A'qto Fauniera CS 1.0 and Pinerolo Endurance CS 2.0 Kit

We’re seeing a throw back toward classic looking kit. There’s a rush toward simple, classic colours. Clean lines and an overall timeless look.

Words - Mike Boudrie

This is exactly where A’qto has gone with its Fauniera CS 1.0 jersey and Pinerolo Endurance CS 2.0 knicks. A rich navy with white and red detail make for a very classy look that will look good for years to come and won’t risk being ‘last season’ when you break it out in a few summers time.

A’qto pride themselves on their all Italian fabrics and construction, and while I don’t think this merits the separation from the crowd that it did a few years back, it still results in a top quality kit.

Jumping on the bike the A’qto kit feels good right away. A'qto have been making cycling kit for good few years now so know a thing or two about keeping you comfortable. There’s 50+ UV protection that has done its job through the Australian summer and the choice and mix of fabrics do an excellent job of keeping you feeling pretty fresh. There are lighter weight kits around but I think A'qto has found a nice weight allowing across season use.

On the thumbs up side there’s good compression and an overall nice fit with no flappy fabric anywhere, good sized pockets that don’t pull when loaded with average supplies for a two to three hour ride and reflective detailing to make you a little bit more visible.

Inside the chamois is top quality, very comfortable and easily a 100k+ rating, in fact I’d imagine that you’ll feel relatively comfortable if your ride well past the 100km mark.

The materials all feel high quality, and the kit looks as good as it did at day one even after multiple wears, dirt roads and washes over 3 months of abuse in the hot Australian summer.

On the thumbs down side there's only one, it's a classic looking kit which is great, but I found the arms a bit on the short side. I'd love to see A’qto embrace a longer arm length. The more I ride in kit with arm length that is more generous and pushing toward elbow territory the more I question how I survived before (what a first world problem). So jumping into a kit with a classic look is great but I’d rather not have the classic arm length from a comfort perspective.

The Knicks are hard to fault, If I had to point the finger it would be that I’d like a bit longer leg length (see arm length argument above). I’ve got long legs though so I’m always searching for more.

This a quality kit that performed very strongly. Its classic look is easy on the eye and will look good on beach road, in the mountains or rolling around roads in Europe or anywhere else you love riding.

To buy, the Fauniera CS 1.0 jersey will set you back A$169.95 and the Pinerolo Endurance CS 2.0 knicks A$239.95, in total list price of over $400. That's putting it in with some serious competition. 

The Fauniera jersey is available in five sizes while the Pinerolo knicks in six offering the opportunity for an excellent fit for most people.

Overall on looks it’s a yes from me, in fact I'd say it's the best looking kit A'qto has produced to date and I’m sure it will survive plenty of k’s of abuse, so even at an up there price point I still think there’s good value there. For me personally though longer arms would have made a good kit excellent.

Disclaimer - the guys at A'qto sent us the Fauniera and Pinerolo kit for review. It's not a paid review, and these thoughts are mine alone.