When I reviewed the POC Consort Dungarees I’d been wearing them for two months. You can go and read the original review – much of what I said still stands – however, two months on, I want to revisit some of what I said.
My summary points were:
Three things I’d change
- The colour – something less staining would be better.
- The price – I could live with losing a few features to save a few quid.
- The bum – I want these to last for ever, so some extra reinforcement against grinding grit would be welcome.
Three things I loved
- Being the right temperature all over – no cold legs sticking out, or cold draughts getting in.
- The cut of the legs is spot on (for me).
- Getting to wear dungarees even more often. Down with waistbands!
I totally stand by all of this – but ‘The Bum’ bit of my ‘three things I’d change’ needs a further look.
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In the couple of months that have passed since my review, I’ve continued to wear my dungarees for most rides. That includes commutes, cargo bike school runs and such – not exclusively mountain bike rides. I’d not expect the commutes and school runs to put as much stress on them as a mountain bike ride, but I reckon that probably just offsets some of the mountain bike rides I didn’t get to do as a result of the child/life/adulting qualification. What I’m saying here is: I might be a mountain bike journo but I don’t think I’ve put these through anything like undue stress. I’m sure there are plenty of you who get more muddy hours in on the bike in an average week.
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The result? They’ve worn out. More interestingly, they’ve worn out in the same way that Amanda’s POC Ardour pants did. By which I mean, the fabric liner fabric has lost its shape – the warp and weft has shifted – causing the outer membrane to be weakened and pucker. It’s not yet turned into a hole, but it is noticeably less waterproof in that area, and there are signs of shifted threads on the inner thighs as well as the sit bone points.
I know I had already identified the bum area as a potential point of weakness, but the fact that both Amanda and I had different products made with the same material and resulting in the same point of failure rang a few alarms with me. Add to this the fact I’ve had multiple other experiences with waterproofs from other brands, and while many have failed, they’ve not failed in this way – which suggests to me there’s something about the structure of this particular fabric that’s not up to the job of interfacing with the saddle and typical UK winter conditions.
I would, quite honestly, be disappointed if I’d bought them and they’d failed after less than one winter. I’d be even more disappointed if I was a less frequent rider that got half way through the second winter only to discover that they weren’t going to last the course and I’d lost my receipt, forgotten where I’d bought them, and so on.
POC’s Response
I reported this failure to POC and they said:
‘Thanks for the feedback it is very much appreciated even if, like you, it is a bit disappointing to hear of the issue. It is by no means common, but we had some similar feedback here and there, which we looked into further. For the benefit of any doubt we have decided to update the fabric in the seat area of the Dungaree with a more durable and reinforced fabric which will have a significantly stronger lamination to the membrane (double the current one) and should eliminate all the bubbling issues you had. It will be updated directly for our new production and we also decided to include the Bastion and Ardour pants as well, as we believe they are subject to the same stresses and pressures.‘
I’ve Bought These, Now What?
So, good news, I think – it shouldn’t happen on future editions. But what about if you’ve bought a current pair of dungarees? POC says if they have been bought directly with POC e.g. via its online store, POC will cover all the issues under warranty and offer a replacement or refund. If the dunagrees have been bought with another retailer, they ask customers to first get in touch with the shop they bought it from. If you’ve no joy there, then you can contact POC for further assistance if it’s needed.
Where does that leave my review and its conclusions? Probably about in the same place as before, I think, except that I’d encourage riders to keep a close eye on the seat area to make sure they pick up on any undue wear as early as possible. If you get a no questions asked replacement pair (presumably by then with the new stronger seat), I don’t think I’d worry unduly about this first batch issue. You could even look on the bright side and think of it like getting a second new pair after a few months of use… remember how you used to buy Five Tens and then send them back for a swap as the glue gave up in month 11?
