ION's Latest Apparel, Riding Gear and Footwear

ION made the jump from the surf and watersports world to mountain biking a few years ago, and they’ve been growing their range of  innovative shorts, jerseys, and protection. They’ve added a line of footwear now.

ION Raid Amp Shoe

The brand introduced a shoe last year but they are pushing ahead with with footwear development. Called the Raid Amp, the shoe has been developed in partnership with a local design firm and they created a proprietary sole called the Sup traction rubber sole. The sole features different knob patterns in the front and the rear to help with traction on the pedals of course as well as while hiking. The Raid Amp has ample toe protection and a pre-shaped heel with a clever ankle pad on the inside to help protect against abrasion and hits. It’s a very lightweight and breathable shoe construction with styling that would not look out of place during a stroll in the park or for a walk down the street in the hip part of town. The shoe is available now and retails for 120€ (approx $140 USD).

ION K_Pact Zip Kneepad

Also new from ION for 2018 is the K_Pact Zip. This is an evolution of their K_Pact knee pad now featuring a zipped side and two Velcro fasteners, so you can take it off and put it on without having to remove your shoes. It uses Sass Tech, another one of these visco-elastic materials, for the main padding and features highly perforated neoprene pads enclosed in mesh fabric to promote flexibility and breathability. The K_Pact Zip retails for 99€ (approx $120 USD).

ION Traze Amp Short

There are some changes to highlight with their Traze Amp short. It has moved to a four-way stretch fabric, still very lightweight and ventilated, featuring laser cuts in the seat area for extra ventilation. An adjustable waist, two zippered pockets, and a very classy looking approach to styling overall are quite toned down, dare we say, for Ion, with a very nice grey color on display. Other color options are available and retails for  99€ (approx $120 USD).

ION Three-Layer Jacket

The final item worthy of highlighting is the Three-Layer jacket. This is a premium all-weather jacket made out of a special triple-layer. four-way stretch fabric that is watertight to a 20,000mm water column with 20,000g per-square-meter 24-hour breathability. There are vented zips and very high-level construction; pretty much as premium an item as you can have if you are out in the rain and the cold. It does have a premium price tag of 280€ (approx $330 USD) but the construction and materials may justify the price. They do have a simpler two-layer jacket available for those that would choke on a 280€ expense for a rain jacket.
 
www.ion-products.com will keep you in-the-know on all their new gear.