Sweet Protection Crossfire S/S Jersey

The Crossfire SS jersey from Sweet Protection covers all of the bases: a soft fabric, slim race fit, three roomy pockets and a nicely dropped tail, all for a pretty decent price.

• Pros: Good quality, comfortable fabric
• Cons: Small sizing

The overall quality of the Crossfire is very impressive. The stitching is very neat and tidy throughout – some of the best I’ve seen on any garment let alone a jersey coming in at under 70 quid. There are no stray threads or anything, and there are what look like reinforcing stitches for each of the pockets. It’s no wonder Sweet Protection is happy to offer a two-year warranty against manufacturing and material defects.

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The fabric is 100% polyester with plenty of stretch, which to be honest it needs as not only is the jersey cut very slim, it comes up smaller than many UK brands such as dhb or Lusso. I’m comfortably a medium in both of those, as well as the likes of Shutt VR – even Castelli, come to think of it – but this Crossfire in medium was very snug. If I was buying, I’d definitely go up to a large for a little bit more room.

The cut, though, is very good. I had plenty of movement available at the chest and arms and with it being cinched in at the waist you get no material flapping about at all.

There is a decent dropped tail to keep your lower back covered when crouched over in the saddle too.

Like any good jersey, it has three vertical pockets at the rear which are a good size and easy to access when in the saddle. They don’t sag with a decent load in them, and the elasticated top keeps the contents from bouncing out.

As a bonus you get a fourth pocket on the right hand side, which is slightly shorter and thinner, making it ideal for an energy bar, gel or even a small route card.

The neck is quite low as it’s a summer jersey and letting a bit of air flow in isn’t an issue. The Crossfire doesn’t come with a zip garage but with the height it’s not really an issue.

It’s not as lightweight as some of the mesh jerseys we’ve seen over the summer, but the material does a good job of wicking sweat away and is very comfortable to wear in temperatures from the mid-teens to the early 20s centigrade. The side panels feel to be a lighter knit than the rest of the jersey, which helps keep you cool.

As far as value goes, I think that the Crossfire offers a sensible return for your investment, especially compared to some of the jerseys we’ve seen lately.

Something like the Rivelo Barbondale Merino jersey has similar classic styling and good performance at £100. As Mike states in his review, though, it is often on sale which takes the sting out a little.

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

The Monton Urban Meteor is £110 for, again, a pretty similar setup to the Sweet Protection.

One jersey that does challenge it is the Pente, which offers excellent fabrics for its £40 price tag.

Overall, though, I really like the Crossfire. So much so that I’d even consider giving up cake to exploit its excellent slim cut.

Verdict

Very well made classically styled race jersey at an impressive price

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