Nordkraft Wear Sweden: Cycling Team Kit Field Test Report
Nordkraft Wear is a Sweden-based brand whose cycling team kit is one of its most demanding programmes. Nordkraft Wear runs its cycling team kit across Sweden and asked us to prove the fabric in the field rather than in a brochure. This report covers a full season of real use with power mesh warp knit.
Nordkraft Wear: Power Mesh Warp Knit in use during road and indoor cycling blocks
Evaluation background
The programme covers jerseys, bib shorts and base layers, used for road and indoor cycling blocks. The environment is a forward position with continuous sweat at the back panel and the requirement written into the brief was a stable print surface with aerodynamic fit. Fabric was selected on that basis rather than on price alone.
Fabric under evaluation
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Power Mesh Warp Knit |
| Composition | 85% nylon / 15% spandex |
| Weight | 120 GSM |
| Width | 175 cm |
| Primary function | gives controlled support with maximum air exchange |
| Target | air permeability above 400 mm/s |
| Test method | ISO 11092 |
| Additional note | ventilation mapped onto the pattern |
| Certification | OEKO-TEX Standard 100 |
Power Mesh Warp Knit close-up showing the fabric surface
Test scope
Twenty garments were issued to regular participants and tracked for eight weeks. Every item was used for road and indoor cycling blocks and laundered under the same domestic conditions, so the only real variable was wear.
Conditions covered
The programme ran through a forward position with continuous sweat at the back panel. That is the environment the fabric has to survive, and it is harsher than any laboratory chamber we could have built.
Evaluation session with the Nordkraft Wear team
What we measured
Garments were inspected every two weeks for surface wear, seam condition, dimensional change and retained hand. Fabric was retested at the end of the period against ISO 11092.
What users reported
Participants logged comfort, drying behaviour and any irritation. The recurring comment was that the power mesh warp knit stayed comfortable at the point where a stable print surface with aerodynamic fit would normally be lost.
Test records and inspection notes for the Cycling Team Kit
Scorecard
| Criterion | Result |
|---|---|
| Comfort in use | 4.7 / 5 |
| Drying behaviour | 4.4 / 5 |
| Surface wear | 4.8 / 5 |
| Dimensional stability | 4.6 / 5 |
| Value | 4.5 / 5 |
“Development was transparent from the first sample and bulk matched the approval exactly.” — Nordkraft Wear Technical Team
Packed bulk rolls before shipment to Sweden
Verdict and recommendation
Field testing confirmed the laboratory picture. The power mesh warp knit held its air permeability above 400 mm/s across the whole season and we recommend it for the next programme without change. For Nordkraft Wear the practical next steps are to keep the current specification for the repeat, retain the shade standard, and issue ISO 11092 results with every lot so any claim can be supported with data.
