De Marchi’s aptly named Pure Classic Italian-made Merino wool mix jersey is an absolute beauty – the styling is so cool it’ll freeze your fingers. It might not make you ride like Jacques Anquetil or Fausto Coppi, but at least you’ll look the part.
Made from a blend of lightweight merino wool and acrylic, it’s soft next to your skin – not at all scratchy – and it’s stretchy enough for a classic close fit without any tightness. It feels really good on.
It’s a fairly loose weave compared to some wool jerseys – not mesh-like, but open enough for good ventilation in hot conditions. That means it doesn’t get as heavy as some when you work up a sweat and it dries out reasonably quickly, although no wool jersey can compete with a synthetic option on that front. Unlike many synthetics, though, it still feels comfortable when damp, and it doesn’t take on a perma-stink aroma a few rides in.
The front zip is full length so you can open it right up for the complete air-conditioning effect when you’re gunning up Alpine cols or just your local one 1:5, while the ribbed collar sits nice and snug around your neck when you want to keep the draught out. The rear isn’t extended but we found the cut long enough to keep us fully covered, while the pockets back there are neatly buttoned… and that’s it as far as features go. Classic, see. This is a jersey that doesn’t need to try too hard.
It’s easy to look after too. You just bung it in the machine on a cold setting although you need to let it line dry. As for the price, well, you can certainly buy cheaper. Endura’s BaaBaa Merino Tech Jersey, for example, is £44.99. Rapha’s Sportwool (merino and polyester blend) Club Jersey, on the other hand, is £95, so the De Marchi is pricey, but not outlandish.
It’s also available in grey with a green stripe and there’s a women’s version too in a choice of colours.
Verdict
Lightweight merino/acrylic jersey with a decent performance and masses of style
All the deals displayed on our review pages are pulled from a constantly updating database feed of the best affiliate deals available. The criteria for deciding on what are the best deals is who is offering the lowest, delivered price. In most cases we will be showing the very best deal available online, but sometimes you may be able to find an item cheaper. If you can please feel free to post a link in the comments box below. To find out more about affiliate links on road.cc click here.
road.cc test report
Make and model: De Marchi Pure Classic Merino jersey
Size tested: chocolate
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
About the tester
Age: 39 Height: 190cm Weight: 74kg
I usually ride: My best bike is:
I’ve been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding,











1 thought on “De Marchi Pure Classic Merino jersey”
do the pockets begin to sag
do the pockets begin to sag after a few goes in the washing machine and then stuffed full of stuff (rain cape, inner tube,cake etc) ?
Comments are closed.