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BTwin 500 Women's Cycling Jersey

7
£9.99

VERDICT:

7
10
A good jersey that's well made, versatile and excellent value, and a little bit different to the 'norm'
Weight: 
301g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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When I first looked up the women's BTwin 500 Warm Cycling Jersey on Decathlon's website, it was what I'd consider a bargain – £17.99! – easily deserving 10/10 for value. It's now £9.99. Okay, you still wouldn't want to waste a tenner on something if it's rubbish, but this jersey definitely isn't. It's not a shining beacon of technological wizardry, but it's hard to fault as a (fairly) simple cycling-and-other-uses midlayer.

'Other uses', eh? Well, yes – because it doesn't have an especially 'cycling' look to it as regards the shape (no overly dropped rear, or over-short front), and no trio of pockets along the back, you can wear it with civvies, or with tracksuit bottoms/leggings for a jog/gym session/trip to Tesco...

> Find your nearest Decathlon store here

> Buy this online here

On the bike, I found it a bit long at the front. To be honest, the jersey I tested was a little on the large side – just about okay (and the correct option according to Decathlon's size guide), but I suspect the next size down would have been better – though I think it might still have poked out below the front of most of my cycling jackets. It's hard to say for sure, but I think it's actually slightly longer at the front than the back.

BTwin 500 Womens Cycling Jersey - riding.jpg

You probably won't have missed the prominent seams at the front – a bit too prominent for my liking – but it's very much shaped to suit a woman's curves, and seems a pretty detailed design for a tenner. Those seams at the front curve up under the arm and down the sleeves, twisting and meeting other seams before reaching the non-elasticated cuffs. Quite why it's designed this way I'm not sure, but everything sits comfortably, on and off the bike (and those seams provide useful places for inserting reflective strips).

BTwin 500 Womens Cycling Jersey - side.jpg

The fabric isn't windproof, but it's a good weight for keeping chills at bay, and it's nice and fleecy on the inside, with some seams flatlock stitched. There's no baffle behind the zip or garage to park it in, but the stitching where the zip ends at the high collar is very neat, with no rough ends to irritate, and the collar itself is lined and fairly snug when the zip's done right up.

BTwin 500 Womens Cycling Jersey - chest.jpg

At the back, rather than a typical cycling jersey's trio of pockets, it has two useful zipped ones – one each side – big enough for a phone and a few essentials, though you probably wouldn't want to pack too much in there, and they're obviously not as easy to access as pouch pockets.

BTwin 500 Womens Cycling Jersey - pockets.jpg

> Buyer's Guide: The best cheap cycling jerseys

Still, all this for a penny under a tenner is impressive. It's less likely to appeal to serious roadies who need pockets for supplies, and windproofing and wicking, but whatever you use it for – training ride, pedal to the cafe, jog to the gym for a spinning class – it's excellent value and does a simple job very well.

Verdict

A good jersey that's well made, versatile and excellent value, and a little bit different to the 'norm'

road.cc test report

Make and model: BTwin 500 Womens Cycling Jersey

Size tested: Large

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

BTwin says: "Designed for regularly cycling in cool or cold weather (2-hour rides).

 

"This [wo]men's, long-sleeved, cycling jersey is warm and comfortable. The full-length zip offers great ventilation. 2 pockets on the side, fitted cut to keep the jersey in place."

Presumably it meant women's, not men's... otherwise yep, warm and comfortable.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

COMPOSITION MAIN FABRIC

91.0% Polyester (PES), 9.0% Elastane

CARE INSTRUCTIONS:

Wash before first use.

WARMTH

Great protection from the cold with a fleece lining and raised collar.

BREATHABILITY

Polyester fabric. Full-length zip provides good ventilation.

POCKETS

2 secure pockets on the side.

VISIBILITY

Reflective patches on sleeves/shoulders. Reflective branding on back/torso.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10

It's well constructed, and a lot of thought seems to have gone into the design in terms of seams and shaping, though I'm not sure it always hits the mark – the prominent seams at the chest, for example. 

Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
7/10

Nicely shaped to suit a woman's curves – but some of those seams are quite prominent.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
6/10

I'm a 12 for tops, which should equate to L/44, but it's on the large side.

Rate the product for weight:
 
7/10

A good weight. Nice and light, but still cosy and warm.

Rate the product for comfort:
 
8/10

Comfortable high neck and good length sleeves, plenty long enough.

Rate the product for value:
 
10/10

It's £17.99... Or rather, it was. It's now £9.99!

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Usual sports wash at 30 degrees, no softener, no tumble drying. Nothing untoward has happened after a few washes.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Performs well. Doesn't claim anything too technical, but it's a nice, warm extra layer – useful under a jacket, over a baselayer, or on its own.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The price! Little zipped pockets, and discreet reflective details.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The shaping seams over the chest are a bit prominent. Not having the usual three rear pockets limits its usefulness for longer rides, but then again I like the little zipped ones...

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Maybe

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

It's a good jersey at an exceptional price.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 51  Height: 169cm  Weight: size 10-12

I usually ride: Vitus Venon  My best bike is: Paulus Quiros

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, sportives, general fitness riding

Tass is our production pedant, who boldly goes hunting for split infinitives, rogue apostrophes and other things up with which she will not put. She joined road.cc in 2015 but first began working on bike magazines way back in 1991 as production editor on Mountain Biking UK, then deputy editor of MTB Pro, before changing allegiance to road cycling as senior production editor on Cycling Plus. She's ridden off-road but much prefers on, hasn't done half the touring she'd like to, and loves paper maps.

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4 comments

Avatar
ashliejay | 7 years ago
0 likes

while they didn't have the top in my size thanks for the review, as i just ended buying a bunch of kit for £20.

Avatar
Tass Whitby replied to ashliejay | 7 years ago
0 likes

ashliejay wrote:

while they didn't have the top in my size thanks for the review, as i just ended buying a bunch of kit for £20.

Are you sure ashliejay? The 'UK' sizes on Decathlon's website for this don't seem to relate to our usual sizes - the 'sold out online' EU44 - UK 9.5', for example, which I tested here, comes up like a 14, and the next one down ('EU42 - UK8') is more like a 12... and so on. 

Avatar
pwake | 7 years ago
1 like

Decathlon do some great kit. I live in the USA and they don't ship here, but I've had orders forwarded by my brother in the UK and it's still a bargain.

Avatar
TypeVertigo | 7 years ago
1 like

Rather neat. Some oddball features, but genuinely useful for commuting and such. I'd like to see those kinds of pockets make it onto men's jerseys too.

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