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RH+ Ride jersey

7
£65.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Decent polyester jersey with a couple of good features for comfortable summer riding
Weight: 
129g
Contact: 

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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The RH+ Ride Jersey FZ is a pretty straightforward polyester top for the summer, performing well enough in warm conditions.

The Ride jersey doesn't boast the high-end fabrics or pack in the features of the Xlight that we've also reviewed recently, but that's hardly surprising seeing as it's less than half the price.

RH+ use the same plain polyester fabric throughout this jersey, just in different colours for different panels. It's not an especially technically advanced material but it's light, breathable and reasonably quick drying – just not as light, breathable and quick drying as higher-end fabrics out there. It can stick to your skin when it gets wet a bit more easily than some other fabrics, and when it does that it's slower to dry out, but it's all relative, of course. The fabric still puts in a reasonable performance.

RH+ manage to include a couple of decent features here like the full-length YKK zip (although, unlike that of the Xlight, it's not backed so it sits right against your body) and a silicone gripper inside the waist band. You get reflective tabs sewn into the hems at the back too. The front zip in particular is hugely welcome, for me at least. It doesn't matter how breathable a fabric is, an easily adjustable zip can do more to keep you comfortable and sweat-free on a hot day.

You could say the Ride jersey is quite basic with just the usual three lower back pockets (no zipped option), standard (rather than flatlock stitched) seams, and regular sleeves rather than super-duper high-tech options – which is fine, if that's what you're after. It's a decent top, just without the whistles and bells.

The cut is what RH+ describe as 'regular'. That means you'll fit into it if you're more or less a regular build. You don't have to be some 5% body fat racing snake to wear the Ride comfortably. That does mean, of course, that if you are a skinny sort, you might have a bit of excess fabric, but probably not much because the jersey is very stretchy and it's designed to accommodate a range of different body shapes.

Verdict

Decent polyester jersey with a couple of good features for comfortable summer riding

road.cc test report

Make and model: RH+ Ride jersey

Size tested: L

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?

RH+ give every item of clothing a Tech Index rating 'to help customers to identify and choose just the right product for their needs based on the degree of technical innovation they want. The index ranges from 1 to 4 red hexagons with 4 being the most advanced garments.'

The Ride jersey has a Tech Index of 2.

Here are the features that RH+ list for the Ride jersey:

* Preshaped anatomic structure

* Longer back for added protection

* Waist gripper with nonslip elastic

* Open-end front zipper with customized camlock

* 3 rear pockets

* Reflective appliqués

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10

You get standard (rather than flatlock stitched) seams but the fabric is reasonable enough, the zip is good and so is the build quality.

Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

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

It's not the most high-tech jersey out there but it does a good job in most summer conditions.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Good build quality and I do like a full-length front zip on a summer jersey. Make up your own mind about the looks, of course, but I like the simple, classy style.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The fit wasn't great for me. It didn't flap, but I'd prefer a slightly slimmer fit.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Perhaps.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Maybe.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 43  Height: 190cm  Weight: 75kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

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

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

 

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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