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.

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!

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 .

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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