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dhb Blok Long Sleeve Jersey

8
£60.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Excellent everyday long-sleeve jersey offering style, comfort, warmth and breathability at a good price
Nice fit
Stylish design
Good attention to detail
Not everyone will love the bold design
Weight: 
230g

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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This shoulder-season dhb Blok Long Sleeve Jersey hits a lot of sweet spots: stylish but not garish, warm but not bulky, fitted but not painted on. It ought to prove ideal for most riders, and at a good price too.

dhb's reputation for delivering good quality kit at affordable prices is well established and well deserved, and its Blok long-sleeve jersey continues that trend. I used the jersey with just a baselayer in milder conditions (12-16°C) and paired it with the same baselayer and dhb's Aeron All Winter Softshell jacket on single figure days. In both situations it proved itself up top the job, with the Italian micro Roubaix fabric's brushed inner lining adding comfort and warmth, while the attendant lack of bulk made it perfect for slipping underneath another layer.

2021 dhb Blok Long Sleeve Jersey - Clash - back.jpg

Another advantage of micro Roubaix fabric is that it provides a good level of breathability, and the Blok jersey delivered on that promise. Even under the softshell on days that were hovering around 10 degrees, I never felt myself overheat. With three layers on, that's pretty impressive. Obviously in the depths of winter my hard efforts were fewer and further between than they will be in the coming months, but I have no doubt the Blok jersey will be a perfect companion (with an emergency gilet or light jacket) throughout the spring months ahead.

The jersey has a performance fit but isn't race tight, and I found this perfect for the sort of riding I was doing: clocking up the miles at a steady pace on the hoods, for the most part. It's also ideal for wearing with a baselayer for extra protection.

2021 dhb Blok Long Sleeve Jersey - Clash - chest.jpg

It's cut plenty long enough at the back not to ride up when you do hit the drops, with the elastic gripper helping too, and as already mentioned that lightweight fabric does a good job of dissipating heat when the going gets warm.

2021 dhb Blok Long Sleeve Jersey - Clash - gripper.jpg

When it comes to features, the Blok jersey has everything you will need, with quality YKK zips at the front and on the rear valuables pocket, three standard rear pockets of a good depth and with enough elasticity to accommodate even the most boy scout or girl guide rider who wants to be prepared for anything.

2021 dhb Blok Long Sleeve Jersey - Clash - pockets.jpg

The full front zip adds to the excellent temperature regulation of the jersey, and while it isn't offset I found that when it was fully zipped up (as it usually was on me) the zip garage took care of any potential irritation.

2021 dhb Blok Long Sleeve Jersey - Clash - collar.jpg

Indeed, on the bike there were no points of issue at all with the jersey, which fits just as a good jersey should with a smooth and comfortable lining, no areas of irritation, a good length to the sleeves and no bunching or flapping but no sense of compression either. Put it on and forget about it.

2021 dhb Blok Long Sleeve Jersey - Clash - cuff.jpg

Now, dhb says its Blok range "features bold designs for head-turning style". I think it's got this spot on with the Clash design on test, a jersey that quietly turns heads but doesn't scream for attention. Not everyone will want something even this bold, but there are other designs available, including plainer ones if you're looking for anonymity.

In keeping with the jersey's stylish design, the reflectives are subtle, but both the chevrons on the lower arms and the inserts at the edges of the outside rear pockets will help you be seen.

> Cycling clothing guide: 5 ways proper kit can boost your riding

The jersey is well priced, as we've come to expect from dhb. It's not alone – Endura's Xtract Roubaix jersey offers similar quality for the same price – but Stolen Goat's Clash Bodyline jersey, a racier offering, is £25 more.

For £60 you're getting an excellent everyday long-sleeve jersey that will serve you well in one capacity or another all year round (let's face it, even the British summer delivers its share of long-sleeve/arm warmer days), and if you can catch it at a discount on Wiggle you'll get even better value for money.

Verdict

Excellent everyday long-sleeve jersey offering style, comfort, warmth and breathability at a good price

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road.cc test report

Make and model: dhb Blok Long Sleeve Jersey

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for

dhb says: "The dhb Blok Long Sleeve Jersey is a great option for cooler conditions or as a mid-layer in winter."

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

dhb lists:

Micro Roubaix fabric

Lightweight, high-wicking and super soft

Full-length lockdown YKK Group zip

Three vertical pockets on back

Fourth pocket with YKK Group zip

dhb elastic hem gripper

Reflectives on sleeves and pockets

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
9/10
Rate the product for sizing:
 
9/10
Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

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

A seemingly robust product that has handled several 30-degree washes with ease, retaining performance, fit and colour.

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

An excellent shoulder season jersey that worked well paired with a jacket in winter.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The cut and fit provide an excellent combination of comfort and performance.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

I loved the graphics, but all the Blok jerseys are for lovers of bold design statements.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

At £60 the jersey is well priced, as we've come to expect from dhb. Endura's Xtract Roubaix jersey offers similar quality for the same price, while Stolen Goat's Clash Bodyline jersey is a racier offering for £25 more.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

It's very good, managing to be warm without being bulky, and hitting a sweet spot between performance and comfort.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 46  Height: 177cm  Weight: 70kg

I usually ride: Genesis Equilibrium  My best bike is: Look 585

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

I regularly do the following types of riding: club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, The nursery run!

Add new comment

5 comments

Avatar
Compact Corned Beef | 3 years ago
0 likes

It's not truly vomitous, it's just a bit crap.

Avatar
fukawitribe replied to Compact Corned Beef | 3 years ago
1 like

Aye. It's almost as if we live in some crazy world where taste in clothes is personal 😉

Avatar
Compact Corned Beef replied to fukawitribe | 3 years ago
0 likes

 4

 

Avatar
Yorky-M | 3 years ago
1 like

I imagine the pinnacle of jersey design is the plain Bianchi of the Coppi era, or Garmin's version of the NZ national championships jersey for contemporary style. This is the digitial version of a flushing toilet. It is not the graphic designer who tried to do something 'new ' who is at the hangman's side, it is his/her manager who saw vindaloo toilet bowl contents and said phuckit, its friday and 4.30 and someone will buy it at 70% off and signed off on it.

Avatar
RoubaixCube | 3 years ago
1 like

Im really trying to understand the thought process behind the design of this jersey. Maybe there were two ex-miltary people and they couldnt agree if they should go for the digital MARPAT or the standard OCP/MTP camo so why not both??

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