Proviz Classic Men’s Podium Long Sleeve Cycling Jersey

Truth is, I wanted the Proviz Classic Men's Podium Long Sleeve Cycling Jersey to score a bit higher as it's warm, comfortable and decently breathable – and to my eyes it's really stylish too. But the strange shaping, cheap-looking build and question marks over durability make that impossible, given that price.

This is a usefully warm top. Over just a thin, short-sleeve baselayer I found it comfortable down to around 12°C, and it doesn't get too hot until it's really mild – say, 16° or more. There's no windproofing, though, so fast or exposed roads obviously affect it.

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The polyester/Lycra mix breathes well enough not to feel clammy, though it's not exceptional at it. I found my back could get a bit sweaty even when the air was cold enough to chill my chest, though it was never enough to feel uncomfortable.

It's happy as a mid-layer too, thanks in part to the low, almost non-existent collar – there's nothing to bulk out the gap in your jacket's collar and strangle you – and it carries on breathing well enough, if not spectacularly, when covered up.

The sleeves are almost comically long, with the resulting bunching of fabric big enough to obscure the three-colour banding, which is a bit of a shame. Happily, the silicone be-grippered elastic cuffs stay firmly on your wrists, and the rucked-up section never actually caused issues with jackets – though if yours are very slim-sleeved, they might. There's also plenty to overlap with gloves (though you could probably overlap them with your brake hoods too).

The seam under the armpits sits quite high, so once on it looks stretched and the fabric doesn't want to sit flat. Again, though, it's an oddity that doesn't actually cause any problems, as the easy stretch means it remains perfectly comfortable.

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There are similarly ugly stretches from too-tight seams elsewhere, most noticeably where the pocket-topping elastic joins the main side seam and drags it out of line.

At least the main, overlocked seams feel strong enough, despite looking messy; the stitching on these pockets is finer and less impressive. I can already stick a finger from the middle pocket into the righthand one near the bottom, and the top is coming away too.

It doesn't help that stretching the fabric reveals undyed white lines, as it's been permanently stretched along a lot of stitched joins and folds, which makes them look faded or damaged, even though they're not.

I've got some actual damage (either from scuffing or stretching, I don't know) on one of the pockets, though, and that has the same effect. It shows up white, and looks bad. At least this, being from Proviz, has some decent reflectives on the lower back.

Value

If this top were £40 it'd be an easy seven out of ten; yeah, it looks a bit budget, but it's comfortable, versatile, performs well and it looks, if you ask me (go on), very cool. It's not, though, it's £79.99.

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The dhb Blok LS Jersey is only £60 and shares none of these issues with shaping or build, though it's arguably less stylish.

The Lusso Momentum is very well made and effective – plus 100g lighter – for £74.99. And if you want visibility as well as performance, the Giant Illume Mid-Thermal LS jersey is also great and only £64.99.

Overall

Despite its slight shabbiness, I like this Proviz jersey. It's comfortable, useful either alone or as a layer, and it looks good – at least, it does from a distance. If it were cheap I'd probably recommend it, with the obvious caveats. The actual price, though, is high given its issues with quality and shaping.

Verdict

Comfortable, warm and likeable jersey let down by a poor build, weird arms and a too-high price