Gore C5 Jersey Limited Edition

The Gore C5 Jersey is a comfortable summer design perfect for general riding. The fit is close but relaxed with good stretch in the Lycra. Deep pockets with a central zipper pocket round out a very nice jersey for warm weather riding.

• Pros: Close but comfortable fit for general riding; zipper pocket is big enough for a phone in a waterproof case and location is also perfect for optimal pocket-weight balancing!
• Cons: The fabric doesn't cope that well in really hot weather.

Gore is best known for designing kit for riding in the worst of conditions. But it also makes some very good nice-weather kit and this C5 Jersey is the perfect example. The fabric is best suited to mild-warm weather riding; Gore has suggested 16-24°C. I did try using it on a seriously hot day of 28°C but the jersey wasn't the best here, lacking the required breathability.

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The fabric sits close to the skin, but the small that I've got here feels very relaxed. Gore has designed it with regular bodies in mind and I found some material flapped around the shoulders and waist. The jersey is also quite long which will please taller riders. Being relatively short, I found the front of the jersey bunched up a little when on the bike.

That length, combined with the silicone gripper strip, kept the jersey in place with no riding up.

There are no grippers on the sleeves, which is great for comfort. The sleeves are cut nice and long and I found that they settled on a position. There is good stretch in the material, so if you've got bigger arms than me, you'll be fine.

The long back section made getting at the three pockets very easy. Those standard three are deep and store food and kit securely. The highlight here that really pleases my fussiness is the zipper pocket. You get the full width and height of the middle pocket with a locking zipper. I found that my phone, in its case with a waterproof pouch, fits easily with room for keys and other valuables. The location on the outside of the central pocket is also great as it puts your heaviest item in the middle, preventing the jersey from twisting to one side.

While we're on the subject of zips, Gore uses a YKK full-length zip which is easy to undo and close on the move. Your skin is also protected from the zip by material that runs its full length.

While everything works nicely, with a good if slightly long fit, I'm struggling to point to a standout feature that differentiates it from other general riding jerseys. Priced at £79.99, it's okay value for a general riding jersey, although we've tested a fair few cheaper ones. Hommage au Vélo's Poli Blue Shetland Merino Jersey is £5 cheaper, with a lovely soft wool blend fabric.

> Buyer's Guide: 20 of the best summer cycling jerseys

The Gore is very good quality, though, so it's certainly worth a look while it's discounted on Wiggle to £59.99. And you can still spend a lot more on a high-end jersey: okay, it has better fabrics and a more performance-focused fit, but the Le Col HC is £150...

Verdict

Not a standout jersey but well made for general riding with good performance in mild-to-warm conditions