
I’ve always been partial to a bit of new running kit. However checking through my ‘stinky drawer’ on this lovely warm day I found myself a bit short on technical T-shirts. So off down to my local sportswear shop for a quick purchase.
There were a lot of the usual brands on display and I was in a bit of a rush and the Salomon rack was nearest the entrance (which is normally a good sign that the shop rates the brand).
Initially the “Exo” range from Salomon took my fancy though a tad out of my budget today. A nice, unusual (trendy?) looking range of kit. I just wanted something lightweight, short sleeved that looked good. Oh and a pocket for keys and the like always helps.
Anyway at a bit over £30 I settled on the Salomon Matador – as shown in the picture.
The white mesh panels on the side have slightly larger holes and hence better ventilation that the red material. That’s good. A combination of strength with increased breathability…important if you sweat a lot. (Ahem, or TRY a lot).
You can’t see it too well in the image but there IS a small rear-right capped pocket with a small hole for headphones. Importantly for the back-end of the year there are reflective panels/strips for night running.
So that ticked all the boxes for me.


Then there came the shorts. The START shorts are a tad baggy on me but no more so than some of the others I have. In any case they come with a drawstring – ideal if you plan to lose a few Kgs.
They are lightweight (as are many other technical shorts and comparative weights of shorts makes no difference) but importantly the inner layer and the sides and bottom of the visible/outer layer are of wicking/breathable material. Ideal to get the sweat away from your body, for comfort as much as anything else.
A neat addition is the slightly elasticated, medium sized pouch at the rear. Many shorts have these pouches these days. But many don’t. And for one, I really appreciate somewhere to keep a key or a parkrun barcode.
Also and, importantly for the back-end of the year, there are reflective panels/strips for night running – just like the T.
Summary: Quality kit with all the basic things you need YOU WON’T GO WRONG BUYING THESE. They might not look uber-trendy but then not all of us want to stand out too much -other than in the results we achieve. They are certainly classically designed and more than up to the job of running and jogging through 2014 (and beyond!)
Manufacturer Details for Salomon Start Tee Matador
Technical tee with breathable mesh panels and gel pockets, MP3 player, etc.. sides. Normal fit.
Specifications:
- Materials Acti Lite Stretch Mesh
- Acti Lite Poly Mock Eylet
- Inside Scoop Neck
- Flatlock seams
- Pockets Pocket Discreet
- Appearance Visual Marking Reflective front and back
- Normal Cup
- Body Composition: 100% Pes
- Insert: 100% Pes
- Weight 120 G
Technology:
- Actilite: Skin comfort with drainage and quick drying
Manufacturer Details for Salomon Start Shorts
- WEIGHT150
- INSEAM12cm/5inch
- COMPOSITION BOTTOM: PES 100% INNER BRIEF: PES 100% INSERT: PES 100%