Cycling Jersey Buyers Guide by Kevin Langton

Why Buy A Cycling Jersey?

Cycling specific sportswear is designed for your riding comfort, and with the functionality that will allow you to perform at your best throughout your workouts on the bike. Of course, a certain amount of form goes along with the high function of a bike jersey. Premium quality sublimation printing, from most if not all manufacturers, makes for infinite possibilities with strong colorfast designs that not only express your individual style , but make you more visible and safe out there on the road. All of us who choose to spend many hours in the saddle will undoubtedly accumulate a collection of cycling jerseys, and will rarely ride without one.

Whatever your riding involves, be it commuting, racing, touring, weekend recreation, group rides, road or off-road, fast, slow or steady-paced, a cycling jersey makes sense every time. Here are some of the features that you would expect to find in a cycle jersey, that make it so much better than riding in just a cotton tee:

Let's start with fabric. A bike jersey will be made using highly technical and lightweight fabrics. These will always wick moisture away from the body and to the outside of the garment, where it can speedily evaporate. The upshot is that you stay dry and do not overheat as you work out. In the case of a cotton tee this moisture would be absorbed and stay damp for some time, even after your ride is long over. Premium brands such as Castelli have special treatments applied their performance fabrics to make them even better. These fabrics will also provide UV protection in the Summer months. We all on occasion see some riders going shirtless on a beautiful day. Not recommended! Sun protection is so important, and hey- where do you carry your house keys?! There are of course different fabric options available offering thermal protection, water and wind resistance, suited to cooler weather riding jerseys.

The fit, for both men's and women's cycling jerseys, will typically be fairly close, but still allow freedom of movement. This close fit makes you more aerodynamic on the bike and also allows the fast-wicking fabric to carry perspiration away from the body more effectively. Of course fit is a personal preference and as well as race-cut, super form fitting garments (some which are even tailored to the actual riding position), there are more relaxed options, sometimes called a 'club-fit'.

Additional extremely useful features included on pretty much all cycling jerseys are the front zipper and rear cargo pockets. The length of the front zipper on a cycling jersey can vary from a short zip, to 3/4 length, all the way to a full-length zipper. The zipper allows easily adjustable additional ventilation. You can open your jersey all the way down as you work your way up a long arduous climb, and easily close it up again for that exhilerating and breezy descent! Those rear pockets are a must, and will easily accommodate most essentials that you take on your rides, like cell-phones, house keys, money, energy snacks, a spare tube, a vest or cape, or those armwarmers you started out with. Some jersey pockets now have a secure zipper compartment for coins or keys.

All of us here at Bicyclinghub.com proudly consider ourselves to be cycling jersey experts, and would love to share our collective wisdom and experience with you. Whether you are looking for your first jersey, a gift, or perhaps giving a brand you haven't used before a try, we are happy to assist with product information and sizing advice. You can reach one of our cycle clothing experts Toll-free at 1-888-817-8060 during our office hours, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Pacific Time.