Craft Performance Tour jersey

New to Craft’s lineup for 2010, the Performance Tour is a light and fairly airy jersey that puts in a solid all-round performance.

You know how some fabrics feel cool next to your skin as soon as you put them on? This is one of those. It’s polyester – as the vast majority are – the main panels wicking sweat reasonably well. You also get hugely breathable open-mesh panels reaching from just below your armpits round to the bottom of your shoulder blades, and there’s another in the upper back to help keep the atmosphere fresh. The full-length front zip provides more ventilation; we really do like the option of opening a jersey right up on hot summer climbs.

Cut is slim and performance-orientated, but just shy of tight. There’s certainly no annoying flapping as soon as you hit the descents. The bottom hem is elasticated so there’s no billowing there and silicone print holds it in place well, and the cuffs are elasticated too. The stitching isn’t flat but it’s comfy enough – we didn’t suffer any annoying rubbing.

The three pockets in the lower back are elasticated so all your gubbins is likely to stay put, and you get an extra zipped outer pocket back there for your valuables, complete with a hole for an earphones wire. Look, we’re not advocating it, we’re just reporting it; you’re big enough to make up your own mind as to whether listening to an iPod when you’re riding is a good idea.

The cut around the neck is pretty odd with the collar panel dipping much lower than usual at the front. We found it a little baggy – which isn’t a huge problem on a summer jersey, we guess, although it did stop us sealing out the breeze completely when the temperature dropped.

Oh, and we should mention the price, £45 is not bad at all for what is a fairly sophisticated piece of kit for the money. Also available in white and blue and in a women's cut.

Verdict

Sound summer jersey with a couple of good features – but not as innovative as some products in the Craft range