The Sportful SRK Jersey is a lightweight design that combines everyday functionality with a minimalist, inoffensive look. It’s comfortable, airy and delivers all the basic qualities that so many jerseys often seem so keen to get wrong.
You can check out other options in our guide to the best summer cycling jerseys.
> Buy now: Sportful SRK Jersey for £52.50 from Sportful
The jersey is largely made of polyester with dashes of elastane where it needs to be a little springier.
The side panels and much of the sleeves are a little airier, but even the main front and rear panels are relatively thin. This is definitely a summer jersey, although obviously you can expand its seasonal range by combining it with an appropriate baselayer.
That slightly lighter construction on the side panels also extends to the pockets, which might be something to consider if you tend to carry anything weighty. I didn’t have any issues carrying a phone and food, but I wouldn’t want to put them under too much strain.
There are three main pockets – which is the number that’s always worked best for me – plus a smaller zip pocket on the exterior of the one on the right. This can only really be unzipped with two hands, but you’ll most likely only be rummaging in a zip pocket while stopped anyway, so I don’t see this as a problem.
The main front zip, in contrast, can easily be unzipped with one hand. I cannot abide a fiddly front zip and pleasingly this is anything but. It’s a nice, chunky YKK number that is delightfully easy to lower when you’re labouring up double-digit gradients or to zip back up again when halfway down a colder-than-expected descent.
I find a lot of jersey designs overly busy, but the Sportful SRK is for the most part just one big slab of colour. There are plenty of options too. My review jersey came in Vuelta-leading red (officially ‘tango red’), but you can also get black, white, shrub green, beetle (don’t ask – just go and look at the Sportful website), galaxy blue and high visibility. That last one looks a lot more yellowy in the website pics than most jerseys that are billed as being that colour – and better for it, I’d say.
You get a reflective Sportful logo on the front and back and an odd little description of what the jersey’s supposedly about on the left pocket, which I could have done without – ‘a product for all, embodying the essence of fun and the true testament to our love for cycling’.
Other than that, it’s just one solid colour. Works for me.
The fit
The SRK is billed as being a ‘relaxed fit’ but if that’s the case, it’s not some meditative level of deep relaxation.
At 1.85m and a little under 80kg, I pretty much always wear large jerseys these days and Sportful’s size guide suggests the same. On me, this was a notch down from aero fit – not taut across my torso anywhere, but still relatively figure-hugging.
The thick bands at the ends of the sleeves were, however, quite tight – and I’m no bicep-curling behemoth. It’s a stretchy fabric, though, and didn’t cause any problems.
As is often the case, I’d ideally want the jersey as a whole to be a smidge longer, but it was within the range I’m happy with.
Value
Given there’s nothing especially remarkable about the Sportful SRK, £75 doesn’t feel like a massive bargain. It’s a fairly typical price, though (and it’s currently reduced – the black version down to £45).
The Vanelli Proline Jersey is £60 but lacks a zip pocket, and the same goes for the Galibier Masaka Jersey at £65 – although a good chunk of the proceeds for that second one goes towards funding emerging African cycling talent, which is a nice bonus.
The dhb Aeron Lab Ultralight SS Jersey is an even more lightweight option – albeit lightweight to the point of semi-transparency – and a little more expensive at £90.
Conclusion
If you’re after a really good, straightforward, three-pocket summer jersey for general riding, the Sportful SRK is just the ticket.
> Buy now: Sportful SRK Jersey for £52.50 from Sportful
Verdict
Great day-to-day short sleeve jersey that avoids all the minor niggles that so often blight others
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Sportful SRK Jersey
Size tested: Large
Tell us what the product is for
Sportful says: “The SRK Jersey is breathable, cut for a relaxed fit, and features three rear pockets and a zippered pocket to keep your valuables safe, making it great for use on tarmac and rough tracks alike. With its clean, monocolour design, it won’t look out of place in either the road or off-road arenas.”
And: “A crossover jersey made to fit in on any surface”
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
From Sportful:
Main Fabric – 100% Polyester
Neck, Hips, Sleeves – 85% Polyester 15% Elastane
Rear Bottom, Bottom Sleeves – 80% Polyester 20% Elastane
How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?
No issues apparent from going through the normal wash a bunch of times.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Excellently. Comfortable, airy, suitable for day-to-day riding, and the zip is easy to operate while you’re riding.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The look, the fit, the chunky zip.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
The sleeves are a little tight.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
There are perfectly decent jerseys at a lower RRP, but it’s not outrageously priced (and currently available for less) and it is very good.
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
There’s nothing particularly eye-catching about it, but it delivers all the basic stuff really well. It’s very good.
About the tester
Age: 44
I usually ride: Giant Defy Advanced Pro 3 My best bike is:
I’ve been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: A few times a week I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: general fitness riding, E-bike/utility
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