Long-sleeve Jerseys? Everything you need to know

Autumn is here, but does this mean you immediately switch to wearing winter jackets or continue to wear jerseys?  Obviously this depends on where you live on the globe, but if it’s neither too hot nor too cold, here’s the first article on some autumn cycling clothing tips to help you out, let’s start with long-sleeve jerseys.

Now to clear a couple of things up between the Castelli  Trasparente and the Alpha Jersey. At first glance that’s exactly what you should ask. But I’ll first give you my thoughts on the Trasparente Jersey, or is that a jacket. The reason I mention this is that unlike a standard brushed polyester Jersey, or Roubaix if you’re going to use the branded Miti fabric, both the Trasparente punch well above their weight compared to a standard long sleeve autumn Jersey.

Trasparente Jersey

The Sublime Jersey weighs in at 215g, the Trasparente 334g, and the Alpha 265g. Between a standard Jersey its a whopping 119g per size, or roughly a summer jersey.

The Trasparente uses Windstopper’s X-lite plus fabric on the front. This basically negates the need for a gilet, but it goes that little bit further in that the wind proofing stretches down the top of the arms, and then across the top of the shoulders.

What’s clever is that the back, forearm is made from a more regular jersey material which is both great for warmth and also allows the body to self regulate its temperature better than a full protection Jersey or jacket.

This is great as you can ride hard and get the benefits of the protection but not boil alive. I’ve used this down to 6° and up to 18°, depending on what base layer is used underneath. So flexibility is your friend here.

Sublime Jersey

 So the Alpha. In many ways it is the no compromise spiritual successor to the Trasparente. Between the Sublime and Alpha you’re only adding 50g, but has a much lower operation temperature zone down to 8°, compared to 15° for the jersey.

 The Alpha is basically a super high performance solution, from the raw edge gripper that surrounds the waist which moves with your body on the bike.

The Sublime, or any other Jersey like this is very much part of the traditional layering system. Change the base layer, drop a couple of more degrees, add a gilet drop a couple more, make that gilet a Softshell version and you’ve probably manger to dropped to maybe 5-7° from your stating point of 15, depending on your base layer.

Alpha Jersey

So the Alpha is basically a super high performance solution. From the raw edge gripper that surrounds the waist which moves with your body on the bike, to the choice of the 150 Windstopper to provide the best balance between protection, breathability and weight.

As a Jersey its warm, and this is where the use of an inner front piece comes into its own. Often if you are riding, venting the jersey is the only way to dump heat quickly and keep that status quo between man and machine. The Prosecco Stratus provides the balance between stopping wind hitting your chest, especially important when your base layer may be damp under effort, and allowing the fabric to wick away when the Jersey is closed.

Is there a place for both in your wardrobe. Honestly, it’s got to be a no, but deciding which one is for you will require some self analysing of yourself. If you run hot, this (the Alpha) might be the only winter Jersey/Jacket you might need, with maybe only a heavier jacket needed for when the Mercury is heading towards 0°. For riders who struggle with the cold this could be ‘the’ Jersey for them.

With a small weight penalty over a regular Jersey but with a wider operating zone it allows much more flexibility and less chance of getting caught out. Using a heavy or light weight base layer will optimise the working zones. The Trasparente has a slightly different cut, less aero close fitting, but strangely only a little less versatile, but as the original jersey is at least three seasons old it shows what happens when you apply the most up to date fabrics and a fresh approach to panelling under movement.

I think I’ve covered most points, if not drop me a note

Source: youcantbuyland