The Sportful Classic Heritage Jersey is comfortable, breathable and looks good. It’s designed for warm-weather rides in temperatures from 15-35°C and has a regular, quite relaxed fit that may not appeal to everyone. It also lacks a zipped security pocket.
> Buy now: Sportful Classic Heritage Jersey for £70 from Sportful
Sportful’s Classic Heritage jersey is designed with a relaxed fit that prioritises comfort over performance, and is best suited if you’re looking for a jersey for endurance riding rather than racing.
Materials
Sportful says this jersey takes its inspiration from classic Roubaix victories. As someone who has zero desire to smash over the cobbles of northern France, I’ve mostly worn this on endurance rides and harder training sessions.
At 125g the jersey is fairly light, though fortunately that doesn’t make it transparent, which can be the case with some lighter fabrics, and isn’t a look I appreciate.
The jersey is made from polyester and elastane, but in contrast to the likes of Santini’s much stretchier RTR jersey, which is 65% polyester and 35% elastane, this is designed for a more relaxed fit and doesn’t have as much stretch, a result of its 94% polyester and 6% elastane mix.
Sportful recommends this for rides in temperatures between 15-35°C, and having tested this in days that reached 25°C – the maximum during the test period – I’d agree with Sportful’s figures.
The fabric is breathable and comfortable. During hard two-hour sessions doing efforts up the steepest climbs around Bristol, I never felt overly sweaty, the material effectively wicking away sweat from my body. It also dried quickly on fast descents.
Fit
Sportful describes the Heritage jersey as having a ‘regular’ fit designed for comfort and breathability rather than a race-ready performance.
I thought the fit was good around my chest and shoulders, though as I have broad shoulders and a slimmer waist, I found the fit around my waist a little too loose.
The medium-length sleeves are in keeping with the jersey’s overall retro look. They’re comfortable and are kept in place with a small seam that worked well. The fit around the arms initially seemed quite relaxed, but was fine once on the bike.
The front of the jersey is a good length, long enough to prevent you exposing your stomach when you’re off the bike.
Size
The jersey comes in six sizes from S-3XL and Sportful’s size guide placed me between medium and large. I’m 178cm and 76kg and I was testing the large, and I think I’d also have been fine with a medium. If you do fall between sizes, I think you’ll be fine going for the smaller size.
The three medium-size pockets have a large enough capacity for a long day out, easily accommodating a gilet if the weather looks changeable.
The classic rear hem gripper enhances the stability and security of the pockets, and it worked well, though the slightly loose fit around my waist prevented it being 100% effective.
As with the Santini that I recently tested there’s no zipped valuables pocket, and just as I said then, it’s not a deal-breaker for me. But as I do like to take my garage key with me on rides, I would prefer a jersey with a zip pocket.
There’s also no zip garage, though I never experienced any irritation as a result of its absence.
I wore this for numerous test rides during spring’s very warm weather and put it through numerous wash cycles too, which did result in some signs of wear, with a few loose stitches appearing after only a handful of washes.
While this only comes in the single ‘Classic Heritage’ design, I’m not the only person who thinks it looks good – a lot of my clubmates were also very complimentary about its simple geometric design.
If you like the design but would prefer a racier cut, Sportful also offers the Supernova Heritage Jersey for £110, which has a more aero fit, and while the colour palette is similar, it does look a little more like a national champion’s jersey.
Value
At £70 the Heritage jersey is reasonably priced, however, there are plenty of alternatives around this price – including one from Sportful itself.
Its own SRK jersey is a fiver dearer at £75 and Alex rated it highly when he reviewed it.
Pay another fiver again and you’ve got the £80 Santini Ombra unisex jersey, which George liked, though it has a closer fit than the Sportful Heritage.
If you’re looking to spend a bit less, Boardman keeps up its reputation for producing kit that’s as good value as its bikes, with its Boardman Series 9 Jersey costing just £50.
Our best summer cycling jerseys has more options at a wide range of prices.
Conclusion
This is a good jersey overall, especially if you are looking for a top with a more relaxed fit, rather than one that’s more figure-hugging. It’s comfortable for endurance rides, the breathable material wicks away sweat effectively and I liked its stylish retro look – as did a lot of my clubmates.
Verdict
Stylish retro-flavoured and comfortable top with a relaxed fit, though I’d have liked a zipped security pocket
> Buy now: Sportful Classic Heritage Jersey for £70 from Sportful
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Sportful Classic Heritage Jersey
Size tested: Large
Tell us what the product is for
Sportful says:
“The Classic Heritage Jersey, with its flattering, regular fit, facilitates the ease of movement on the bike that’s so critical to success in this challenging and varied race. It is also highly breathable and very efficient at sweat management, so you’ll stay dry and comfortable all ride long, even when taking on hellish cobbles.”
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Jersey celebrates years of Paris Roubaix wins but delivers contemporary performance
Made from breathable material that manages sweat when you’re sprinting for the win
With UV protection
Regular, versatile fit
With 3 x rear pockets
Made for temperatures of 15-35°C
A few stray threads appeared after quite a low number of washes.
It aims for a relaxed fit – and this is what it delivers too.
How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?
Washed at 30°C, a few stray threads were evident after a few washes.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Performed well apart from the durability concerns.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Stylish look.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
I prefer a more figure-hugging fit.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
At £70 this jersey is reasonably priced, however, there’s some good alternatives at this price, including Sportful’s own SRK top.
For a little more than this Santini offers its unisex Ombra jersey, while the Boardman Series 9 Jersey scored well and only costs £50.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? No – I prefer a more fitted jersey.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
Overall, if you’re looking for a stylish-looking jersey with a relaxed fit, this is a good choice. It’s breathable, has good pockets and the material is comfortable enough for rides of any length.
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
