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Altura Endurance Women’s Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey

7
£80.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Good performer, especially its sweat-wicking capabilities, just a sizing niggle to consider when purchasing
Good sweat wicking
Bar the sleeves, overall fit is good
Light
Only comes in black
Sleeves quite snug
Weight: 
115g

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The Altura Endurance Women's Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey lives up to its name well. It's a slightly more relaxed fit than a full-on roadie top, and is made from a combination of materials designed to wick sweat efficiently and keep you comfortable. I'd say Altura has achieved this well, with only a slight niggle about the snug sleeves as a complaint.

Despite the sleeves, the jersey felt comfortable even after a good few hours on the bike, both on and off-road. And, importantly for me, I didn't need to keep pulling it down, like so many jerseys that ride up and cause irritation, the silicone gripper doing its job well. The pockets are spacious, too – enough for my giant phone and other ride essentials.

2023 Altura Endurance Women's Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey - gripper.jpg

As its name suggests, this jersey is designed for long days in the saddle. It's not a high-performance race-orientated top, but it is something that will keep you comfortable hour after hour. If you're not looking for marginal gains, and want that little bit of extra breathing room, it's definitely got that.

Altura achieves this breathability and comfort through its 3D knit yarn, which helps with thermoregulation. There's also plenty of recycled polyester in there too, which is what I imagine gives it that almost net-like, 90s football shirt feel. That's not to say the quality is similar to a 90s football shirt, in fact quite the opposite.

I used it through our recent heatwave and beyond, and was pleasantly surprised with how cool I felt despite the raging sun. I took it off-road for some gravel riding, and I'm pleased with how well it stood up to my lack of talent, with no sign that I ended up in a hedge at one point. Despite my attempts at destroying the jersey, it remained unscathed, and I remained comfortable and cool.

Fit and sizing

Design-wise, this jersey is quite understated. There is reflective detailing across the arms and on the rear pockets, which I quite like, given most of the jersey is so dark. The contrasting colour of the pocket panel is nice, but I would like to see other colour variations.

2023 Altura Endurance Women's Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey - back.jpg

I tested a size 8, which is Altura's smallest size. If you are petite and normally wear a smaller size, then I'd say this will likely be baggy. Even though it was on the smaller end of the suggested measurements in the chest, waist and hip, I was surprised that the arms felt quite snug. In less flattering light, it could be seen as sausage arms, and rolling the sleeves up to avoid a dodgy tan line was not really an option. The sleeves are bonded at the cuff and there's no silicone edging, but I'm glad as I think that would have exacerbated my fitting issue.

2023 Altura Endurance Women's Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey - sleeve.jpg

It's a shame, because the rest of the jersey fits really nicely. Even the collar, which I usually find is too high on some cycling jerseys, was spot on.

2023 Altura Endurance Women's Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey - collar.jpg

The pockets are also worth mentioning. You get three deep pockets, plus one zipped, and I was pretty pleased with how much of my usual barrage of cycling 'essentials' I could fit in there (think phablet, riding wallet with glasses in case of a contact lens emergency, food, and my keys).

2023 Altura Endurance Women's Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey - pocket zipped.jpg

Value and conclusion

At £80 this jersey isn't cheap, especially as it's not a race-orientated piece of kit, but it compares well with a couple of similar tops we've tested in the last year or so.

The Santini Colore Riga Women's Jersey, for example, which Emily reviewed, costs £90. Emily found it quite long, but is quite stylish and may be worth that extra tenner for a bit of flair.

And for £94.99 there's the Endura Women's Pro SL S/S Jersey. In her review, Suvi thought this was a great bit of summer performance riding kit, and enjoyed its breathability and performance, though again it has a slightly longer fit.

> Read more road.cc reviews of women’s cycling jerseys

Overall, the Altura Endurance SS Jersey is a good choice for short or long rides, and is quite a high-performance garment thanks to the marriage of the 3D knit yarn and recycled polyester. It felt nice and light on, though it could do with just a little extra room in the sleeves, and a new colour or two.

Verdict

Good performer, especially its sweat-wicking capabilities, just a sizing niggle to consider when purchasing

road.cc test report

Make and model: Altura Endurance Women's Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey

Size tested: 8

Tell us what the product is for

Altura says, "Supreme comfort in a high wicking jersey designed for the longest days out on the road.

"The Altura Endurance Women's Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey has been designed for the longest days out in the saddle taking comfort to the next level with bonded hem and cuffs and a low-profile neckline whilst the recycled fabric uses a 3D knit yarn combination to give excellent thermoregulation. Three rear pockets and one zip pocket provide ample space for fuel and essentials, while reflective print details keep you visible when riding through low light conditions. The minimal design and semi-fitted silhouette complete a stylish jersey that you will want to wear on the road for hours on end."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

From Altura:

Recycled fabric

3D knit yarn combination provides thermoregulation

Bonded sleeve cuff

Bonded from hem

Silicone grip

Low profile collar

3 stash pockets and a secure zip pocket

Reflective detailing

Semi-Fitted

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

I felt it worked really well in the heat; even though it's a darker colour it still kept me quite cool.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

Nice quality, hasn't shown any obvious signs of wear.

Rate the product for fit:
 
6/10

Overall fit is good, but the 'cuffs' are little bit snug.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
6/10

Sized up as expected, except the sleeves.

Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
7/10

Nice and comfortable; the breathable fabric helped in the height of the recent heatwave.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

Not cheap for a semi-relaxed jersey, but a tenner less than a similar option from Santini, and £15 less than Endura's Pro SL. The recycled fabrics and high-wicking composition help justify the price, too.

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Easy to care for; no problems after multiple washes at 30 degrees.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It performed well on and off-road in warm, humid and dry conditions.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

I particularly liked the breathability and weight of the jersey. Once it's on I didn't feel like I had to readjust it and pull it down constantly. I also liked the rear pockets, which are spacious enough for the essentials including my rather large Google phone.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The fit on the arms – I know I haven't done much yoga recently, but for the size I did wonder if they were a little on the small side.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It's not cheap for a semi-relaxed fit jersey, even if it does use recycled fabrics (big plus), but at £80 it's less than the Santini Colore Riga Women's Jersey at £90, which doesn't include a valuables zipped pocket, and Endura's Pro SL at £94.99.

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

The aim of this jersey is to provide a breathable and comfortable top layer during long rides. I'd say that Altura has hit the mark well, barring a niggle with the fit. The sleeves are somewhat tight (at least on what I thought were my average sized arms) at the hem; there's no silicone banding or anything like that so it's not like it feels too constricting, it just might give a bit of sausage arm. Otherwise, it peforms really well; it's not cheap for a relaxed jersey, but compares well with others, and the performance of the materials both in comfort and breathability help to justify the expense.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 29  Height: 5'5  Weight: 55kg

I usually ride: Bianchi Oltre XR1  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Rebecca has been writing about bikes for four years, after a typically ill-timed career change pre-pandemic. She's been riding bikes since she can remember, and fell back in love with them after realising it was faster, cheaper, and more fun than getting the bus to work. Nowadays she enjoys all kinds of bikes, from road to eMTB and is training her border collie pup to become a trail dog. 

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