Endura Men’s Loop Short Sleeved Zipped Jersey – Barra Blue

The Endura Loop Short Sleeved Zipped Jersey is a super-comfortable, relaxed fit cycling top that wicks away sweat, feels good against your skin and can smell surprisingly fresh at the end of a week’s worth of riding.

> Buy now: Endura Loop Short Sleeved Zipped Jersey for £49.99 from Endura

It’s pitched towards the gravel and mountain biking end of the market, so I started using it on my daily commute, where there is not a hint of gravel or a single rocky incline in sight.

It feels great to wear and is far more forgiving than the rest of my cycling kit. So when I lock up the bike and board the 7.45am Inter-City, Wage-Slave Special, there’s less need to pull in my stomach as I navigate the train carriage looking for a spare seat.

In fact, this top is so acceptable on Civvy Street that I’ve rushed into early morning work meetings without changing and no one has batted an eyelid. You could wear it down the pub and be pretty sure that you aren’t going to be called a Tour de France wannabe (or something a little more fragrant).

Long-haul performance

Clearly you didn’t come here for advice on work and pub attire, so the good news is that this top performs admirably on big days on the bike.

It comes with a full length zip, so you can ventilate effectively when the weather gets hot.

It has three easily accessible pockets at the rear and an additional zipped-security pocket that will take a small wallet and keys. As someone who is constantly checking to make sure I didn’t leave my bank card on that bench 27km back, this is an essential extra.

There’s a deep scoop at the rear that will keep your coccyx covered and just a hint of reflective detailing that could plausibly catch someone’s attention on a dark road, in the middle of the night. Personally, I wouldn’t rely on it.

I took it out on a speedier 100km ride that skirted the Mendips and took in the new Pier to Pier route from Weston to Clevedon. It was a scorching day and I really appreciated the Loop’s ability to wick sweat away, especially with the zip down low to let a steady breeze lift moisture from my glistening torso (…hey, thanks ChatGPT).

It’s made from two key fabrics. The first is DRIRELEASE, a mixture of synthetic material and cotton that Endura says offers: ‘fast drying, improved comfort and moisture transfer.’ Worn by itself, it delivered brilliantly on this front.

Under a rucksack or gilet it can get quite damp, but it will dry out quickly when you stop for a mid-ride mocaccino and fondant fancy.

The remaining 12% of the material is LYCOCELL – a mixture of synthetic and plant-based fibres. Wood is a source material – usually eucalyptus, spruce, pine, birch and beech. (Ed – Please insert a joke here about clothing made from trees, if you can find a punchline that you think wood work… geddit?)

The comfort levels with this blend of ALL-CAPS, trademarked materials are really impressive and far nicer for a relaxed day out than my usual synthetic club tops. The Endura Loop is about 40g heavier than most of my dedicated road jerseys but that seems a small price to pay. They can handle sweat even better but can’t match this top for its pleasantly soft, cosy feel.

The Endura Loop delivers real versatility and I can see this being an item of kit that would come into its own on a bike touring trip or a weekend cafe or pub ride.

Compatibility issues

I took it out on a longer ride a few weeks later that required an uncomfortably early start. I had a pair of arm warmers to hold off the chill and found that the baggier sleeves on the Endura Loop allowed a shot of wind to race up to my armpits. It was a minor issue but worth noting here. It was certainly a good wake-up call as I headed out to the start of the ride.

And when I caught up with friends for that ride, they let me know that the deeper scoop at the back was sticking out from under my race-fit cycling gilet. I’m not that bothered about this kind of thing, but it might be an issue if you are trying to pair this with road-specific kit.

Frankly, I couldn’t care less… I just want to show you that I’ve done my due diligence on what I think is a really lovely top. The last time I owned something similar in terms of fit and comfort, was when I was touring across Spain in the 90s and I’ve been looking for something similar to fill that niche. This could definitely do that job.

Value

At a snip under £50, I think this is pretty good value. If some of your cycling leans towards gravel and mountain biking, then there’s even more reason to give this good consideration.

Of course you can find cheaper options out there, but this is well made, thoughtfully designed and it would be a useful addition to anyone’s wardrobe.

It offers similar functionality to the Altura Endurance Men’s Short Sleeved Jersey that Steve reviewed a few years ago, but that’s over £30 more expensive. The new model has an updated colour scheme, and the model from two years ago scored a similar seven out of ten.

If you are feeling particularly flush then you can spend £130 on the 7Mesh Men’s Atlas Jersey that Mike gave a hearty 10 out of 10 endorsement to last year. He reckoned this was ‘perfect for all-day adventures’ and it comes with a similarly relaxed fit.

Or for £59.99 you can opt for the Madison Roam Short Sleeve Jersey that Shaun tested. It aims to fill a similar Jack-of-all-trades: gravel, road, touring niche and it also features some neat side mesh pockets (check out the pictures for yourself).

Conclusion

But for my money, the Endura Loop is a pretty good buy and one you won’t regret. I’m heading out first thing tomorrow morning on a group ride and it is already washed and sitting on my chair ready to go. I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who wants a good all-purpose top that guarantees great comfort on long day rides.

Verdict

Well-designed jersey that offers great all-day comfort and very good functionality at a great price

> Buy now: Endura Loop Short Sleeved Zipped Jersey for £49.99 from Endura

All the deals displayed on our review pages are pulled from a constantly updating database feed of the best affiliate deals available. The criteria for deciding on what are the best deals is who is offering the lowest, delivered price. In most cases we will be showing the very best deal available online, but sometimes you may be able to find an item cheaper. If you can please feel free to post a link in the comments box below. To find out more about affiliate links on road.cc click here.