The Santini Ready to Ride Jersey Unisex is an excellent cycling top suited to all but the very hottest conditions. It has an excellent and genuinely unisex fit, the material is highly breathable – and with its bold, plain colour I think it looks good.
> Buy now: Santini Ready to Ride Jersey Unisex for £90 from Santini
This jersey is part of Santini’s Ready to Ride – or RTR – range and in the photographs it’s paired with the ‘pistachio green’ RTR Bib Shorts I recently tested.
It’s a versatile jersey designed to offer a balance of comfort and performance, one made for everyday riding rather than racing.
The jersey is designed to be unisex too. My partner was initially sceptical about this, but the high-stretch of the fabric adapts well to both male and female body shapes. She also found the fit to be excellent, which has left me worried about her stealing it from me…
Materials
Just as with the bib shorts, the RTR jersey is made from recycled fabric (65% polyester, 35% elastane), which provides plenty of stretch. I have worn it during numerous five-hour endurance rides and a few more intense training sessions.
This is a lightweight jersey weighing just 128g, but in spite of the low weight it is in no way see-through, which is always a bonus as far as I’m concerned.
Santini recommends this for use in temperatures between 10-20°C, which make makes me think that Santini must run a little bit warmer than me – as I wouldn’t wear this when it’s just 10°C.
The flip side of that is I that I found it ideal for riding in a wider range of temperatures than Santini suggests, using it for rides from 13-25°C, which makes it a pretty versatile option.
I found the fabric highly breathable and very comfortable, and on a tough club run on undulating roads at 25°C, the jersey did a good job of drying out on the descents. It was largely dry (and covered in salt) when I got to the beer garden at the end of the ride in Bath.
Fit
The jersey is described as a ‘Slim’ fit, which is designed to be a balance between all-day comfort and performance. I thought the fit was excellent, a close fit around the chest and shoulders with a good fit around the waist.
I also found the raw-cut sleeves a good length and fit. The medium-length sleeves stayed in place well around my arms, the high-stretch of the fabric meant it also fitted my partner’s arms when she wore it.
The cut at the front is a good length too, with no risk of you exposing your stomach when you’re off the bike.
Size
The jersey comes in eight sizes from XXS-3XL (in contrast to the shorts that come in eight sizes from XS-4XL) and I tested the large, which is my usual size for Santini.
At 178cm and 76kg, the size guide had me between medium and large. I found the large a good fit, and I’d say if you do fall between sizes, to opt for the larger size. Being a unisex jersey, this has a slightly different size guide compared to Santini’s other jerseys.
The rear comes with the usual three pockets. These medium-size pockets took all my essentials but the jersey probably wouldn’t be my first choice for an epic day out where I wanted to carry more in pockets. But the contents did feel stable while I was riding full gas up the steepest Cotswold climbs.
A thick band on the rear hem helps to keep the jersey stable and the contents of the pockets secure. I found this effective, and I never found myself having to adjust the jersey.
Slightly unusually these days there’s no zipped valuables pocket. It’s not a deal-breaker, but a zipped pocket gives me peace of mind for carrying my garage key.
There is a top zip garage to prevent irritation, and the large zip tag makes for easy adjustments.
I wore this through a lot of excellent spring weather, and after numerous rides and spins through the washing machine it has come up looking and feeling as good as new.
I tested the burgundy jersey, which I think looks great. It’s also available in seven other colours (including cappuccino, purple, military green and a very old-school black) that are designed to complement – though not necessarily to match – the RTR shorts.
The otherwise plain jersey has a few small Santini logos and a few small reflective patches on the rear.
Value
At £90, this feels like a sensible price for a high-quality jersey.
I recently tested the Castelli Espresso jersey, which is also excellent but at £125 it is a fair bit more expensive.
The £105 Lusso Paragon is closer in price to the Santini, and is also a unisex jersey. It’s now available in two colours too, rather than the one when we tested it.
Alex liked the Sportful SRK jersey, which costs just £75, and cheaper still, is the £59.99 Madison Roam Jersey, which Shaun thought was very good.
Our best summer cycling jerseys buyer’s guide covers more of our favourite short-sleeve options.
Conclusion
An excellent jersey – it’s genuinely unisex, comfortable, has a great fit and is suitable for all but the very hottest days. A choice of eight colours and an eight-size range add to the appeal and the price is reasonable.
Verdict
Excellent genuinely unisex option with a great fit that’s suitable for all but the hottest days.
> Buy now: Santini Ready to Ride Jersey Unisex for £90 from Santini
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Santini Ready To Ride – Jersey Unisex
Size tested: Large
Tell us what the product is for
Santini says
“The Ready To Ride short-sleeve jersey is a masterpiece of design. Made from high-quality polyamide fabric, this lightweight jersey boasts exceptional breathability and a uniquely soft feel against the skin.”
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
High-quality polyamide fabric
Lightweight and breathable
Unisex fit
Triple rear pocket
Developed using a garment-dyeing technique
Made in Italy
How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?
Washed with the rest of my cycling kit with no issues.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
It performed very well, it’s versatile and has a great – and genuinely unisex – fit.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The excellent fit and good looks.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
The lack of a zip pocket. It’s not necessarily a deal-breaker, but these days most similar jerseys come with a zipped security pocket.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
At £90, this is well priced for an excellent jersey. There’s plenty of competition at this price though.
I recently tested the Castelli Espresso jersey, which was excellent. Although it is a bit more expensive at £125.
Alex thought the Sportful SRK jersey was very good and is priced at £75.
If you are looking to spend a bit less, Shaun thought the Madison Roam Jersey was very good, especially when it is priced at £59.99.
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
Put simply, this is an excellent jersey. The close and genuinely unisex fit is excellent, the material breathable and I think it looks good.
About the tester
Age: 35 Height: 178cm Weight: 73kg
I usually ride: Specialized Roubaix My best bike is: Cervelo S3
I’ve been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, touring, club rides, general fitness riding, Indoor
