Chapeau! Men's Merino SS Base Layer

Surprise, surprise, the Chapeau! Men's Merino Short Sleeve Base Layer is made from merino wool. Merino has long been regarded the holy grail of cycling kit on account of the yarns' beautifully soft nature, which is light years away from those itchy knitted jumpers of our childhood and trumps synthetics on pretty much every technical level.

The colourful stripes and street styling mean that not only does this baselayer do the job when you're riding, it doubles as a nice T-shirt off the bike too.

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When the weather turns chilly, merino tops will keep you warm; when it's roasting hot, they'll keep you cool, while trafficking rider-generated moisture out pretty much seamlessly, neutralising nasty niffs en route. No need for body mapping technology here.

Fierce competition has done wonderful things to pricing – at least from a consumer's perspective. Nowadays, several big retailers are offering long sleeve designs for around £35, which is in line with sophisticated synthetics and might make the Chapeau seem just a little steep – especially since it's designed and tested here but made in the Far East.

Indeed, comparing it with one store brand favourite, little separates them in terms of quality control. However, the Chapeau is snug, rather than figure hugging, which is brilliant for blending with civvies or worn in place of a jersey on summer tours, and even on the indoor trainer.

I've been testing a fair few thermal polyester training jerseys of late, and while these have supressed the natural fibre's true capabilities in some regards, wearing the merino underneath makes them a lot more pleasant to use when the effort's high and temperatures are middling.

>> Check out our guide to cycling baselayers here

Spinning along on the fixed at 90rpm for 40 minutes or so and things turned a little moist around the chest, pits and lower back. However, any lag was quickly tackled and I remained fragrant in the socially acceptable sense, despite successive rides and deliberately wearing the unwashed Chapeau.

Fear not, it has also responded well to regular machine washing and even survived an accidental tumble dry – which is more than can be said for a rather nice retro woollen jersey, which emerged fit only for my farm cat!

Objectively, if you're on a budget and only wanted something for riding in, there are several cheaper options. But I've really enjoyed Chapeau's take on things and would recommend a closer look if you want one that doubles as a stylish T-shirt.

Verdict

Comfortable, stylish baselayer that can be worn all year round – on and off the bike