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Sugoi Lumberjack Longsleeve Jersey

5
£69.99

VERDICT:

5
10
A fun jersey, but for the money it really needs to include some more technical elements
Weight: 
189g

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Sugoi's Lumberjack jersey will certainly make you stand out, and really acts as a conversation starter. Beyond that, it does what you need it to do but lacks some of the things we’ve come to expect from £70 cycling jerseys today.

To my mind it's a pretty ugly jersey, but it's obviously been designed to be noticed. It started several conversations on the club run and even when I was just riding solo, particularly the beer bottle sticking out of the back pocket (see below), and those faux buttons running down the length of the zipper. Whether you like being the centre of attention or not, if the jersey's prime use is to start conversations then it does it very effectively.

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Leaving aside the fun elements, the jersey is made from a FinoTherm material, which is meant to provide warmth and help accelerate wicking. It wicks sweat away effectively, but feels more like summer jersey material (there is a short-sleeve version too, for £59.99, made of FinoTech). Using it on cold winter days, there's little windproofing and despite its fleece backing the FinoTherm 'insulation' felt pretty minimal, which meant I needed to have a windproof, thermal layer above or below in order to ride in anything under 10 degrees. If you do get too warm, though, it has a full-length zip to help with ventilation.

Sugoi Lumberjack Longsleeve Jersey - back pocket detail.jpg

The fit is somewhere between racing and relaxed, not being overly tight in any particular area, and it feels equally comfortable whether you're sat up or hunched over the drops.

Sugoi Lumberjack Longsleeve Jersey - riding.jpg

It has three pockets on the rear of the jersey, big enough to fit everything in for a decent ride. The material used is stretchy enough that it can incorporate loads of kit, so useful for this time of year for windproofs, gilets, arm warmers and so on. It doesn't have a zippable valuables pocket, though. And it's also important that the pockets are full, as I found the jersey would ride up if not – there's no silicone gripper on the hem.

> Check out our guide to the best winter jerseys here

The jersey comes with an RRP of £69.99, which is steep for one that lacks some of the key elements I would want from a winter jersey, such as better insulation and an element of windproofing, along with silicone gripper and a valuables pocket that I would expect of any £70 jersey.

Yes it's a fun design, and if you are looking for jersey that's a bit different and makes you stand out then it certainly does that job, but for my money I would want some more thought put into the other elements that make a good long-sleeve jersey.

Verdict

A fun jersey, but for the money it really needs to include some more technical elements

road.cc test report

Make and model: Sugoi Lumberjack Longsleeve Jersey

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Designed to be a head turner, with FinoTherm material used to provide some (but not enough) thermal insulation.

"The Sugoi 'Lumberjack' long sleeve cycling jersey is designed to improve your cycling performance. The cycling top is constructed with FinoTherm technology, which wicks sweat away from the body to keep you light and dry. This combines with a fleeced inner with a linear textured surface to deliver optimal warmth and comfort.

"A raglan sleeve composition eliminates chafing, whilst a full length front zipper offers ventilation. The long sleeve cycling top also features a lumberjack patterned, causal design and 3 elastic back pockets. Finished with Sugoi branding."

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

FinoTherm offers accelerated thermal wicking with a fleeced inner side and a linear texture on the surface

Raglan sleeve

Full length zipper for ventilation

Three elastic back pockets expand easily

Fabric: FinoTherm,

Fabric Blend: 100% Polyester

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10

Seems to be fairly well made, although some additional elements, like silicone gripper, would be nice.

Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

Could do with more thermal insulation, but in milder conditions it performs well.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
8/10

Not too racy, not too relaxed, good for club runs and sportives.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
7/10

Medium came up a little larger than some, but not so much that you would want to change your regular size.

Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10

A 189g jersey is not going to weigh you down particularly.

Rate the product for comfort:
 
7/10

Would be nice to have a few more comfort elements, like a zip cover and silicone gripper at the hem.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

At £70 you would expect to see more technical elements included.

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

Fine, washed well without any kind of shrinking or loss of colour.

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

It performed okay, turned heads and started conversations, but it would be nice to have some more practical elements included for £70.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The fun design.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Lack of silicone gripper on the hem meant it rode up.

Did you enjoy using the product? Sometimes

Would you consider buying the product? No

Would you recommend the product to a friend? No

Use this box to explain your score

Interesting design, but at the £70 price point it needs to have more technical and comfort elements to it.

Overall rating: 5/10

About the tester

Age: 27  Height: 6 ft  Weight:

I usually ride: Cannondale Supersix Evo 6  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking

George is the host of the road.cc podcast and has been writing for road.cc since 2014. He has reviewed everything from a saddle with a shark fin through to a set of glasses with a HUD and everything in between. 

Although, ironically, spending more time writing and talking about cycling than on the bike nowadays, he still manages to do a couple of decent rides every week on his ever changing number of bikes.

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6 comments

Avatar
surly_by_name | 8 years ago
0 likes

Wish they made it in a skin suit.

Avatar
HarryTrauts | 8 years ago
0 likes

The hipsters will be all over this. 

Avatar
Bmblbzzz | 8 years ago
1 like

Not sure I see the point. If you want to wear a plaid shirt and be all cool and casual and hipstery and maybe even lumberjackish, then wear a plaid shirt. If you want a cycling jersey, well, wear a cycling jersey. In which case, if you really like this one, you could wear it (I think it's fugly, but each to their own). But if you think wearing it somehow gives you lumberjack hipster laid-back cool while simultaneously enjoying the benefits of fitted lycra, then, no. That is not possible. But it is possible to cycle – even a long way, all day, a hundred or more miles, if you want – in a checked cotton shirt. So if that's what you want to do, do it. 

Avatar
JonD replied to Bmblbzzz | 8 years ago
0 likes
Bmblbzzz wrote:

Not sure I see the point. If you want to wear a plaid shirt and be all cool and casual and hipstery and maybe even lumberjackish, then wear a plaid shirt. If you want a cycling jersey, well, wear a cycling jersey. In which case, if you really like this one, you could wear it (I think it's fugly, but each to their own). But if you think wearing it somehow gives you lumberjack hipster laid-back cool while simultaneously enjoying the benefits of fitted lycra, then, no. That is not possible. But it is possible to cycle – even a long way, all day, a hundred or more miles, if you want – in a checked cotton shirt. So if that's what you want to do, do it. 

 

Well, I bought one a while back at a princely 1/2 price from EdinburghBicycleCoop, on  several counts:

a) I used to wear lumberjack shirts in the 70's - so find it kinda amusing

b) I have a big eff-off log splitting maul  (aka axe) - see a)

b) I not infrequently find myself in craft beer boozers in London (and occasionally cycle in from surrey to see mates at one or another) , so there's the irony/minor pisstake element.

As an aside:

Not only do I have a beard (and none of this poncy trimmed bollocks), but I've had one of some sort before the current bunch of hipsters etc could even tie their shoelaces.

In no effing way could I ever be described as a hipster. But beards are also a bit of a thing in the metal community.

But essentially - it's a bit of fun..a couple of my jerseys have rock bands on, the rest is typical roadie lycra.

Some people take stuff way too seriously...

Avatar
Luv2ride | 8 years ago
0 likes

£35 quid at Evans currently.  Got my short sleeve like the picture above for £19 a couple of weeks ago.  Still not convinced, but dreaming of wearing mine on the fat tyre'd adventure single speed bike whilst ripping up dry coniferous forest trails come the summer.  Currently cultivating the beard to go with...

Avatar
Dr_Lex | 8 years ago
0 likes

Sugoi have form for this kind of plaid product - witness the King of the Road jersey from a few years back.

//www.roadbikereview.com/reviews/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Sugoi.jpg)

Altogether now; "I always wanted to be...

...a lumberjack!"

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