Jerseys - long sleeve

The Rasta stripe jersey oozes a very understated, classic cool synonymous with Salsa. Made in the USA from a breathable polyester based airlite micro-plus fabric it features a twenty inch concealed zip and three capacious rear pockets comfortably swallowing the usual suspects (500ml bottle, energy bars, bananas, multi-tool etc).

When the chill of winter starts to bite it's time to reach for the Cannondale Midweight Jersey to keep you cycling through to the spring. Ideal for cool days, it also makes an effective base layer under a jacket.

Rapha’s long sleeve jersey is made from mid-weight Sportwool, a 50:50 mix of merino wool and polyester, so it’s soft and comfy next to your skin, it’s warm, it wicks sweat away well, it’s resistant to odour…

Basically, it’s one of the stars of the range. You don’t get the warmth of a thick, brush-backed jersey, but it comes into its own on top of a base layer for off-season training rides, and underneath a gilet or windproof shell when the temperature really plummets. 

Winter's coming, and it's time to reach for the longer sleeves and thicker fabrics. The Polaris Niteride II is one you could reach for – updated for 2008 it features Therma-Stretch™ fabric, a windstopper layer, rear pockets, reflectives and a full-length zip. Does all this make for a comfy Winter jersey? Let's start with the fabric. Therma-Stretch™ is a Polyester/Elastane mix that's like a heavy Roubaix lycra.

Where do Rapha find their wool? It says 100% extra fine Merino on the label but we know for a fact that no normal wool is this soft. They must have a whole flock of sheep hidden away somewhere that are fed exclusively on marshmallows and soufflé. And, if wool like this exists, why did we have to endure that Brillo Pad stuff for years?