2015 is a big year for Giro as it’s the 30th anniversary of the company so it seems a fitting time to unveil the new Chrono range that’s been in development for the past two years. Giro says it’s very proud of what it has achieved with the New Road collection (now called Venture – more on that later) but it wanted to bring a complete option for riders who might own a Synthe helmet or Empire shoe. It wanted to take the time to focus on the details, offer a premium performance line alongside entry level options and make sure there was a parity between the male and female lines.
The new Chrono range is the first road clothing range that they’ve run through their in house development lab, the Dome. The Dome housing over 50 test fixtures, 3D printers a (small) wind tunnel and the Therminator (used to test airflow in helmets). Giro is keen to get more people to ride with its new collection, but it doesn’t want people to feel like they’re wearing a uniform. The Chrono collection is what it describes as a ‘mixture of science and soul’.
So without further waffle here are the highlights of the collection:
Chrono Pro jersey
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The Chrono Pro jersey is made from a custom blend of fabrics that Giro had made up by their mills in Italy – it’s 80% polyester & 20% elastane, which it thinks is the perfect blend for performance riding. Giro described the fit as a ‘contoured race fit’ .
There’s a custom hem gripper to prevent the jersey riding up, open mesh side panels for extra ventilation and a tapered collar. The Chrono Pro jersey is super lightweight (just 117g) so is best in warm conditions. Giro also wanted to bring attention to the zip as it’s been specially designed so it doesn’t buckle, fold over or snag when in an aggressive position. It has the usual three pockets at the rear, plus an extra zipped pocket that is lined to keep phones/money dry
$180 - available in both men’s and women’s fit.
Chrono Expert jersey
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The Chrono Expert jersey borrows features from its more expensive sibling: it’s got the same front zipper, same four pocket rear and it’s the same race fit but it’s made from a heavier weight material that’s 90% polyester, but it’s still a respectable 160g. The colours and designs are a little bolder and more expressive, with a few colours that match the updated Synthe and Empire range. It’s also been designed so that you can mix levels (Expert jersey & Pro bibs for instance) without it looking odd.
$100 - available in both men’s and women’s fit.
Chrono Sport jersey
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The Chrono sport jersey is a great example of how much attention to detail Giro puts in, even at the lower price points. The material is a 90% polyester – 10% elastane blend; Giro experimented with a cotton blend but decided it wasn’t good enough. It’s still got the same great zip as the Expert and Pro jerseys, but it does lose the fourth zipped pocket.
The cut is still racy, but it’s been opened up by about an inch on all sizes and the higher polyester blend is very stretchy. It’s available in a variety of colours, including the all important fluoro.
$80 – 150g - available in both men’s and women’s fit.
Chrono base layer
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For the Chrono base layer, Giro experimented with various merino blends but wasn’t happy with how damp the wool became. In the end it decided to create its own fabric it’s dubbed ‘wikpro’ - the final production piece is 60% nylon, 30% polyester and 10% elastane.
The Chrono baselayer is currently only available as a sleeveless crew neck (they tried a short sleeve option but it bunched up too much) and they’re working on a long sleeve option for late 2016.
$60 - 90g - available in both men’s and women’s fit.
Chrono shorts
Giro says this is one of the hardest products it has produced. The team tried it, tweaked it and then tried again. Only when they decided that it was the best bib short they’d ever worn was Giro happy.
Chrono Pro bibshorts
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From the top, Giro had to create custom straps that were comfortable, stretchy and breathable. It has used a very soft nylon blend and tested four different strap placements before it was happy with them. The lower back has what it describes as a ‘contoured lumbar panel’ that is made from stretch woven, rather than knit, material to provide extra compression, and increase bloodflow to the area, to help prevent fatigue.
All the pads in the Chrono bibs come from Cytech. The Pro two different thicknesses in the pad (3 & 14mm) and three different weights of padding (60g, 80g & 120g).
The legs are made from Midi lycra (200g/m2) that is produced with black yarn (not dyed black). There’s a custom leg gripper, reflective logos and a radio pocket – all sizes have a 10.5” inseam.
$250
Women’s Chrono Pro shorts
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Very similar to the men’s but without the bib straps. The leg grippers are lighter than the men’s to prevent it from squeezing in and it’s fitted with a women’s pad. The inseam is also a little shorter at 8”.
$150
Chrono Expert bibshorts
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The Expert bib uses mesh straps rather than the custom nylon ones on the Pro. The leg gripper is also a lighter weight. The Expert pad is made with two thicknesses (3mm &12mm) and from two weights (60g & 120g).
$150
Chrono Sport bibshorts
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The Chrono Sport bib shorts are aimed at those who are new to bib shorts. The material is soft and breathable. The lycra is not as compressive as the Pro or Expert although it is the same weight material. The Sport pad is made from two thicknesses (3mm & 11mm) and two weights (80g & 70g)
$120
Chrono outerwear
For new the outwear line is just windproof items but there is a rain jacket coming for Autumn 2016.
Chrono Wind jacket
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The Chrono Wind jacket has been designed to be lightweight & packable. There’s a 2-way zipper and vented back. The cut is performance race fit again. The material weight is 52g/m2, which is what Giro thinks is as light as it can go before there are durability problems.
$120
Chrono Wind vest
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Very similar to the Chrono Wind jacket, although without arms. The front of the Chrono Vest is the same but the back is mesh rather than stretchy material. The cut at the lower back has been engineered to fit over the top of three full pockets.
$100
Venture Expert jersey
Lastily, Giro also chose this time to rename its ‘New Road’ line ‘Venture’. The Venture Expert jersey is a performance merino blend – 100% merino was found to get too wet and not wick quickly enough. The final blend is 53% merino 47% polyester. (Not pictured)
$120 - 165g
We’ve been in Switzerland for the last few days putting the Chrono Pro range to the test, so look out for a first ride review soon. The Giro Chrono collection should be available from retailers from September 15th– UK pricing to follow.
Contact: Giro.com