Sportful R&D Speedskin Jersey

Aerodynamics is informing every part of road bike and equipment design at the moment, but with the cyclist making up about 80 per cent of the overall air resistance, it makes sense to ensure you're as aerodynamic as you can be. Which is why clothing companies like Sportful are investing in aerodynamic materials design and coming up with impressive garments such as this R&D Speedskin jersey.

Sportful, an Italian company which supplies the Tinkoff-Saxo professional cycling team, has been using its R&D label for the last couple of years to denote clothing that is at the cutting-edge of its development cycle. With more racers seeking the aero advantage, whether for breakaway riding or sprint finishes, Sportful developed the new R&D Speedskin jersey to reduce drag.

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It's been raced in the Tour de France and proven its worth on the most demanding stages – Michael Rogers was wearing this jersey when he won stage 16 of last year's Tour de France.

By using a combination of aero fabrics and construction, Sportful claims the jersey saves nearly 20 watts at 50kph compared with its BodyFit Pro Race jersey. That's a substantial saving and certainly not one to be sniffed at if you are racing, and I imagine you'll need to be racing or time trialling to hit that that sort of speed.

The jersey is made from a dimpled Cruise Speed Fabric with seamless AirMesh shoulders and a 3D-effect back panel. The fit and sizing is typical Sportful – not exactly large – and of course you want to wear an aero jersey very snugly, but despite that snugness there's no restriction around the shoulders or torso. It's tight, but it's supposed to be tight, and it's not uncomfortable.

There's a full-length zip and an interesting collar design that ensures the zip puller sits flat and reduces drag, and also avoids irritation when the zipper is fully closed.

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The three pockets are generous in size but they don't handle being fully loaded quite as well as Sportful's other jerseys, because the fabric used is quite stretchy.

It's a jersey designed for carrying minimal contents in the pockets, though, so races and short rides really. That is one of the most notable downsides to the focus on aerodynamics, that and a slightly impaired breathability compared with other Sportful jerseys.

But the big question is: is it faster? As ever, testing aerodynamic products in the real world is a very tricky task; there are simply too many variables to rule out to get any meaningful data. It certainly feels fast, though. If you want to cycle as fast as possible and have already invested in other aero products (bike, helmet and so on), it makes a lot of sense to invest in an aero jersey.

The Sportful R&D Speedskin jersey is ideal – essential, in fact – for anyone looking for every aerodynamic advantage.

Verdict

Superb fitting aerodynamic jersey that could save you seconds against the clock