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La Passione Duo Jersey

9
£80.00

VERDICT:

9
10
Excellent breathability, comfort and quality at a good price
Very soft, stretchy fabric gives a great fit
Quality stitching throughout
No valuables pocket
Weight: 
135g

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The La Passione Duo Jersey is very well made, uses excellent fabrics, and offers a great performance fit. All the tiny details make it even more of a pleasure to wear, such as zip garages top and bottom, laser cut sleeves and plenty of storage. The only thing missing is a pocket for securing your valuables.

> Buy it online here

The Duo jersey is available in six colours, all with two-tone designs like this Grey/Ice model. La Passione use a range of fabrics in the construction, in various mixes of polyester and elastane. They are all very soft to the touch, which means the Duo is very comfortable to wear.

2020 La Passione Duo Jersey - chest.jpg

The cut is close with a slightly compressive nature to it, but you never feel restricted. It's really well fitted, rather than tight.

It sizes up a little smaller than the likes of dhb, Lusso, Chapeau or Café du Cycliste, for example. In all of these I fit a medium, but with the Duo I need the large. La Passione's size guide does reflect this – each size is smaller than most – so make sure you follow their chart. Available sizes range from XS to XXXL.

2020 La Passione Duo Jersey - back.jpg

This has been one of my go-to jerseys when the temperatures are high, as it is very breathable. The fabric isn't overly thick anywhere so it doesn't trap heat, and when climbing or putting in hard efforts, the mesh side panels and perforated back (which has noticeable holes compared to the smooth front panel and sleeves) really help.

2020 La Passione Duo Jersey - mesh.jpg

If you need to get more air still, you can always undo the full-length zip. The material dries quickly, too, so if you do get sweaty (or rained on), you don't feel uncomfortable for long. The fabric also gives SPF UV 50+ protection from the sun.

The sleeves are laser cut, so have no elastic or stitching on their ends. I like this way of doing things, as there are never any pressure points around the arm, which can become noticeable on long rides.

2020 La Passione Duo Jersey - sleeve.jpg

The sleeves are held in place by the elasticity of the fabric, and they don't move.

At the bottom the hem is elasticated, and the rear section is held in place by a silicone strip. It's not the longest tail section out there but still, it provides a decent amount of coverage when riding in the drops.

2020 La Passione Duo Jersey - gripper.jpg

The Duo is a traditional three-pocket design, and they're roomy and reasonably sag resistant for such lightweight fabric. Having a fourth, zipped valuables pocket has pretty much become the norm, so it's a bit of a shame not to find one here.

2020 La Passione Duo Jersey - pocket.jpg

Overall quality is very good indeed. The stitching is really neat and tidy throughout, and everything feels really robust for what could easily be a fragile garment.

The duo is priced at £80, which is good when you look at some of the opposition. The Le Col Sport jersey is similar in its quality and construction – Simon was certainly impressed – but costs £95. The Giro Chrono Pro short sleeve jersey is similar too, with its aero(ish) design, but it wasn't all that great in the fit department with a few issues around the neck. It's £119.99.

> How to choose the best cycling jersey — everything you need to know about fabrics, fit, features and more

You can get cheaper, of course, but while Chapeau's £69.99 Club jersey impresses for fit and quality of fabrics, it can't match the La Passione on hot days as it's not the most breathable.

The Duo is well priced for its performance, and very well priced when you take the quality into account. It's a cool and classy-looking jersey to get you through the heat of the summer months.

Verdict

Excellent breathability, comfort and quality at a good price

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road.cc test report

Make and model: La Passione Duo Jersey

Size tested: L

Tell us what the product is for

La Passione says: "Realised using a combination of the best performing Italian fabrics for improved wearability and breathability. The front panel is made with a highly stretchable fabric that guarantees a perfect Pro Cut fit, the back is made with a perforated fabric and side panels are made of an extremely breathable micro mesh that aids further heat regulation."

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

KEY FEATURES

Four Made fabrics

High stretch, close-fitting Pro cut

Laser raw-cut long sleeves

Covered reversed full length zip with Cam Lock puller

Inner bottom zip cover for safe Bib Shorts

Silicone waist gripper

Three reinforced rear pockets

3M Scotchlite rear reflective stripe

Hold the Line logo on the back

La Passione wordmark on the right sleeve

FABRICS

Main fabric: 92% Polyester / 8% Elastane

Back fabric: 85% Polyester / 15% Elastane

Sleeves: 78% Polyester / 22% Elastane

Side panels: 91% Polyester / 9% Elastane

Antibacterial and wicking treatment

SPF UV 50+ sun protection factor

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
9/10
Rate the product for sizing:
 
8/10

The sizing is smaller than many brands, but their size guide makes that clear – check it first!

Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
10/10
Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

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

No issues.

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

A top-notch performance jersey that works great even when temperatures soar.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Comfortable cut and fabric.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

No zipped valuables pocket.

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

It is competitively priced against many quality jerseys, such as those from Le Col or Giro, while not being too much more expensive than the likes of the Club jersey from Chapeau.

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 La Passione Duo jersey is exceptional throughout. Everything from the quality of the fabric, the breathability and the fit adds up to a brilliant jersey for long or short rides in the spring and summer.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 41  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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