The Ekoi Monochrome Jersey SS Black is light, super-stretchy and has a racy, aero fit. Its wicking and breathability make it great for warm, sunny days (hah! Remember those?!) when its UV50 fabric will also help. It's comfortable too, with the stretch of the fabric accommodating the fuller figure without it ever feeling compressive or restrictive. And while at its full RRP it's pretty expensive, this is from the Spanish perma-price-cutter Ekoi, so you're likely to be paying much, much less.
For more options, check out our guide to the best summer cycling jerseys.
> Buy now: Ekoi Monochrome Jersey SS Black for £85.45 from Ekoi
While Ekoi markets this as a spring to moderate summer's day jersey, I think it's a little conservative in its suggested temperature range: from 15°C with arm warmers and baselayer up to 25°C.
I'd say the lower temperature's about right (though I'm so not wearing arm warmers when it's that warm) but I'd happily use it all summer long in temperatures up to around 30°C or possibly more.
This is also one of the lightest cycling jerseys – or possibly the lightest – I've ever worn, and it packs down to a bundle not much bigger than a cricket ball. Both of these factors could be handy if you're looking to travel small and light, for example to a training camp or warm-weather cycling holiday.
As for its fit, I've worn some stretchy cycling jerseys in my time, but this beats the lot. Forget four-way stretch – this feels like it has a laws-of-physics-defying five-way stretch – it's **that** stretchy! This makes for a very accommodating top, which is just as well given the weight I've put on over the last few years.
The result may not be that flattering, though that's down to me rather than the jersey, but while it will show every curve and bump, it never felt restrictive.
And in spite of its minimal weight and bulk, the jersey still manages to pack in a full raft of features.
It has the usual three rear drop-in pockets, the outer two having sloping tops for easy access, and as they're made with the same super-stretchiness as the rest of the jersey, they're pretty capacious. The middle pocket has an outer zipped security pocket, which would just about take my Samsung S22 mobile, though not in the case it's always in – so I just dropped it in the central pocket, saving the zipped one for key, cards and cash (yep, I still use paper money...).
The full-length zip has small zip garages at the top and bottom.
Ekoi flags up the Monochrome for its wicking and breathability – and it's not wrong. For testing purposes only I wore this for rides on three consecutive days, and while it wasn't exactly as fresh as a daisy at that point, my wife – going well above and beyond our marriage vows – agreed it wasn't as bad as one might expect. And this was during a brief spell of warm and sunny weather. Remember that?
I found that the jersey stayed in place pretty well too. It only has a narrow silicone gripper at the rear, covering around a third of the jersey's diameter, but it didn't ride up. The narrow elasticated hem at the front was equally effective.
The laser-cut sleeves are longer than I'm used to but they're very neatly finished and they have an 'aero sleeve profile', apparently. That'll no doubt help me on my 20kph canal towpath and Sustrans Two Tunnels trips. Just think of the watts I'll save, and the speed I'll gain. Whooosh! I'll arrive at my destination before I've even started, or something...
Nah, I'm not concerned with any speed gains, but more for its comfort for summer rides.
And I also like its understated, non-garish looks in this shades-of-grey black version. It's also available in khaki, white, red and blue colourschemes, which seem to have greater availability at present.
Value
With an RRP well over 100 quid the Ekoi Monochrome jersey doesn't look great value, but it's well under the £190 cost of the similarly racy Santini Redux Speed that Josh liked so much.
But at the sort of price you're more likely to pay for it – this is Ekoi, after all – it comes in less expensive than the £90 hot-weather special dhb Aeron Lab Ultralight. Okay, so at a tiny 77g the dhb is lighter, but the Ekoi has the advantage of not being see-through!
It's currently £85.45, but it was as low as just £61.37 with 50% off – that's barely more than our favourite value-for-money jersey, the £60 Vanelli Proline.
Conclusion
This is a lovely, comfy, close-fitting top made for warmer rides, and if you can get it at its usual discounted price the Ekoi Monochrome is a good value jersey from one of the biggest kit suppliers to the pro peloton. It's super-stretchy and very light, but in spite of its low weight it's fully featured, with four pockets, and its colour not only means stains don't show, but the black – or more accurately dark grey and black – jersey complements most cycling shorts out there.
> Buy now: Ekoi Monochrome Jersey SS Black for £85.45 from Ekoi
Verdict
Comfortable, breathable, lightweight and with sun protection, this is a very good jersey for warm to hot rides
Make and model: Ekoi Monochrome Jersey SS Black
Tell us what the product is for
Ekoi says: "The Ekoï monochrome jersey inaugurates the spring 2024 collections. Start the season and your first rides in short sleeves as from 15°C/59°F. To design a jersey with an aero profile that's both breathable and protective, we've combined different fabrics:
For the front, we chose a smooth, perforation-free fabric that's supple, highly stretchable and soft-touch. The result is effective protection for the torso from (cool) spring air. Plus a feeling of comfort throughout your ride.
The whole back panel, is micro-perforated to maximize wicking and heat transfer as you start to work harder, whether during vigorous climbs, splits or those first spring sportives.
Sleeves feature a fabric with aero styling, inspired by those worn by pro racers, they hug the upper arm without compressing it, offering little wind resistance and contributing to the jersey's aero performance.
For added freedom of movement and clean lines, the Ekoï Monochrome jersey featuresone side seam. The absence of side panels affirms the performance/comfort profile of this product, entirely designed to allow you to pedal efficiently."
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Ekoi lists:
Aero sleeve profile.
Performance cut (no side panels).
Micro-perforated back and smooth front.
4 pockets, including 2 bevelled and 1 horizontal zipped.
Fabric with UV 50 protection.
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
Very tidily finished throughout. All the seams are neat as are the laser-cut sleeves.
Rate the product for performance:
8/10
It's great – light, comfortable and stretchier than Stretch Armstrong.
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
All very good so far – survived a number of washes without issue.
Rate the product for fit:
8/10
I'm at the top end of sizing for a large, probably coming in close to the 82kg mark. The fit was very close without being uncomfortable, and the next size up may have been slightly more flattering.
Rate the product for sizing:
8/10
Rate the product for weight:
9/10
Not the very lightest out there, but at just 135g it's almost certainly the lightest jersey in my cycling wardrobe.
Rate the product for comfort:
8/10
It's lovely – form-fitting without ever being constricting.
Rate the product for value:
4/10
At its full retail price the value isn't that great. But does anybody anywhere ever pay the full whack from the Spanish serial price-cutters...?
How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?
Fine. A 30°C machine wash with the other cycling kit and it came out clean every time, looking none the worse for wear.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Riding on a warm day? Then this is your friend. It does exactly what you want it to do.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Its low weight, comfort and understated looks.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
The price... at least at its full RRP.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
It's a good deal cheaper than the warm weather Santini, though at its well over £100 full RRP it's not exactly cheap itself. But at the sort of price you're likely to be able to be able to buy it at, it's on a par with the likes of the dhb Ultralight that's even lighter than the Ekoi, though the dhb is borderline see-through, which the Ekoi isn't. Thankfully...
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
I found Ekoi's Monochrome a very good jersey, ideal for anything from warmer spring and winter rides to really quite hot summer days. It's comfortable, breathable, with UV50 sun protection, a full collection of pockets and a very low weight – Ekoi has delivered a well-considered product.
I usually ride: 2018 Giant TCR Advanced 2 with Halo Carbaura disc wheels My best bike is:
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, touring, sportives, general fitness riding,
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