SIXS Baselayer Review - The Italian Underwear That Saved My Long Summer Rides (20% Off Code Inside)
There is a specific kind of misery that long-distance riders know well. You are six hours into a summer day, the temperature is climbing past 32 degrees, your jacket is sealed for safety, and the inside of your gear has turned into a sauna. Your back is soaked. Your shoulders are chafed. You are still three hours from your hotel. This is the problem SIXS solves.
I started wearing SIXS baselayers two summers ago, and they have changed how I plan long rides in the heat. This is my honest take after thousands of kilometres across Italy, Albania, the Vosges, and every hot Swiss valley I could find. The discount code is at the bottom. The reasons it is worth using are above it.
Why SIXS
SIXS is an Italian company that builds technical baselayers for athletes and motorcyclists. The signature product is their patented Carbon Underwear fabric, which weaves a carbon thread into the structure to manage static electricity, moisture, and heat in a way most synthetic baselayers do not.
That sounds like marketing language until you wear it for ten hours in 35 degree heat. Then it sounds like an explanation. The fabric pulls moisture off your skin and pushes it outward, so you stay dry instead of sitting in your own sweat. The thermoregulation works in both directions, which is why I run SIXS in cold conditions too. But the heat is where the difference is most obvious, and the heat is where most baselayers fail.
The garments are 100% made in Italy, seamless on the torso to eliminate chafing under armoured gear, and built with antibacterial polypropylene fibres that resist the kind of smell that haunts cheaper baselayers after a long day in the saddle.
What I Actually Use
I run different SIXS pieces depending on the season, but my hot-weather setup is the kit I use the most.
Light BT V2 Short-Sleeve Shirt is the foundation. It is the lightest baselayer SIXS makes, 40% lighter than their 4 Seasons line, designed specifically for the intense heat and humidity of summer riding. It sits directly against the skin, vents heat through high-breathability zones, and stays out of the way under my jacket. When the temperature hits 30 degrees, this is the only thing keeping the inside of my gear survivable.
Light BT V2 Leggings are the lower half of the same system. Same fabric, same heat management, designed for the riding position. They eliminate the wet-thigh feeling that destroys long days in armoured pants.
Carbon Underwear Socks are the underrated piece. Sweat in your boots is what gives you blisters and trench foot on multi-day rides. The Breathfit fabric keeps the skin dry, and the seamless construction means no pressure points under tight-laced adventure boots.
Underglove GLX is the carbon underwear glove that goes underneath my riding gloves. It does two things. In the heat, it pulls moisture off my hands so my grips do not get slippery. In cold conditions, it adds a layer of thermal regulation without bulk. I did not expect to need this. I now will not ride without it.
For the cold months I switch to the 4 Seasons V2 long-sleeve and leggings, same fabric philosophy but built for thermal retention instead of heat dispersion. Same brand, opposite job, identical reliability.
SIXS Discount Code 2026
If you have decided SIXS is the right move for your kit, you can save 20% on any order with my code.
Code: FRANKEE20
Discount: 20% off any order
Where: six2.com
Valid: 2026
Drop the code in at checkout. It works across the full range. Shirts, leggings, socks, undergloves, accessories. No minimum order.
Full disclosure. I work with SIXS and earn a small commission when you use this code. The relationship started because I was already wearing their gear on long shoots and they noticed. I am not going to recommend a baselayer I would not wear myself. If you have questions about which line is right for your riding style or your climate, send me an email and I will give you a straight answer.
