The Orro Cycling Jersey is a perfectly okay summer cycling top that’s likely to appeal if you ride an Orro bike, but you can get more technical jerseys for the same sort of cash.
- Pros: Comfortable, breathable and well fitted
- Cons: Only available in black, the oddly undersized pocket
Orro is a British brand owned by i-ride, the parts and bikes distributor. We’ve tested a few of its bikes such as the Gold STC and liked what we saw. Now, spotting that plenty of riders like to match their cycling outfits to their bikes, the brand has launched a small range of clothing including this jersey. It’s closely aligned with the black-and-gold aesthetic of its bikes, so if you do own one then you’ll be well matched, and you can further coordinate by adding the gilet (review coming) and bib shorts.
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It’s a summery short sleeve affair, made with two comfortable and breathable polyester fabrics that are similar to what we’ve seen on many other summer jerseys. Aerate fabric is used for the majority of the jersey, with a more elastic Link fabric used on the side panels.
This arrangement helps manufacturers offer closer-fitting jerseys where each size can nevertheless accommodate a wider range of body shapes. It’s available in five sizes from small to XXL, and – if you go by the size chart – you’ll get a fairly close fitting jersey.
As you can see in the pictures, it is a fairly simple cut, so the front does bunch up more in a cycling position than something more aero focused like this jersey from Hommage au Vélo that we tested recently. Unlike some racier jerseys, the long front means this will look respectable at the cafe stop rather than revealing bib short mesh.
As the name suggests, the Aerate fabric used is very breathable, just right for the sort of hot summer we’ve had this year. At 130gsm (grams per square metre) it isn’t super-lightweight for a jersey fabric, and the overall weight is a fairly typical one – more than lightweights like Endura’s Pinstripe jersey. For me, breathability of the fabric is more important than low weight in a summer jersey, and it scores well on that front.
> Buyer’s Guide: 20 of the best summer cycling jerseys
One thing that might be less ideal for hot days is the colour – you’ve a choice of black or nothing. The reflective gold logos do contrast nicely, and the chevron design on the back is snazzy. As well as the logos, Orro has added reflective piping along the top of the pockets and around the zipped valuables pocket – welcome if you ride in the evenings or early morning.
Those pockets take a fairly typical approach, with an unintentional twist in the case of our review jersey. It’s good to see a zipped pocket that’s big enough to accommodate a modern smartphone, but I was puzzled by the sizing of the right-hand pocket, which is markedly smaller than the one on the left. Orro says that this is a manufacturing error and that the pockets should be the same size (if any owners of this jersey have unequally sized pockets they should get in touch with Orro for a free replacement).
The other details are handled well – wide and stretchy sleeve openings are comfortable, there’s a silicone gripper strip along the bottom of the back which helps prevent it riding up, and the zip is covered with a flap to prevent it irritating the neck.
In truth, there’s nothing that really stands out from the market here – it’s a lot like a million other jerseys that you can buy. Orro is presumably aiming at its existing customer base, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If you’ve got one of its bikes or like the styling on offer here, this is a pretty good summer top. Others may want to shop around as, for this sort of price, other brands can offer more technical jerseys, such as the Flux Print from Kalf, for example.
Verdict
Comfortable summer jersey styled to match your Orro bike
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Orro Cycling Jersey
Size tested: Large
Tell us what the product is for
Orro says: “The first Orro jersey – taking inspiration from our flagship bike, the Gold, the Orro jersey follows our 4 core values: Quality; Performance; Innovation; and Style. The Orro Jersey is a high quality and featureful piece of kit that will keep you comfortable and looking great all day.”
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
From Orro:
Main Body – Aerate Fabric (100% polyester, 130gsm)
Soft & elastic with a perforated structure for optimised breathability
SPF 40+
Side Panels – Link Fabric (100% polyester, 120gsm)
High elasticity and breathability for great fit
SPF 40+
Full length, covered YKK camlock zip with top garage
Lycra cuffs
Flatlock stitching
4 gold reflective logos
Reflective piping across the top of the back pockets
3 full-sized back pockets with 4th waterproof zipped centre pocket
Generally well put together. The pocket sizing is slightly odd.
Breathes well. Not especially aero by today’s standards, but that won’t matter to most people.
No issues observed during testing.
Fairly simple cut – the long front makes for bunching when on the bike but looks good at the cafe.
Follow the chart if you want a racy fit, size up if you like things a little looser.
Fairly typical summer jersey weight.
Very comfy. Being picky, raw cut sleeves (as used here) are fractionally more comfortable if you don’t then have a seam 1in up from the end. But no one’s going to find this a problem in real life.
Compares reasonably well with other clothing offered by bike manufacturers, but against the whole of the market it is not offering much in the way of stand-out features for the money.
How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?
No problems being washed.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Comfortable and breathable on a summer’s ride – it does a good job.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
I think the reflective gold logos look really good. The fit and fabric both make it a comfy jersey.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
The undersized right-hand pocket, and it’s a bit too long at the front.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Maybe
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
There’s not much wrong with the jersey; it’s comfortable and fits reasonably well. A presumably fairly small production run means pricing is not super-competitive against the whole of the market, but if you want to coordinate with your bike you’ll doubtless enjoy wearing this.
About the tester
Age: 37 Height: 188cm Weight: 78kg
I usually ride: On-one Bish Bash Bosh My best bike is: Rose X-Lite CRS
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: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking
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