Cycology Spin Doctor Mens Cycling Jersey

The Cycology Spin Doctor men's jersey is a thin, comfortable top laden with all the features we've come to expect, and at a decent price. While it's fair to say you can get a very reasonable store-branded jersey for around half the money, sizing and cut can be a little hit and miss and the fabrics decidedly synthetic – which isn't the case here.

Materials-wise, we have our old friend polyester, but it's a rather nice weave that sits comfortably against the skin and – perhaps unsurprisingly given it's an Australian brand – with factor 50 sun protection. This is becoming increasingly popular and, for me at least, is a welcome feature.

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Continuing the subjective theme for a moment, I really like the contrasting white graphics that sit just the right side of subtle by day but, coupled with the big Scotchlite strip, bring the jersey to life quite convincingly in low light.

Just beneath lies the familiar three-pocket terrace. These are relatively shallow but stretchy and will reliably gobble a 650ml bottle, tube, smaller mini pump, and a bunch of keys. There's also a zippered one for 'valuables' – bank card, notes, spare memory card for your camera...

Generous 'lazer cut' silicone grippers at the hip and sleeve keep it from gathering and, up front, there's a full-length zipper for the last word in climate control, showing off your cycling medallion and so on. That said, a slightly bigger tag would make mid-ride adjustment easier.

Sizing is pretty much in line with everyone else's. Despite being much broader across the shoulders than my height and build might imply, I've found the medium perfect – close and tailored, yet still compassionate to those areas we can feel self conscious about.

Tested during a warm, muggy September, wicking isn't seamless, but even with the zipper only dropped a few inches, climate control was better than I was expecting – even following a frightening cat and mouse encounter with an aggressive van driver, which demanded plenty of stop-start acceleration.

Generally speaking, things get warm around the armpits and lower back, but those fibres quickly spirited moisture away, leaving me pretty dry for the remainder of a 30-mile loop. Ditto longer, steady runs in similar temperatures, although a climb-down from merino and better quality baselayers.

> Read our guide to the best short-sleeve cycling jerseys

Flat seams prevent chafing, or unsightly branding when it's time to strip off and hit the shower. Odour management is also pretty good by manmade standards. I deliberately wore ours on four consecutive rides without washing it, to see whether it cultivated any nasty niffs. By the fifth (bearing in mind temperatures averaged the high 20s) things were starting to turn a bit whiffy and it needed a proper 30-degree machine wash.

Ultimately, I've been pleasantly surprised by the Spin Doctor. If you wanted a deviation from the traditional trade jersey script and don't mind manmade fibres, it's well worth a look.

Verdict

Funky jersey with some lovely touches and a reasonable price tag