Vulpine Alpine Merino SS Jersey

The Vulpine Alpine Merino jersey is a stylish and functional garment that combines the famous properties of the fine wool with a casual, urban aesthetic, and it works well for long rides, café stops and city commutes.

I'm a big fan of merino and I think Vulpine has put it to great use with the Alpine jersey. Merino is a good insulator in slightly cooler weather, and before the sun came out in mid-April this jersey worked well as a layer under a lightweight shell at around 10°C. It also breathes incredibly well and is – slightly counterintuitively since it's wool – one of the coolest fabrics to wear in hot weather, although it does absorb moisture more than synthetic materials.

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It has withstood a few wash cycles now and hasn't bobbled or degraded in any other way. I would expect to get a lot of use out of it and am looking forward to doing some bigger rides in it once the lockdown lifts.

The fit is more T-shirt than skinsuit, since the Alpine is aimed at a more relaxed type of riding rather than racing, but even with that in mind I found the rear on the long side while I felt the sleeves could do with a bit of extra length, especially for reaching forward to the bars (it's not me in the photos). However, someone with a longer back and shorter arms than me might find it perfectly proportioned. (Mat liked the fit of the long-sleeve version.) 

The Alpine Merino was one of the original jerseys in Vulpine's range. Now under new ownership, the British brand has been busy working on new designs as well as reworking old ones in order to reclaim Vulpine's position in the cycling clothing market. It's good to see that some of our criticism of the first Alpine jersey from 2013 appears to have been taken on board, particularly the use of 100 per cent merino which, although lovely, is extremely stretchy and can lead to pocket sag.

The new version is 80 per cent merino with the rest polyester, which reinforces the merino, stops it from shrinking in the wash, and should give it some extra longevity. Although you might also expect polyester to diminish some of merino's whiff-combating capability, it doesn't. I found the Alpine still stayed much fresher than all-synthetic jerseys.

Vulpine on its website still warns against loading the pockets up too heavily, but I found that with a mini-pump, phone and energy bar they stayed in position while riding. Carrying a full water bottle would be overloading it, but that's what bottle cages are for.

The pockets have also been redesigned. The original Alpine jersey's left and right rear pockets closed slightly nonsensically with a button while the central one had a zip. In this latest iteration the buttons have disappeared, making ordinary on-the-fly access much easier, while the zipped valuables compartment has moved over to the right, leaving a standard open central pocket.

There are reflective strips sewn above left and right pockets.

Pocket height is spot on, although when loaded they tend to make the longish rear/bum flap hang away from the shorts in mid air, making the silicone gripper redundant. I'd like to see the length reduced and the gripper tighter for a tidier rear.

Other nice details are the embroidered logos, flatlock stitching, no labels (care instructions are printed inside) and tactile leather puller on the zip. It's also very cool that the green zip has been turned into a design feature, matching the green logos on the rear and a band inside the collar.

Apart from this charcoal/green scheme, which will not be the most visible out on the road, it also comes in green/navy, navy/yellow and orange/red.

Value and conclusion

The Vulpine Alpine is not the cheapest merino jersey out there: dhb's merino jersey costs £75 while Decathlon brand Triban's 'touring' merino jersey goes for £39.99. Rapha's Classic Jersey II, meanwhile, costs £110 and is made from 36 per cent merino and 64 per cent polyester, while ashmei's Croix De Fer, with 65 per cent merino, is £128.

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Vulpine always positioned itself alongside Rapha at the high end of the market, and its new owners have continued to aim it at riders who like to wear a designer label as well as a good quality garment – and that is reflected in the £100 price tag.

However, £100 is a fair price for a chic-looking, well-performing, nicely made jersey from a cool brand that, despite its troubled recent past, looks to be back with some really top-drawer kit.

Verdict

Chic jersey from a reinvigorated premium brand that makes the most of merino