Life In The Saddle

Santini have long been an innovator in cycle clothing, and the new unisex Ombra Jersey offers an exceptionally comfortable and breathable jersey to fit all torso shapes, thanks to its use of two cutting-edge fabrics: Polartec® Power Stretch® and Polartec® Delta™. The Ombra jersey is one of the latest additions to the new Spring/Summer 2024 collection from Santini. The idea behind this jersey is its ability to dress both men and women indistinctly, with an optimal fit. The jersey also comes in six different colours, allowing everyone to choose the colour that best reflects their style and personality.  The Ombra utilises Polartec® Power Stretch® on the front and back to give a body-profiling cut; this four-way stretch fabric is resilient and soft, and never seems to lose its shape. Polartec® Delta™ fabric is then used on the jersey's sides to offer a cooling effect; Delta™ fabric is shown to work more efficiently by elevating touch-points with the skin for increased airflow and ...

Not every day is a race, even when you are Pro. For me, far more days are spent enjoying the time outdoors and embracing the places that a bicycle can take me, rather than hunting KOMs or sprinting for finish lines. The Rapha Pro Team Training Jersey appealed to me for this reason; I wanted a comfortable summer cycling jersey that I could wear day-in-day-out; a jersey that had style and class, but with a performance fit and superb endurance riding functionality. Rapha designed the Pro Team Training Jersey to meet these demands. Just because you are not racing, does not mean that you do not appreciate a good fitting jersey, performance moisture-wicking fabrics, and quality design. The Pro Team Training Jersey was made for riders that want to experience these design attributes in a jersey capable of going the distance—both in terms of product lifespan and in terms of their training miles. Made from a mid-weight but highly breathable fabric, this summer jersey is not a superlight 'rac...

For the Wight Prestige event I had some last minute custom cycle clothing made up by a new brand on the market, Souke Sports .  The China based company offers a fast and efficient design service for custom cycling jerseys. I have been nothing but impressed by their offering... The Souke brand offers a 'semi-custom' design service; where you do not have to worry about the fabric choices, but can focus solely on your design. You do not need to be a professional fabric designer to use their 3D design tool either; it is super easy to get a great result.  One of the highlights of Souke's service is that there is no minimum order quantity; unlike large factories that require 50+ jerseys per size to be ordered, the Souke team can do single orders of one size, with a maintenance of quality level. Finally, it is QUICK. From ordering to receiving my jerseys took less that 10 days, and the brand will guarantee a 15 business day delivery time. This is incredibly impressive for a prod...

The Santini Delta Pietra Short Sleeve Jersey wins my personal award for being my favourite summer cycling jersey of summer 2021. Designed for extreme heat and utilising some of the most advanced fabric technologies in the world, from Polartec; this jersey boasts exceptional style, fit, and performance whether road cycling or gravel riding. The Delta Pietra features Polartec© Power Stretch – an extremely breathable textile with four-way stretch. The back panel (aside from the pockets) uses Polartec© Delta, which acts as a unique cooling system—facilitating the transfer of heat from the body through sweat moisture wicking performance. The Delta Pietra jersey is designed for hot weather cycling, but I have found it performs exceptionally well in all summer conditions. Its raw-cut sleeves hug the arms without restricting movement and it is held gently but firmly in position by a coloured elastic gripper at the hem. The jersey has an exceptionally good slim fitting cut, and is avai...

Small Beer are specialists in brewing classic styles of beer, below 2.8 percent ABV; this summer they have launched an exclusive, sustainably sourced cycling jersey – designed to celebrate getting out of the house and onto the open road. Much in the same way that Small Beer serves as an answer to the everyday polarisation and compartmentalisation of either 'drinking' or 'not drinking', this limited-edition jersey is designed to embody the freedom of local adventure after lockdown. To help raise awareness of the importance that exercise has on our physical and mental health, all profits from the jersey sales go to MIND Mental Health Charity. The jersey is manufactured by Paria, in a vibrant and eye-catching design; using colours taken from Small Beer’s brand colours, bottle, and brewing kit shapes to make up the geometric pattern. Because the environment deserves as much care and attention as us, the Small Beer jersey has been manufactured using Green Soul Technology; a ...

I am always on the lookout for new and interesting cycle clothing brands. This year, Souke Sports came to my attention with the release of their new Pro Line. The Chinese-British brand started from an Amazon-based value-offering; but this latest range, and the establishment of their new direct-to-consumer website souke-sports.com , cater towards the higher end of the market. I have been testing the Souke BS1601 4D Padded Bib Shorts and Souke Hi Race Lightweight Pro Jersey for the last few months and have had a positive experience. Both garments are still relatively inexpensive, but both deliver an impressive performance level for their affordable price tag. The Souke BS1601 Bib Shorts feature a decent quality foam seat pad, perforated mesh bib straps, and ventilated panels on the thighs. They do not have the level of compression-fit or the long-distance seat pad comfort provided by the most expensive cycling shorts on the market, but they do offer a satisfactory level of padding and...

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post ' What is In Your Gravel Adventure Bar Bag? '—it had a great reception and led to another conversation in a similar vein— What to pack in your cycling jersey pockets for a long unsupported off-road endurance ride? This is my line-up of jersey pocket riding essentials for bikepacking and gravel adventures… First, I recommend reading the ' What is In Your Gravel Adventure Bar Bag? ' post before reading this one—because for me, the bar bag is the best place to store most of your essentials on an off-road adventure—as there is less chance of items flying out on bumpy trails. So, what comes with me in my cycling jersey pockets is therefore a selection of easy-to-access essentials—ones that you might want to grab whilst riding, when you cannot stop to access your bar bag. The Jersey — Sportful Super Giara Jersey My gravel jersey of choice is the Sportful Super Giara Jersey . This cycling jersey was designed with gravel and off-road ...

Earlier in the season I reviewed the Club Jersey from UK brand Chapeau ; it was an impressive introduction to the cycle clothing brand. The Club Bib Shorts and Etape SS Jersey are the range-topping offering from the brand, and they are exceptional in more ways than one… Race Specification Fit The race fit is the thing you will immediately recognise when pulling on the Etape Jersey and Club Bib Shorts for the first time. These are some of the best fitting and most comfortable pieces of cycling kit that I have tried to date. I selected the same size in the Etape kit as I had in the Club jersey (Small), but it is far more form fitting and race-orientated in its cut and design. The jersey has a close cut profile, with a deeper rear hem and longer sleeves to accommodate a more aggressive position on the bike. The bib shorts are a great length in the thigh, but still have a good compression feel, and the bib straps are comfortable and stretchy enough to accommodate different rider h...