Pedal ED Kaido Longsleeve Jersey

Products from Japanese cycling brand Pedal ED (or PEdAL ED, as it likes to write it) have been available in Europe for a few years now, and its range tends to focus on high-quality gear for general riding use, with a stylish twist. Previously available as a short-sleeve design, which we tested a year ago, the Pedal ED Kaido Longsleeve Jersey is a classy-looking top made from a super-comfy merino blend, which works well on its own or for layering on colder days.

Merino is an ever-popular choice for quality cycling wear in the cooler months. There are a few manufacturers who use pure merino, but it's more common to see it used in a blend, as here.

> Buy this online here

Pedal ED has chosen a blend of 49% merino and 49% polypropylene for the Kaido, with the remaining 2% being elastane to give some stretch. It's one of the most comfortable merino blends I've tried, feeling really good against the skin and proving effective at wicking moisture away even if worn without a baselayer.

My favourite detail is the cuffs – I do like a well-designed cuff. Here, Pedal ED has used a double layer of sleek and stretchy Lycra to provide a close but oh-so-comfortable fit around the wrists. Without a proper elasticated cuff, I find some long sleeves can catch the wind and get blown up your arms, but there's none of that here. If you find yourself getting warm, you can easily slide the cuffs up above the elbow, and they stay in place well.

This is a mid-weight jersey with a fairly casual fit. The fabric is a little thicker than that used in the similar Vulpine Alpine jersey, and it's a little warmer than that jersey too. On milder days with the temperature in the low teens, I often paired this with a gilet; on colder days it worked really well under a jacket, and once we're properly into spring I expect I'll be wearing it plenty on its own too.

Styling is a subjective area, but I would say that Pedal ED has succeeded here. Founder Hideto Suzuki has a background as a fashion designer in Tokyo, and here he has given a Japanese take on grown-up cycling gear that doesn't look like you've just finished a race. I felt quite happy nipping into a pub in this. It's the second thing I've tested this winter with elbow patches, so I guess that means these are no longer the preserve of geography teachers...

Other styling details are subtle, with only a very small label on the rear to identify the brand. That label is reflective, as is the tiny white square on the front pocket, and that's it. There's no doubt that plastering big reflectives all over this wouldn't really enhance the style, but I do think it could be improved with something like the subtle reflective strip used across the bottom of the Ashmei Merino-Carbon jersey. That said, reflectives are really a secondary means of being seen, and no substitute for proper lights in my opinion.

> Check out our guide to the best winter jerseys here

As you'd expect, there's a full-length zip at the front, with neck-protecting flap covering the top. There's a fairly small zipped pocket on the left breast, big enough for a key and cake money but not a phone.

At the rear, there are three pockets, but not in the usual arrangement: in the centre is a pump pocket – tall and thin – which I found could hold even a larger pump like the Lezyne Micro Floor Drive without a problem. Either side are large cargo pockets which will swallow a lot of stuff.

I generally favour three equal pockets but I got on well with these. If you really load them up then they do hang down a bit, as is normally the case in wool jerseys, but I never found myself sitting on the contents.

All in all I really liked the Kaido. There is a big choice of some really nice jerseys at this price point, but if you're in the market for something that's not too racy-looking and you like the styling then it's certainly worth a look.

Verdict

Very comfortable mid-weight merino blend jersey with subtle Japanese style