Ground Effect fandom

I am a total Ground Effect fanboy despite not caring one whit about mountain-biking.

Several years ago now, when I started riding a bicycle to uni and discovered just how cold Canberra is in the mornings, I bought some Ranchsliders (pants), a Cadence (top) and a Baked Beanie (beanie). They are uniformly well made (outstandingly well made!) and have stood up to repeated washings, being worn in the rain, sweat and generally not being washed until I remember (chorus: ewwww!).

The Ranchsliders I have are the previous model and are made from actual heavy-duty cotton unlike the current iteration that are nylon. The microfiber lining in the knees really does keep out the wind. I think my Cadence is a slightly earlier iteration than is on the Ground Effect site, too. Mine is more like International Signal Orange than the one currently shown. The wind cuts through the Cadence which is intentional so that you don't overheat. The Baked Beanie is great for extra cold mornings and pulls down low enough to cover my ears. It's about 50% thinner than a regular microfleece beanie so it fits under a helmet nicely.

For my recent birthday, M bought me a Draft Dodger and a Vespa. I wore the Draft Dodger this morning, despite it not being that cold. It's wind blocking properties, compared to the Cadence, are just gold and will allow me to leave the house much earlier without fear of getting frozen on the first downhill section of my ride. The side vents and the strategically placed non-wind-blocking sections of the Draft Dodger meant I didn't overheat and I was no more sweaty that if I'd worn the Cadence.

I suspect that M bought the Vespa out of concern for the dark colour of the Draft Dodger. No verdict on the Vespa yet, but I'll wear it tomorrow over the Cadence and see how wind-blocking it is.

UPDATE: Vespa+Cadence is probably 90% as good as the Draft Dodger at keeping out the cold. On the down side I was fluro orange and yellow today instead of stealth grey.