The Metier Beacon Jersey

I recently had the opportunity to road test a Metier Beacon Jersey. As someone who has become accustomed to high-quality apparel, thanks to being introduced to Q36.5 gear, I genuinely wasn’t sure what to expect from Metier – It’s a brand I’d never heard of before. So, here’s how it all came to be:

Funky Light Up Jerseys!

If like me, you try and consume as much cycling content as possible through YouTube, you may have come across the likes of Francis Cade; a brilliant producer of content. Every video is interesting and, as a bonus, it’s rare that he and his mates talk about gear. In late 2017 I started to notice that Francis’ circle of friends were often sporting black, long sleeve jerseys with LED lights positioned high-up on the collarbone area at the front of the jersey.

Whilst my interest was piqued, I didn’t bother to look into it too much as I had just invested in some new bib shorts and was starting to look toward the warmer weather that summer would (I hope) bring. But when Dave and the team at 7Hundred emailed customers to say that they were doing a night ride with JAMCycling to show people these funky light up jerseys from a brand called Metier, a lightbulb (excuse the pun) went off! Those were what I had seen on YouTube!

Not knowing the Metier brand and only having seen it on YouTube, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But simply by virtue of the fact that the guys at 7Hundred were now stocking these jersey’s and promoting them, for me, went a long way to reassuring me that they were good.

Over the years the team at 7Hundred have refined and carefully curated the selection of products they stock, meaning every product in the store is considered and trusted by the team. They now, in my firm opinion, only stock quality products. You’d be hard-pressed to leave the store having bought something that isn’t worth the money or poor quality.

It was Dave Butcher that got me onto products from Q36.5 and I must say – to this day I still haven’t found apparel from any other brand to be as technical or as premium in quality. Few come close, but they don’t quite match the level of products from Q…

So, when I first got my hands on the funky, space-age looking light up Metier Jersey in the shop, I was suitably impressed!

Safety Over Style Or Substance?

I arrived at 7Hundred at about 6pm. I wanted to be sure I could get my hands on a jersey in my size and I was keen to find out more from the guys what these jerseys were all about. I was greeted by a few of the people behind the jersey and introduced to the guys from JAM, including George and Chris – both of whom you may recognise from many of Francis’ videos.

Both the guys had an abundance of time to chat and talk about the gear, but also cycling in general, too.

I opted for a long sleeve jersey for the ride, as it was set to be a little chilly and possibly wet too. about 12 of us set off on a 15 mile loop or so around some of the back roads of Windsor, towards Maidenhead, taking in Drift Road along the route. We were all lit up and looking good!

Chris and I had a good chat about his plans for 2018, including a stab at the Nationals. We exchanged stories about pneumonia and recovery (timely, after my recent post on the topic) and his role at JAMCycling. It really was interesting stuff.

So much so, it wasn’t until we arrived back at the shop and I was asked what I thought of the Metier Jersey, that I actually stopped to assess my experience!

Conclusion

Well, the fact that we only discussed the jersey’s and gear for a short while, before then naturally moving onto other subjects, just goes to show how well suited this Jersey was to the conditions we were riding in! I pretty much forgot about it, not because it was forgettable, as such, but more because I was that warm and comfortable and didn’t even notice the flashing lights on my shoulders that it was like I was wearing any other Jersey.

You my think ‘Well, that’s kind of the point’, but as someone who has become something of a Q36.5evangelist, who thinks that nothing else compares, I was surprised by just how well the Metier gear…compared!

In fact, would go as far as to say that it was very similar to the Q36.5 gear; warm, yet breathable. waterproof and yet not too heavy.

Whereas I perhaps had somewhat convinced myself before the ride that these jerseys were simply all about the lights, with that being their unique selling point, I actually concluded that the Metier Beacon is nothing short of an incredibly high-end, technical cycling jersey. Even if you were to take the lights out of the equation, the jersey I wore would stand up against the most premium of brands available on the market today!

Little details impressed me. The lights of course are very cool. They’re implemented in such a way that they’re useful and not just some fad to try and make the jersey stand out among the competition. The battery pack gives the lights of 70 hours or run time on a single charge. The battery has it’s own dedicated pocket as not to steal space from the other items you may have stored behind you. The button on the battery pack is used to change the light pattern from static to flashing. A nice bonus is that the button on the battery pack can be accessed through the jersey, even with gloves on thanks to it having a nice responsive and tactile feel so you know you’ve just pressed the button for sure.

But more than that, it had all of the quality little additions you would only come to find on most premium apparel. The gripper material around the waist and hems of the sleeves is perfectly placed and very well attached to the jersey. The grippers did their jobs without being too tight or restrictive.

If, like me, you’re not a fan of high-vis and fluro, but safety neatly designed and well placed reflective strips (that don’t look like high-vis strips! Thank goodness). I was impressed by the fit and shaping too. The 4-way stretch fabric employed int he Metier Jersey I wore meant I didn’t get any of that annoying ‘flapping’ going on as I rode along.

I wore my Gore base layer and my Pactimo Summer Jersey underneath, but in reality, as the guys suggested, I would have been more than comfortable in just a base layer, underneath the Metier Jersey. It is that flexible and adaptable and I have to say I agree.

The fact that this is a Jersey that considers both lights, visibility and safety on a level par with style, quality and performance, is something that I don’t think any other brand has yet to achieve. Much like Q36.5‘s approach. Rather than making a garment to fit a particular budget, Metier are also just making the best products they can. And they have done it!

Lastly, the way the reflective strips on the back of the jersey have been implemented are aesthetically pleasing. they don’t immediately look like reflective strips, which, during daylight hours, when reflective strips are arguably not effective anyway, mean the jersey continues to look pretty cool.

The Metier Jersey strikes a beautiful balance of all of these things. Hats off to the guys involved in the brand for producing

I’ve become accustomed to an extra sense of safety from the Metier Beacon. So much so that I very much intend on picking up a gilet sometime in April or May of 2019 ready for those slightly warmer, late evening rides, but without doubt, you will find me riding around in my Metier Beacon Long Sleeve Jersey when the temperatures drop or when the light fades once again.

Metier Beacon Jerseys are available from 7Hundred, online direct from Metier Cycling themselves, or, for more information you can check out JAMCycling’s website for your local stockist

Illness, Recovery and The Role of Data

Once you've been bitten, it's hard to stop. Cycling is the perfect low-impact, aerobic sport available to everyone. Invariably though, at times, you'll get a cold or the Flu and that means staying off the bike until you've recovered sufficiently. But how many of us are actually disciplined enough to do that? Those cravings to get back on the bike are relentless.

Let’s face it; we probably all get back in the saddle at least a couple of days earlier than we really ought to.

In days of old, the advice was to "just ride through it", 'Harden the f**k up" and "It will make you stronger!" they'd say. Well, in December 2014 and through January 2015 I followed that 'advice'. Having never, ever been seriously ill in 30 years and not being one to ever let a cold hold me back from anything, I pedalled on through a bad cold in the harshest winter, to only end up being dragged to A&E by my wife to find I'd gone and given myself pneumonia, which was then followed swiftly by a bout of pleurisy; an inflammation of the lung lining caused most likely by the excessive, non-stop and aggressive coughing! Nice!

The 5-week setback in my fitness was bad enough, but really, I was more like 6-7 months of setbacks, all told.

You see, with a cold, you can be off the bike for a week or two. In that time, provided you eat sensibly, of course, you'll get back on the bike feeling just a little behind where you were prior to illness, but in just a further week or so you're probably fighting fit again. At least, that's the best-case scenario. If, however, you choose to do what I did, it's much worse...

With pneumonia and other lung illnesses like it, it's not simply just 'a really bad cold' (as I was naive enough to think it was). The 5-week setback was enough to put me way behind schedule for the entire year! The months that followed saw my lung capacity totally diminished! Whilst I never did any V02 max tests or anything scientific to share with you, I can say that even the most menial of 50-100m climbs that averaged 3% saw me dismounting and pushing my bike up the pedestrian footpath that thankfully ran parallel to the road. Something that I had never had to do since getting back on a bike in 2013!

It was like getting on the bike again for the first time in 12-18 months, not just 5 weeks.

So, these days I've learned to listen to my body and how it feels. But more than that I look at my stats on Strava too.

Using The Numbers To Spot The Onset Of Illness

Throughout December 2017 I felt strong. Even in the coldest conditions, I'd pick up the odd Strava PR and I found myself feeling I pretty good shape. I'd carried my fitness through from 2017 into the new year. January rolled around and that feeling continued (I even got a KOM!). that was until the latter part of the month where every ride was an effort (without me wanting it to be an effort). I then started to even question whether I wanted to ride on certain days! That's when I knew I didn't feel quite right. Sensing that perhaps a cold was coming on, I actually decided to just assess how it was I felt.

I sat for a few minutes and just listened to my breathing. It was shallower than usual. I checked my heart rate, which typically rests at around 65bpm. It was over 72bpm (not a massive difference, but enough). Then I checked Strava; my average speeds were down, my distances and hours in the saddle were down, (all the while it being no colder or wetter than in previous weeks) and perhaps most importantly; I'd skipped days on the bike.

So, Thursday 1st Feb rolled around. I felt well enough to ride, but not 100% at all. I had decided it would be my last ride for the week and that I would stay off the bike for the weekend and see how I was on Monday. So I had 3 full days of rest (no riding) and jumped back on, on Monday. I didn't feel great. Whilst my legs were rested and I felt strong when I put the power down my lungs let me down. I titled that Strava ride accordingly! So, I rode home casually from work that evening and once again said I'd take a few more days off the bike. More so, I actually took a few days off work to really rest!

Thursday came round and I received word from the guys at 7Hundred that my new carbon wheels were in stock and that they could fit them for me. So on Friday, although I still didn't feel well...there was no way that I was not going to ride, especially seeing as I'd just fitted my bike with some new carbon wheels! I felt better; completing 20 miles full of enthusiasm. Although, i still wasn't right. Arriving home after the ride with a severe cough!

That evening, the coughing continued, I felt terrible! I rested for the weekend and decided on Monday morning that I wouldn't ride again until the end of the week. I'd failed to recover fully as I kept giving in to the call from the bike!

Like every addiction, I found a way though. I convinced myself that the issue was the cold weather and that if I could just train indoors, I'd be fine! I could get my hit of riding without hurting the lungs! So I went along to my local Gym for a 30-minute early morning spin. It felt great, but ultimately, it only served to highlight how high my average heart rate was! It also worsened the cough.

Not having a Heart Rate Monitor out on my road bike, I decided I would get one. After all, I was already using the speculative Strava data, combined with my own perception of wellbeing to judge and forecast my fitness on the bike, so if I was able to add another metric, it would make the entire process even more accurate.

So, I grabbed myself a Garmin Ant+ Heart Rate Monitor and have since been using that. I'm not really using the heart rate monitor for training, but it certainly helps to confirm my own perception of the difficulty of a ride. I use Strava's Suffer Score to aid in this.

In Conclusion

I spoke to Dave at 7Hundred about the role Heart Rate can play in training and fitness. Whilst most of us are aware that resting heart rate is a decent benchmark of your own fitness, it could be argued that your ability to get into your threshold and Anaerobic heart rate zones are a more accurate measure. After all, your heart will protect itself. If you're tired, exhausted or unwell, your heart will not want to work as hard. It will want to stop you from passing out!

So, listen to your heart. Listen to your body. If you're not one to train to numbers, that's fine, but if you have a heart rate monitor, there is no harm in taking a peek at those numbers after each ride to see if your own perception of the ride difficulty, was as your numbers indicate.

Had I had a heart rate monitor sooner and paid closer attention, then maybe I would have spotted my heart rate wasn't the same. I could have proactively taken a day or two off the bike, rather than compounding the issue.

Trust me, having had pneumonia, I'm telling you it isn't worth it.

Stay safe. Play it safe. Don't believe anyone who tells you to harden the F up. Do what feels right for you and er on the side of caution.