Track Tested | Thor Prime Pro Gear

Simplistic and minimalist are the best way to describe Thor’s 2020 edition of the Prime Pro gear. However, the design and features of Thor’s premier offering are anything but simple.

For starters, Thor chose to forgo the often cumbersome, twistable, knee-brace-catching pant liner we have grown so accustomed to and instead, offers a compression short to be worn under the pant. The shorts are suspended in the pant with nylon loops that snap out for easy cleaning or to put on separately from the pant. While we typically choose to wear the compression shorts, the quality and craftsmanship of the interior seems are so smooth that the lack of liner is a non-issue, even if you choose not to wear the included shorts.

The interior panels of the knees feature generous leather panels and the seat of the pant is nylon; both areas offer excellent durability in high friction areas. The leather knee panels, especially, offer great traction against the sides of your bike and this makes it easy to grip the bike for control. The rest of the pant is a combination of extremely light material with a minimalistic feel and stretchy comfort. The majority of the poly/Spandex blend material feels like a lightweight board short with stretch panels in the crotch and just below the back waistline.

We loved last year’s offering of the Prime Pro but noted that with such a light pant and so much movement from the stretchy material against the seat of the bike, our pants would often get pulled down in the back during aggressive cornering or seat bouncing. Thor addressed this issue by including, in addition to their substantial zipper and ratchet buckle system, two new Velcro straps on either side of the pant to cinch things down tight. The pants now stay put perfectly. A tacky rubber strip runs around the waistband on the interior of the pant that holds your jersey tucked in place and the small key/credit card pocket inside the pant is a nice touch.

The jersey follows the same theme with a light, breathable feel. There is no collar or cuffs incorporated in the jersey, just clean seams folded over, offering an open feel for increased airflow. The cut of the jersey is fairly slim and fitted with clean lines that offer excellent movement with no bunching or excess. The material includes a light stretch and has ventilation holes strategically placed to help keep you cool even late in the moto.

We love the new colorways and think that Thor has done an excellent job improving on an awesome kit we were already stoked on. If you haven’t tried Thor’s Prime Pro gear yet; do yourself a favor and check it out the next time you’re ready for a new kit.

– Pat Foster