Pearl Izumi Elite Pursuit Graphic Jersey

The Pearl Izumi Men's Elite Pursuit Graphic Jersey is a top-notch garment that brings a mixture of great material choice and fit to provide pretty much everything you need for a short sleeve top to get you from spring through to autumn.

• Pros: Comfortable and highly breathable fabric
• Cons: £100 is quite an outlay for a jersey

The Elite Transfer fabric that Pearl Izumi has used for the Pursuit jersey is real quality. Its 100 per cent polyester construction is thicker than many summer jerseys but that doesn't seem to hamper it – even when the temperature rises to the mid-20s centigrade breathability and airflow is pretty impressive. And should you get overwhelmed on a climb, for instance, then you can always drop the full length zip.

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It's warm enough from about 15°C which gives it a pretty good operating range.

The Pursuit is definitely a racer's jersey, having quite a slim, form-fitting cut, but that Elite fabric gives you a bit of room for manoeuvre if you are fit but not as lean as an elite-level pro. The shape is kept in check by the material used for the shoulders and side panels – a lighter weight polyester (83%) and Lycra (17%) blend which keeps things taut where it needs to be, with no fabric being left to flap about in the wind.

The arms come to about mid-bicep and are held in place with a comfortable lightweight cuff.

Round the back, the hem has a decent drop to it which keeps your lower back covered when you're crouched in the drops, and it's held in place by little silicone tabs.

It's quite rare to see a jersey these days with just the three traditional pockets, as in there's no zipped one for valuables. It's no biggy but something I missed for when I wanted to shove my house key somewhere – especially on a £100 jersey.

Things shouldn't fall out of the pockets anyway, as they are deep and the fabric remains taut when full. I like the fact the pockets have been stitched in a 'bellows' construction, where the fabric is folded underneath before being sewn. It means that when full, the pockets come away from the jersey at the bottom with the extra fabric almost giving them a base. It allows whatever you have in your pocket to sit more naturally.

Money-wise, a penny shy of £100 is quite an outlay for a lightweight short-sleeved jersey, but on the plus side it is excellently made with neat stitching and finish.

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However, the Sweet Protection Crossfire jersey offers very similar attributes and costs just £69.99, and there are plenty of others we've tested around that price.

The Pearl Izumi does fair well against the likes of the Giro Chrono Pro jersey, though, which will set you back £129.99.

Overall, the Pursuit Graphic jersey is a very good all-round package, even if you do have to pay a little extra for it.

Verdict

Top-end price but saved by a great fit, plenty of breathability and deep, secure pockets