Unior Bike Tools Hoodie

Most shop hoodies pill at the cuffs by the third wash. That has more to do with the cotton than with how often it's worn. Open-end cotton, which is the spinning method used in the cheaper end of the apparel market, leaves short loose fibers in the yarn. Those fibers migrate out under friction, which is what pilling actually is. Ring-spinning twists the yarn tighter, then a comb removes the short fibers entirely. A combed ring-spun blend looks the same as a cheap blend on day one and looks materially better on day ninety.

This hoodie is made from an 80% ring-spun combed cotton and 20% polyester blend at 280 g/m². The polyester is for shape retention through the wash cycle; the cotton is for the hand and breathability. The 280 g/m² weight sits in the mid-range for shop wear, which is the right place; heavy enough to hold up under sleeve abuse and to keep warmth on a cold morning, light enough that you don't overheat by the time the bay door has been open for two hours.

The straight-cut shape stays out of the way at a repair stand. The single jersey hood lining is comfortable enough to actually wear up if a shop is genuinely cold. The drawstrings are flat cord rather than round, which matters more than it sounds: round drawstrings fray under friction and snag on bar tape; flat cords don't. The front pouch is a workshop necessity that fashion hoodies sometimes leave off; keep a pair of nitriles, a chain-wear gauge, or a phone within reach without needing to walk back to the bench.

Specs

• Fabric: 80% ring-spun combed cotton / 20% polyester
• Weight: 280 g/m²
• Construction: straight-cut body, single jersey lined hood, flat cord drawstrings
• Front pouch
• Print: light grey body with contrasting white Unior logo on the front, Made For Work logo on the rear
• Line tag: Made For Work, Rest and Play

Built by a tool company

Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče, Slovenia, since 1919, and is the official technical partner of multiple World Tour and downhill teams. The Made For Work apparel line is the gear-side companion to the tool catalog; the same shop sensibility, with apparel-grade construction decisions where they matter (combed cotton blends, flat-cord drawstrings, mid-weight fabric for shop temperature swings).

Pro tip from our mechanics

A workshop hoodie is the most-worn layer in a mechanic's working week. The combed-cotton spec is what separates one that holds shape from one that pills, and the front pouch turns it into informal tool storage for the small things you keep grabbing. We wrote up the rest of the line; tees, hats, drinkware, bottle openers; in our broader workshop-wear piece: What we wear in the workshop →