Ekoi Road Grey Mid-Season Jersey

The Ekoi Road Grey Mid-Season Jersey does what it sets out to do. It's a lightweight, well-made top that's effective for cycling during those cool though not super-cold days. It's made of a super-stretchy material, which is comfortable and breathable, has a full complement of pockets and I think you could wear it all year long – on its own in days around 10°C through spring, summer and autumn and under a thermal or waterproof layer when it's colder come winter.

For more options, our best summer cycling jerseys buyer's guide covers our top short-sleeve choices, while our best winter cycling jerseys buyer's guide also includes options for spring and autumn riding.

> Buy now: Ekoi Road Grey Mid-Season Jersey for £92.18 from Ekoi

As with the short-sleeve Ekoi Monochrome jersey I reviewed recently, the Mid-Season Jersey is very, very, very stretchy. That's the first thing you notice when you put it on. When you're wearing it, though, you're not aware of any undue compression or tightness.

I'm at the upper end of the size range Ekoi recommends for the jersey but its super-stretchy nature made sure the fit was fine. I doubt it flattered my slightly-weightier-than-ideal physique, but pretty much nothing this side of a Demis Roussos-smock would do that (though I'm not that big), and any form of close-fitting Lycra will show off your shape to a lesser or greater degree.

The jersey is very neatly made, with all the features in place in spite of the low weight and minimal bulk.

There are three full-size drop-in rear pockets, the outer two having angled tops for easy access and the centre one accompanied by an outer zipped security pocket, which is big enough to house my Samsung A02 with the zip closed, if the phone's not in its case.

The stretch of the main pockets means they'll take whatever gubbins you carry.

The full-length front zip has quite a small zip pull, but does have top and bottom zip garages to prevent chafing and scratching.

In typical cycling jersey style the rear is dropped, and, like the Ekoi Monochrome, it doesn't have a full circumference gripper, making do with a narrow silicone gripper at the rear, with a narrow elasticated strip for the rest of the jersey. But it proved an effective combination, with the jersey staying in place well. A lot of that I suspect is down to the stretch of the material (have I mentioned the stretch?), which ensures a snug-all-over fit.

During a long ride you might find yourself pulling the cuffs up occasionally as they're also only gently elasticated, but I never found that much of an issue.

I wore this during the sort of conditions it was designed for – days starting out at around 10°C or so and warming up by a few degrees. Well, this was the UK in the middle of the summer, so it's about what you'd expect.

These are the sorts of days where I might otherwise have considered a short-sleeve jersey and arm warmers, but even with my favourite arm warmers I find myself pulling them up my upper arms occasionally. And I found myself reaching for the Ekoi first.

There's no bulkier Windstopper-like fabric anywhere on the jersey, but the material is still effective at keeping the warmth in, and as befits a summer-ish jersey, breathability is pretty good too. After a long day's riding I was still pretty fresh, and the jersey was good for a second day. For testing purposes only, of course...

After yet another beautiful summer ride this jersey came up well-and-truly filthy. The Two Tunnels is a partly unsurfaced Sustrans route south of Bath and when it rains the puddles that form are the size of a small country, and if your bike has no mudguards, you and your kit will end up covered in grime, which is what happened to the Ekoi jersey.

After I threw it in with the usual 30°C cycling kit wash the mud was no longer there, but a handful of specks of road-borne oil were. But with some Vanish and a bit of work, the oil... vanished.

Value

It's generally tricky writing about value because Ekoi's RRP usually bears no resemblance to the price you're actually likely to pay. Initially in this case – unique in the annals of Ekoi's history – the £131.24 RRP was what you'd pay, but just before I submitted my review somebody down in Spain hit the '30% off' sale button on Ekoi's magic marketing keyboard and it's currently around £90...

At its full price it's up against the likes of the £130 Rapha Men's Pro Team Long Sleeve Lightweight Jersey Team, which is very thin, a few grams lighter, and designed to be used in temperatures as low as 6°C. Sun protection is lower at SPF 30.

The Ekoi's RRP is also within a few quid of the £132 Pedla Classic Long Sleeve Jersey Monochrome, another snug-fitting top with SPF50 sun protection.

The Cycology Horizon Lightweight Long Sleeve Summer Jersey is a striking-looking, high-quality top that comes in at less than the Ekoi's sale price at just £80. At 199g it's marginally heavier than the Ekoi and has the same SPF 50 sun protection.

Conclusion

I liked this jersey a lot. It's snug without being constricting, breathable, and warm enough for cool summer days when worn on its own or with an equally thin baselayer. I'd use it for mild autumn and spring days too, and as with some other thin jerseys, its lack of bulk make it suitable for winter use under a thermal or waterproof outer. At its full price it's up there with the likes of Rapha, which I'm not sure it quite justifies, but now it's well under £100 it's well worth looking at.

> Buy now: Ekoi Road Grey Mid-Season Jersey for £92.18 from Ekoi

Verdict

Good quality and an effective alternative to a short-sleeve top and arm warmer pairing that could work in a layering system too