Moa Asccanio Windproof Long Sleeve jersey

The Ascanio long sleeve jersey from Italian clothing maker Moa is brilliant, warm with an excellent cut but the cost puts it on the podium of 'Most expensive jerseys tested at road.cc', catchy title I know. Can £164.99 for a jersey be justified?

It's a windproof jersey with some added water repellance thanks to plenty of technical fabrics and coatings. On the most exposed panels like the chest, neck and shoulders it uses a three-layer fabric that includes a membrane to keep you warm yet allowing body heat to escape as it's wicked away by the layer closest to your skin.

In other areas that don't require the full on membrane treatment the windproofing is dealt with by a 'breathable air-resistant coating' say Moa. This allows the fabric to be lightweight and thin just like a normal summer jersey which also keeps the weight down.

It all works very well indeed as considering how warm the Ascanio keeps you even in temperatures around the freezing mark you don't end up soaked in your own sweat. By changing base layers you can make the Moa work from low single figures up to about 15°C without overheating.

Added over the entire jersey is a water repellent treatment that makes light rain and drizzle bead off plus it works on oil and mud. This is to stop the contaminants from getting deep into the fibres and causing staining, important on versions like we're testing which has white panels.

All these coatings are designed to withstand washing as long as you do it on a maximum of 30°C. The Ascianio has had plenty of washes over the last six weeks and is still coming up pristine after each one. The coatings still seem to be doing the business too.

Being Italian designed and manufactured you're probably best to go a size up, more for length in the body and arms than anything else. The cut is close for aerodynamics and comfort with a dropped tail to provide plenty of coverage for when you're in the drops. The neck is high and close fitting to which does a great job of keeping the drafts out plus the zip garage stops anything irritating your throat.

You get your usual three pockets at the rear which are deep enough to hold a phone and the like without worrying about coming out in the racing tuck. The tight material means there is little in the way of sag too. The pockets are positioned well; it's easy to get things in and out while on the fly.

Keeping things in place are a silicone gripper at the cuffs and waist which do their job without being obtrusive. The waist grips your shorts or tights so the jersey doesn't ride up at all as you move around on the bike.

Here we go then, that all important value for money conundrum. Is it worth £165? Nope.

It's a really good jersey, no doubt about it, well made and so warm considering how thin the material is but I couldn't bring myself to lay down that kind of cash. It doesn't offer the kind of water resistant levels of the Gabba or the Café Du Cycliste Marie-Josette jersey (which are both cheaper) to be truly versatile enough to warrant its asking price.

Overall I love the Ascianio especially on cold dry days because you can get away with wearing such a thin jersey and baselayer while remaining warm. Plus the fit is really good with the material feeling soft against your skin. It is just plain and simple too expensive.

Verdict

Top notch, cold weather jersey both in performance and looks but with a hard to justify price tag