Craft Monument Jersey

Craft has always managed to deliver decent products at a good price, but with the Monument Giro di Lombardia jersey it's gone a little bit further: an excellent product at a good price.

• Pros: Breathable fabric keeps you dry and cool, flattering fit
• Cons: Side pockets a little narrow

Craft's Monument range, which includes caps, jerseys and socks, pays homage to some of cycling's biggest Classic races like Milan-San Remo, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Flanders, plus this Giro di Lombardia option.

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The race has been held in Italy around early October ever since 1905 and is nicknamed Classica delle foglie morte – or the Classic of the falling (dead) leaves. You knew all that, though, because it's written on the jersey!

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The jersey is made using three different fabrics, with the bulk of it – the front and rear panels – comprising a large mesh which is just great for letting the wind through to remove unwanted heat and moisture. Perfect for those days when the temperature enters the 20s .

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It's not so fine that you can't wear it on chillier days. With a mesh baselayer underneath I was still plenty warm enough down to about 15°C without the need for a gilet.

Under the arms you get a closer knit mesh, with the side panels and shoulders using a much tighter knit polyester/elastane mix for comfort and a close fit around the arms.

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The cut itself is actually very flattering. It fits close but not like a full-on racer's jersey so if you aren't whippet thin it won't look out of place on you.

The fit works well on the bike, with a nice dropped tail keeping your back covered; even when you are in the drops there is no excess material flapping about or bunching up.

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The neck is a decent height too, and the full zip fits snuggly into a garage for ultimate comfort.

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Round the back you get a traditional line-up of three pockets across the bottom, which are reasonably deep and will hold most of the things you need to carry on the bike without sagging.

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My only criticism is that I found the two outside ones a little restrictive to get my hand in easily while riding. A bit of a combination of the size of the opening and the tautness of the material.

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At £85 the Monument jerseys aren't cheap, granted, but for the all-round quality and performance I'd say they're worth the money. When it comes to mesh style summer jerseys you can certainly pay more: Castelli's Aero Race 5.1 Jersey FZ priced at £100 or Rapha's £140 Pro Team Aero Jersey, for example. Okay, it's a little more race orientated than the Craft, but not by much.

> Buyer's Guide: 20 of the best summer cycling jerseys

We've seen cheaper too: the Northwave Blade Air 3 is just £56.99 and scored a very excellent 4.5 stars. See more choices below.

On the whole, though, I'd happily pay £85 for the Craft Monument when taking everything into account.

Verdict

Highly breathable summer jersey with a great fit and acceptable price tag