Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Craft Verve Glow Jersey

7
£60.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Excellent reflectives for this summer-cum-autumn jersey, but the fit could do with a little refining
Weight: 
152g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

The Craft Verve Glow is a decent performer for those who like a more relaxed fit when on the bike. It's in its element at this time of year, as the nights are beginning to draw in, with a plethora of reflective detailing but also various materials to help breathability while the temperature is still warm.

The Verve Glow is manufactured from four different fabrics to do its best to keep you cool. The front panels use a tight knit mesh which is close to being see-through; it certainly lets plenty of air through to keep you cool even on those really muggy days when a breeze is hard to find.

Craft Verve Glow Jersey - riding.jpg

Under the arms you get a much more open style mesh to let body heat escape, which, as you can see in the side-on photos, covers quite a large area.

Craft Verve Glow Jersey - side panel.jpg

The shoulders and side panels use a more traditional style of Lycra, with a slightly thicker version used for the back panel. Both feel to have quite a high elastane content, as across the shoulders and round the back the jersey feels quite fitted. The front panels don't seem to have such a close cut, which means in use the Verve Glow doesn't feel as tight as a racing jersey, but it isn't exactly baggy either. If you like a more relaxed look it should appeal, though it does feel just a little odd.

Craft Verve Glow Jersey - shoulders.jpg

One thing I will say about all of the fabrics, though, is that they don't resist odour well at all; this really is a wear once and wash garment.

The jersey is available in three colours, the blue you see here, fluoro orange or black, with the first two standing out brightly in the daylight. The silver reflective strips actually blend in with the jersey too, which means that the Glow doesn't scream high-vis commuter top. These aren't just some token reflective tabs on a pocket either, we are talking a decent strip of coverage on the rear right hand pockets and the same on the opposing side of the chest. You also get a stripe on each cuff.

Craft Verve Glow Jersey - back.jpg

As for details, you get a full zip which comes with a Craft logoed fob which is easy to grab hold of while riding, should you need to move the zip up or down for temperature control. Top and bottom you get a zip garage to stop irritation at the neck or fabric wear on your bib shorts.

Craft Verve Glow Jersey - chest.jpg

Three pockets at the rear offer a decent amount of storage for those ride essentials, even if they are a little bit saggy. For heavier items such as a mobile phone or pump the material could do with being a little more taut.

Craft Verve Glow Jersey - pockets.jpg

You do get a fourth zipped pocket for storing cash, keys and so on – something that I really miss if the jersey I'm wearing doesn't have one. Inside the middle pocket there is also a hole for headphone cables.

In terms of value, the RRP of £60 seems just a little expensive, especially when comparing it to one of the latest jerseys I've tested, the very good PBK Scala, which is a tenner cheaper. We've also seen lots of other very good jerseys at around the Verve Glow's price, including the Kalf Flux Chevron which scored 9/10.

> Buyer's Guide: 21 of the best summer cycling jerseys

The Craft isn't quite as nicely finished as those two, with the odd stray thread here and there, plus the fabrics don't feel as soft against the skin as the PBK. The cut of the Verve Glow is a little mismatched too; as I mentioned, the close-fitting rear and relaxed front panels just feel a little at odds with each other.

Overall, the Verve Glow is a decent enough jersey, it just feels like it needs a bit of refinement for it to all to come together.

Verdict

Excellent reflectives for this summer-cum-autumn jersey, but the fit could do with a little refining

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Craft Verve Glow Jersey

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Craft says: "Verve Glow Jersey is designed for those who ride hard on a regular basis and who prefer to be seen when speeding across the landscape. Reflective details on the chest and at the back make you extra visible. In addition, technical fabrics with great stretch combined with bodymapped mesh panels provide efficient moisture transport and cooling for optimal performance."

The Verve Glow offers decent performance for warmer weather and I'm impressed with level of reflectives.

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

Craft lists these features:

Fabric

Fabric 1: 91% Polyester 9% Elastane, Fabric 2: 81% Polyester, 19% Elastane, Fabric 3: 100% Polyester, Fabric 4: 95% Polyester, 5% Elastane

Stay Cool

Stay Cool offers excellent cooling and freedom of movement during workouts in warm conditions.

UPF 50+

Protects against strong sunlight, UPF 50+.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
6/10
Rate the product for sizing:
 
7/10

It sized up about right according to the size guide.

Rate the product for weight:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

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

Washed up fine after each ride and it's easy to look after. A simple 30-degree wash cycle.

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

Breathability is pretty good and the reflectives are well placed.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The reflectives.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The cost is a bit high.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? No, it's a bit pricey.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Maybe, but there's a lot of competition at this price.

Use this box to explain your score

I'd say the biggest drawback with the Verve Glow is its price; when I first picked it up and put it on I'd placed it around the £40 mark. For that money its all-round quality and fit would've been about right; it's good, but doesn't do enough to justify an 8.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 38  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: Kinesis Aithien

I've been riding for: 10-20 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!

Add new comment

1 comments

Avatar
Grahamd | 6 years ago
0 likes

I always thought it would be a good life getting paid to ride bikes whilst trying new gear, not any more.

Latest Comments