Published by Lyn on 12 March 2021
Richard Peace has been winter riding for us to road-test BAM Bamboo base layers for us. Here is his verdict.
Black Rocks zip neck base layer: RRP £49
Training leggings: RRP £39
bambooclothing.co.uk
I’ve been wearing BAM Bamboo base layers over the winter and found them great for keeping me both comfortable and warm while cycling.
The top is a Black Rocks zip neck model made of a 68% bamboo viscose, 28% organic cotton and 4% elastene mix, while I also often wore the training leggings, which have a similar mix of fabrics.
Typically I wore a close fitting cycle type jersey and waterproof as well and close fitting trousers. The base layers were so comfortable I often forgot I had them on – and I never once felt cold, even during snow cycling in the middle of a cold snap.
Why bamboo?
BAM say the bamboo and organic cotton elements do not require pesticides to grow and their cultivation saves thousands of litres of water as measured against traditional cotton production. Visit BAM’s website and you’ll see how many litres of water and how many emissions every piece of our clothing has saved compared to a conventional cotton alternative.
BAM are on a mission cut the negative environmental effects of clothing and have a goal to be impact positive by 2030. They say currently 73% of clothing ends up in landfill or being incinerated so they can no longer just rely on making clothing from sustainable sources. "We also need to consider how our clothes will be recycled," they say. To this end, they have introduced a new waterproof jacket, the Rowter jacket, designed to be recyclable and it’s made from 98% recycled materials.
BAM are also endeavouring to promote clothing recycling in general – when you buy from them you can request a free postage-paid bag so you can recycle up to five kilos of clothing that people in need can wear. BAM have teamed up with Sharewear, a charity committed to ending clothing poverty. Sharewear distribute wearable second-hand clothing to the people who really need it and BAM want to see them roll out from their Nottingham base nationally.
Black Rocks zip neck base layer: RRP £49
Training leggings: RRP £39
bambooclothing.co.uk
