dhb Long Sleeve Jersey

The dhb Long Sleeve Jersey is as unusual as its name is generic – it's a fluffy-looking thing but not actually for winter. Its thick fabric breathes very well and it's cool enough for some pretty warm days, yet it's slightly cosier than a short-sleeve if the weather's iffy. The relaxed fit doesn't extend to the slim arms, but for the price it's a great top.

There's a lot to praise about this jersey, so let's start with the negatives for the sheer hell of it.

The relaxed fit doesn't seem quite right – the upper chest hung a bit loose on me even though I'm quite broad shouldered, while the sleeves sat (very comfortably) skin-tight. The easy stretch in the body fabric (updated, says dhb, over the old design) will accommodate all kinds of bellies, though, and the overall look is good. My wife actually complimented me on its looks, which is rare as she usually thinks I'm dressed as some sort of aerodynamic clown.

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The build is excellent too, with neat, strong stitching, comfortable overlocked seams, and an effective silicone gripper in the tail. There's even a perfectly colour-matched zip.

There are small reflective strips on the cuffs and rear pockets, though this attractive sky blue arguably does more to get you noticed than those. There are also fluoro yellow or red versions, though that's your lot – no black or navy blue, unlike the very similar dhb Short Sleeve Jersey I was testing at the same time.

Perhaps the relative lack of options indicates that dhb expects to sell fewer of this LS version – certainly it's a more niche thing, given it's barely warmer than the SS one, and covers your arms but doesn't protect from UV. It does work well on iffier days, though – especially over a baselayer – and makes a thin but useful mid-layer.

As with the short-sleeved version, its only real issue is the rear pocket design. Where normally you find three roughly equal pockets, this has two; one (on the right) that's a third of the width, and another that's two-thirds.

This, combined with the very easily stretched fabric, means anything solid or heavy tends to bounce around when you're out of the saddle, and will drag the whole jersey around until the zip is off centre. My phone never felt at all secure, as the fabric's grip is so loose, and there's no easy way to keep it in the middle so it at least doesn't work round to your side.

There is a loop tacked into the elastic that tops the pockets, just to one side of the centre line, though, should you like to keep your pump poking vertically from it.

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Like its short-sleeved sibling, there's not much that can hold a candle to this for value. At £35 it's almost half the price even of other high value competition, such as the Altura Icon Long Sleeve Jersey (£59.99) or the Lusso Momentum LS (£74.99). Okay, it's not a warm winter top like many, but then it's considerably cheaper than most short sleeve summer tops as well.

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Overall, this dhb jersey is comfortable, really well made and a fantastic price. The arm/chest shaping doesn't seem quite right and the pockets are a bit feeble, but for casual riding or touring – or as a cheap but effective mid-layer for training – it's a good buy.

Verdict

Comfortable and effective for use alone or layered, though the fit isn't perfect – and the pockets are an issue