pant. In one of our first rides, we tore a hole in the outer knee area of the pant. Contrarily, the leather on the inner knee panels are holding up well and the seams and zipper are all still in tact. Likewise, the jersey and glove are holding up well and look as good as new. The weight of the gear is about average when compared to some of the featherweight gear out there. It isn’t the lightest, but it certainly isn’t the heaviest and we never once complained about it feeling too heavy.

The fit of the gear is pretty good. The pant, jersey, and glove all fit like they should and the adjustable side straps on the waist of the pants came in handy when finding the perfect fit. One area that caught our attention was the rise from the top of the crotch seam to the waist of the pants. It’s a little longer than we’d like and hindered our mobility as it felt like we were sagging our pants a bit. Things like swinging a leg over the bike (something that’s already hard enough with my short legs) and putting our leg out in a corner was tougher than usual because of this. Also, it also allowed for more sliding around on the seat than wanted. Contrarily, the entire length of the leg is sized correctly.

Another small gripe with these pants is the liner on the inside. They seemed to get caught on our knee braces quite frequently when putting the pants on/pulling them off and would sometimes undo the Velcro straps. Not the end of the world and not applicable to all, but it happened frequently enough that it should be mentioned.

Overall, Moose Racing’s Sahara gear line stands out for its ventilation and serves as a go-to set of gear in the hot temperatures. Both the pants and the jersey offer a great amount of airflow; however, the pants do lack a little in durability due to the large amounts of mesh used. The fit is nearly spot on with just a little too much material from the leg to waist area. Price wise, the Sahara lineup at $210 for the set is right in the middle of high end premium level gear and more price point gear making it a viable option for many riding through the hot summer months.

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