Oxford Mondial 2.0 jacket and trousers review

Four years ago I rode the autumn and winter of 2019/20 in Oxford’s then-new Mondial suit. 150 miles a day every day from mid-October through till lockdown in late March. Just under 15,000 miles in total and almost all of them in torrential rain. As winters go it was a mild one, but wet – and I mean wet, every single flipping day.

In all those miles, the Mondial suit never leaked, ever. I was bone dry on arrival, the contents of the trouser pockets were very occasionally damp, but never soaked and the main pockets stayed watertight the whole time. For a suit costing £469 (at the time, including a back protector) that was exceptional.

In the following summer it proved to be cool to a point – the venting is fiddly to use – but the lack of protection (the Mondial is only A-rated) made me nervous in the kind of summer riding where I’m not wearing much underneath and I stopped using it.

So, this suit, the Mondial 2.0 has a lot to live up to. It’s an evolution of the previous model and it appears that Oxford has listened to feedback from reviewers and customers.

I expect it to be completely waterproof (because a waterproof suit that isn’t waterproof is a waste of money no matter how good the rest of it is), warm enough in winter and cool in summer. It needs to offer protection relative to the speeds I’ll be riding in it should the worst happen and do all of the above for at least three summers and winters.

It’s hard for a review to be that complete, but here at BikeSocial we try harder than anyone else.

I got this Oxford Mondial 2.0 suit in summer 2023 and have done around 8,000 miles in it so far. Most of that has been on BikeSocial’s long-term test Honda XL750 Transalp and Honda NT1100, but also on a range of test bikes from Harleys to Fireblades, and my own Yamaha Fazer 1000. 

Cuff fasteners are Velcro-only and struggle to fit over winter gloves and winter layers. Ankles ride up to the top of my boots even on relaxed-fit adventure bikes

Fit

For most of the year I wear jeans underneath my biking trousers because I ride to a lot of meetings and need to be able to strip off in a room full of people, so I choose a larger size than if wearing them over bare legs. I wear 34in waist jeans and chose a size L in Mondial pants to fit over them. The Mondial 2.0 trousers fit well on the legs and have plenty of adjustment at the ankles, even in my TCX adventure boots with enormous macho buckles. They are snug enough around the waist that tucking my t-shirt into my jeans needs some serious breathing in to fasten the pants. That waist fastener takes the strain especially in winter when I have thermal long-johns under my jeans as well. The clasp and single press-stud have survived better on this suit than my previous Mondial, where one of the two studs broke early on. Zipping the pants to the jacket is tricky as even the full zip is quite short making it hard to engage the two parts and get the zipping started with lots of winter layers underneath. Once together the suit is comfortable although the gap at the front without a zip is 13 inches which is a large area for water to sneak up.

I usually wear the pants with the braces (there’s a small zip at the back that allows braces and connection to the jacket to stop it riding up in a crash). These are just braces – not bib-and-brace which means if any water can get up the front of the pants, it can go straight over the top of the waistband and wick into your clothes.

The ankles present an odd challenge too. If I fasten them tight around my boots the fabric rides up to the top of the boots making it easy for heavy rain to get in. Having the ankles adjusted loosely prevents this, but then the bottom of the legs blows up and inflates and still makes its way up my boot.

I’ve finished almost every journey with the bottom of the trousers about six inches higher up my boot than where they started and, while so far I’ve yet to get very wet feet, I also wonder what would happen if I were to fall off (thankfully, not tested yet).

The Mondial 2 jacket fits well, with enough adjustment to allow for winter’s layers and summer’s snugness. The cuffs no longer have zips – only Velcro. That’s partly a good thing because the previous version’s zips felt like a weak spot always on the verge of breaking under the strain (they never did), but the fully-open sleeve width isn’t wide enough to get the cuff over winter gloves easily with all the liners in. This adds what feels like ages faffing about trying to get the cuffs over my gloves. It’s probably only a minute or so per hand but it’s flipping annoying. More importantly for me is that I can’t get the cuff over my heated gloves when using their external battery packs, though this is the extreme of glove size. Test your gloves when trying the suit on.

Level 2 CE armour in shoulders, elbows and knees. Back and hip protectors are optional (£59.98 for both) and the suit gets an A rating under EN17092

Protection & Certification

The Mondial 2 is certified to CE Class A (the lowest, with AA and AAA being the higher) and fitted with Level 2 CE armour in the elbows, shoulders and knees (Level 2 is the higher impact protection, Level 1 being lower).

The jacket has a pocket for a back protector but isn’t supplied with one as standard (Oxford’s level 2 back protector costs £29.99). Likewise the trousers have pockets for hip protectors, but you’ll pay £29.99 for a pair on top.

I understand that this is a well-priced suit and Oxford tells me that many customers prefer to have the choice of a back protector (which isn’t required even for AAA certification) and hip protectors (which are required for AA rating and above), but for me £550 is still a significant investment and I’d be negotiating hard with my dealer to have that missing armour thrown in as part of the deal.

There is an argument that the nature of most crashes means that wearing additional layers under a suit offers additional abrasion resistance. Wearing a pair of denim jeans (as I usually do) under an A-rated garment will boost the abrasion resistance as the outer layer takes the initial hit. This helps me rationalise wearing an A-rated suit (normally I wouldn’t ride in anything less than AA) but in summer without anything underneath, having only A-rated protection makes me nervous and I’d be reluctant to wear this suit under those conditions.

All motorcycle clothing sold in the UK and Europe is deemed to be Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This is a good thing for riders as it can help them choose kit that has provable levels of safety because, to meet this legislation, it must be tested to a recognised standard. To fully understand the labels found in all bike kit, click here.

Plenty of outer pockets which stay mostly watertight. One inside Napoleon pocket and another large open one inside that we haven’t found a use for yet

Pockets

The Oxford Mondial 2.0 jacket has two large outside pockets on the front with Velcro fasteners that keep heavy rain out for as long as I’ve ridden in it (three hours has been the longest single trip in the rain so far). Because these pockets are so big and useful, the zipped pockets behind them are most used for keeping hands warm while standing around. There’s a large, zipless, inside pocket near the waist of the jacket that I still haven’t found a use for, plus one ‘Napoleon’ pocket inside and a huge map pocket on the back of the jacket on the outside. The trousers have two outside pockets, which, remain watertight for an hour or so and never leak so badly that your stuff gets more than a little damp.

Fasteners are robust and so far reliable. Main jacket zip has two fold-over storm flaps but trousers only have one. Moveable press stud on the collar allows an easy snug fit

Fastening

The YKK zips feel more robust on the Mondial 2 than the previous version and the fasteners on the trousers are still intact after 5,000 miles. The long zip joining jacket and trousers feels flimsy dragging it over multiple winter layers, and because it’s a little short it starts at around 90 degrees from my belly button making it tricky to start the process of zipping the two together. It also leaves a big (13 inch) gap at the front of the suit.

Losing the zips on the cuffs makes things much easier but the opening isn’t quite big enough to get cuffs easily over winter gloves with the winter liner and my other layers in place.

Zip and Velcro fasteners on the trouser legs work well, but as mentioned above the trouser legs have a tendency to ride up my boots whether adjusted tight or slack.

Adjustment

Oxford’s Mondial 2.0 trousers have plenty of adjustment and the lower legs fit easily around whatever boots or jeans or thermals I’m wearing underneath. The jacket is equally adjustable to adapt to summer or winter riding and the moveable press stud on the jacket collar gives useful adjustability. The hook that allows you to fold the collar back for more airflow in warmer weather is still there too. As mentioned before though, the jacket cuffs could do with a wider opening to get over winter gloves or heated gloves with external batteries fitted.

Thermal lining is thin, but warm enough for short hops in winter. On longer rides you’ll be glad of your heated kit.

Ventilation

There are two enormous fold-back vents on the Oxford Mondial 2 jacket (plus exhaust vents in the back), one in each arm and one on each legs too. They are effective, but difficult to use on the move. A zip opens up the flap, which can be done on the move, but rolling them back and fixing the Velcro in place is very difficult while riding so you need to decide in advance if you need them or find somewhere safe to stop.

Releasing the Velcro is easy if you get too cold and once the flap goes back down the venting pretty-much stops even if the zip is still open.

Vents on the legs are simple to use and moderately effective but don’t bring that blast of cool air you’re hoping for.

The advantage of a laminated suit can be that the venting goes straight to your body, rather than being blocked by a waterproof drop-liner. On the other hand, the waterproofing is always there, unlike a suit that has a fully-removable waterproof lining (like an adventure suit), but they can have their own compromises.

Thermal lining is thin, but warm enough for short hops in winter. On longer rides you’ll be glad of your heated kit.

Warmth

Because I do a lot of long journeys I always layer-up often including heated kit. The Mondial 2.0 has thermal liners in jacket and trousers but so far I’ve been disappointed with the warmth. It’s very hard to compare this stuff because we rarely ride in the same conditions (temp, wind-chill rain etc) twice, but I’ve noticed feeling cold more often in this suit than my regular Halvarssons drop-liner suit.

Editor’s note: Kit with a drop-liner has a gap between the waterproof membrane and the outer, creating an additional layer to trap air, which can make them warmer (until the outer potentially wets out and draws warmth from your body). Brands of course also use different thicknesses and qualities of thermal liners, right up to the lovely (but very expensive) down liners used by Rukka.

Waterproofing

My previous Mondial jacket and trousers were 100 per cent waterproof ridden in 1,000s of miles of torrential rain. I’ve had less luck this time, with several rides in moderate rain ending with damp patches on my stomach, chest, crotch, lower legs and lower arms. However, these appear to be due to water getting up under the front of the jacket. A bib here would keep my belly dry, but it’s important when trying any gear on to ensure it seals properly around the waist.

Fortunately, there is elasticated adjustment in the Mondial 2 jacket to draw in the bottom of it and prevent water running up, and when deployed the suit is pretty much watertight in this area. Still, I finished a ride in 30 minutes of heavy rain with soggy plums and another of 90 minutes in moderate rain (on a bike with a very protective fairing) with a light glaze of Essex’s finest spring drizzle downstairs.

I did 1,000s of miles in my old Mondial 1 without making adjustments to the waist in both braces and zipped together, and never got wet once. All I can imagine is that there might have been some changes to the cut of the jacket or pants in the Mondial 2 that allows water to channel differently, though I do acknowledge that I might have changed body shape.

Damp lower arms (only twice and in very heavy rain) suggest water is getting past the vents, and occasional damp in the chest area reminds me that the double flap storm collar needs careful checking when being fastened or water gets through there too.

There’s also an issue with damp lower legs because the bottom of the trousers ride up my boots.

I don’t think it’s the laminated construction that’s the problem – I’ve had taping fail on a laminated suit before and the leaks are much worse than this. The leaks here are water getting in through gaps which, with a bit of faffing and attention can be adjusted to keep the water mostly out.

My advice would be to try any kit on – including while sat on your bike – and check that no gaps appear. We’re all different shapes, and if you find your tummy creates an opening for water to get in (and it’ll soon wick its way around), then check any ways to seal it up, like elasticated hem drawstrings. Failing that, look elsewhere for something with higher-waisted trousers or a bib.

Three alternatives to the Oxford Mondial 2.0

• Oxford’s top of the range Stormland suit costs an additional £150 over the Mondial 2.0. That price still doesn’t include a back protector but you do get hip armour and more substantial construction that add up to an AA safety rating. BikeSocial’s review of the Oxford Stormland in late 2023 found it to be completely waterproof.

• RST’s Ambush suit is a drop-liner construction rather than laminate meaning it is slightly more bulky, but it is also AA rated and comes with a back protector and hip protection included for the same price as the Mondial with back and hip protectors fitted. Our reviewer found the RST Ambush suit to be waterproof, warm and very good value.

• Spada’s Camber suit is another well-priced laminated suit. It has a higher AA protection rating than the Mondial 2.0 and comes with back protector and hip armour. BikeSocial’s review of the Spada Camber found the vents a little lacking in warm weather and some water ingress at the front via the gap in the zip in heavy rain.

These are just three of many alternatives – you can find all the motorcycle textiles we’ve tested here and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership.

Hook on the collar allowing fresh air in on hot days is a neat touch.

Oxford Mondial 2.0 Textiles - Verdict

After a lot of consideration, I think it comes down to this: if you wear textiles as an oversuit with a pair of single layer riding jeans and some kind of abrasion resistant garment underneath the jacket, and if most of your riding is from April-October at low-medium speeds in an urban environment and need the lightness, ease of drying and agility of a laminated suit for less than £600, then you’ll be mostly happy with an Oxford Mondial 2.

If you ride longer distances in autumn and winter or regularly ride at higher speeds than in town, you’ll need more crash protection, more warmth and the ability to get winter gloves under cuffs without adding minutes to your pre-ride routine.

On the surface Oxford has tweaked the weaknesses on the previous Mondial while keeping the price competitive. And it’s easy for a pampered journo, with a cupboard full of kit to call a £579 suit ‘budget’ or ‘cheap’ but that’s ignoring the fact that £579 is still a lot of money for a suit offering the minimum standard of crash protection that isn’t especially warm or totally waterproof without a lot of fuss.

Of the six all-weather riding suits I’ve tested in the last ten years this is the only one that annoyed me to the point where if I wasn’t required to do a lot of miles for a proper BikeSocial test I’d have stopped wearing it months ago. I find too much fuss and faff involved when putting it on to ensure that I get a good seal for keeping the water out. It’s not certified to be protective enough to wear in summer without other layers underneath and not accommodating enough to get the right layers underneath in winter.

You might argue that I should have chosen a bigger size for the winter layers issue but that would have made it enormous and billowing for summer.

And the point is that all the other five suits mentioned above (including the original Oxford Mondial) just worked without fuss in all conditions without even thinking about it.

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