7Mesh Mission Jersey

The 7Mesh Mission Jersey is a really well made, usefully warm Polartec fleece that breathes easily and boasts excellent cut and fit. The full-length zip, long body and snug collar and cuffs are great, but it does feel more baselayer than jersey – and that price is undeniably high.

• Pros: Great cut, very comfy, warm when wet, full length zip
• Cons: Expensive

The soft fleecy lining feels lovely against the skin, and avoids boiling you within minutes thanks to being laid in tiny blocks cut through by cross-streets of bare fabric. That fabric is a polyester mesh so thin it's translucent, so while the gaps trap warm air they also vent moisture easily. Polartec calls the fabric Power Grid, and it works very well.

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Unfortunate proof comes from the solid lower back panel (four-way-stretch elastane/nylon), which ends rides significantly wetter than the rest of the jersey, though it does at least stay warm and comfortable; I was never really aware it was soaked until I took it off.

This would be less of an issue when worn without further layers on warmish days, when you'd also be able to access the two zipped and angled rear pockets, but the weather during this test (mostly cold and wet) stopped me finding out. It's certainly vulnerable to wind as a standalone item: on a cold day without a layer on top it loses heat to 15-20mph airflow like any other fabric.

If you are using it as a top, there's a bright red version that looks a bit more jersey-ish than this black one.

There's no doubt it makes an excellent baselayer. The stitching is ruler-straight and immaculate, with small overlocked seams you can't even feel once on. The panels are really well shaped for a great slim fit, and good length in the body and dropped rear mean it covers you no matter what you wear it with.

The full-length zip gets a wide, fleece-backed garage to protect your neck, and decent-length parachute cord pulls to help you find it (and the pocket pulls) in gloves.

The same four-way-stretchy fabric as the rear seals the pleasingly long cuffs totally from draughts, and also makes pulling on further layers easy. The collar is similarly well judged for height and shape.

For your £145 you might reasonably expect perfection, but the Mission Jersey falls just short. With windproof panelling it would be much more versatile on its own, while deleting the rear pockets would improve it as a base or mid-layer.

With very few jerseys using Polartec's Power Grid fabric to compare it to, it's hard to say whether it's overpriced, though it certainly ain't cheap. Fox's Defend hoody uses Power Grid and is £110, though it's arguably more of a baselayer, while Patagonia's R1 hoody is £140.

For £5 less, dhb's Aeron Lab Equinox offers windproofing and water-resistance for bad-weather use (using Polartec Powershield Pro). Alternatively, for £5 more there's Rapha's Pro Team LS Aero, which has neither but is, well, really aero instead.

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

If it's just a warm mid-layer you're after, the Lusso Merino LS Jersey (£99), Sportful Moire Thermal Jersey (£90) and Triban RC500 LS Jersey (£35) are all good – and cheaper.

> Buyer's Guide: 16 of the best cycling baselayers

The 7Mesh Mission Jersey is warm, very comfortable and very well made, and while it's not that versatile on its own, it's very good as a base or mid-layer, as well as being quite lush to wear. If you can afford it, you'll probably love it.

Verdict

Beautifully made warm jersey that's oddly good as a baselayer – but expensive as either