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Sportful Pista LS Jersey Full Zip

8
£50.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Neat-looking autumn/spring-weight jersey with some good details.
Weight: 
302g
Contact: 
www.sportful.it

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.

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The Sportful Pista jersey is a straightforward thermal outer layer for autumn and spring, with a few little features that mark it out as a very good choice.

Like most jerseys of this kind, it's 100% polyester. Sportful call the fabric Thermoflow, and it's similar to Roubaix Lycra, with a brushed inner surface, as widely used for winter tights. It stretches a lot widthways so you can get a close fit without it feeling tight, but not a lot lengthways so the pockets don't droop down low when you have them fully loaded.

Speaking of the pockets, you get the usual quota of three in the lower back, with the addition of a fourth zipped one for valuables. The tops of the two pockets that sit towards the sides are slightly angled so they're easier to use, while the central one has an elasticated top that's handy for cinching everything in and making sure your mini pump doesn't go walkabout. There's a small reflective tab back there too, although it's positioned on the left hip which isn't the most visible place in countries where we ride on the left-hand side of the road.

The full-length front zip, like that on the rear pocket, is a decent quality offering from YKK. The puller isn't always easy to find with gloved fingers but you get there in the end.

In usual cycling style, the rear is cut slightly longer than the front to keep you covered up on the bike and the sleeves are a good length too. The cuffs are made from a stretchy band like you find at the bottom of the legs of lots of shorts these days. The band is 45mm deep and you're simply not going to get any draughts in here. I like that.

Another neat touch is that the logo and brand name are embossed into the fabric across the upper back. I think it looks good without being too shouty.

There are no windproof panels. The Pista is a jersey that's designed to be breathable when it's not icy cold, and it's very successful in that. You can obviously sling a windproof gilet or jacket over the top to extend its use right into the winter.

I found Sportful's sizing to be small. I take either a medium or a large jersey, depending on the brand. Here, the large was about as small as I could get away with. It was fine, but right on the limit. If you're chunky, you might want to size up.

This white option looks great but it's probably not the most sensible choice for damp British conditions. Black/white, black/white/blue, and red/white versions are available too.

Verdict

Neat-looking autumn/spring-weight jersey with some good details.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Sportful Pista LS Jersey Full Zip

Size tested: large, white

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?

Sportful list these details:

- Thermoflow fabric for warmth and breathability.

- Embossed logo on back.

- Full length YKK zip.

- 3 external rear pockets.

- Reflective tape inserts.

- Jacquard knit cuffs.

There's not a lot to argue with there, although there's just the one piece of reflective tape and, if we're being picky, it's not positioned in the best place for countries where we ride on the left (Sportful are Italian).

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

As polyester goes, the outer surface is pretty hardwearing.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

It's a good-quality jersey from a strong brand – I thought this might be a few quid more expensive than it actually is.

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

It's a good, solid autumn/spring jersey.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

I like the close fitting cuffs, plus the fact that this jersey looks pretty cool.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The sizing is out of line with most other brands.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes, would certainly consider it.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 190cm  Weight: 75kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

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

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding,

 

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

Add new comment

15 comments

Avatar
sethpistol | 10 years ago
0 likes

and here's what it looks like on someone who chose the right size  3

Avatar
Metjas replied to sethpistol | 10 years ago
0 likes
sethpistol wrote:

and here's what it looks like on someone who chose the right size  3

you're hired!

Avatar
Metjas | 10 years ago
0 likes

Managed to grab one from Halfords at £25, despite the earlier pics  16 and went out today on a first ride. Very happy, excellent fit and perfect to wear at 13C with just a baselayer. Pockets keep your stuff snugly in place and the cuffs are particularly well thought out. Shame it doesn't have a silicone gripper, but apart from that no niggles.

Thanks to the earlier poster for the Halfords link!

Avatar
Mat Brett | 10 years ago
0 likes

We've updated some of the pics now.

Avatar
Nixster replied to Mat Brett | 10 years ago
0 likes
Mat Brett wrote:

We've updated some of the pics now.

On the strength of which I've ordered one of the £25 ones from Halfords!
 4

Avatar
Mat Brett replied to Nixster | 10 years ago
0 likes
Nixster wrote:
Mat Brett wrote:

We've updated some of the pics now.

On the strength of which I've ordered one of the £25 ones from Halfords!
 4

Yeah, we have to admit that you were right there. The jersey didn't fit Dave in the pics.

At £25 it's an absolute steal.

Avatar
Bexleyhillbilly | 10 years ago
0 likes

For long sleeved jerseys and jackets, it would be useful to have an indication of how windproof the fabric is. I have a Nalini long sleeve and the wind cuts through it like a knife, so it's useless if there's any chill in the air.

Avatar
Metjas | 10 years ago
0 likes

David, very brave of you to come out.  3

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David Arthur @d... | 10 years ago
0 likes

The person in the photograph (me) didn't review this jersey, Mat did, and he comments on the fit in his review

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indy | 10 years ago
0 likes

That looks like a potato sack! How on earth it gets 4 stars I don't know...oh wait.

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Tony Farrelly replied to indy | 10 years ago
0 likes
indy wrote:

That looks like a potato sack! How on earth it gets 4 stars I don't know...oh wait.

Oh wait, you've actually read the review now?

Avatar
lmarlow | 10 years ago
0 likes

I recently bought one from Wiggle at £45 and was so impressed I've just bought another in the Halfords clearance for only £25 - well pleased.  4 I'm 5'7" and 68kg and I've always found a medium in the Sportful range to be an excellent fit. Mine fits like a glove but there is enough room, due to the stretch, to fit a long sleeved thermal top underneath. The arms are a good length and the cut is very much for the dedicated road cyclist. The shoulders are shaped so that when the arms are forward everything fits. I have the medium in the short sleeved summer version and the light weight long sleeve version and the fit on all three is the same. The person in the photos is definitely wearing a size too big. As an old geezer, well 54, I've had a multitude of long sleeved tops over the years and this is definitely on of the best. Halfords still have a number of these in various sizes if you aren't fussy about the colour at £25, get on now it is a bargain!  4  4

Avatar
robert.brady replied to lmarlow | 10 years ago
0 likes
lmarlow wrote:

Halfords still have a number of these in various sizes if you aren't fussy about the colour at £25, get on now it is a bargain!  4  4

Thanks for the heads up!

Rob

Avatar
downfader | 10 years ago
0 likes

I think reviews of LS's need to have a photo of the arms out straight. Mimic how your arms would be positioned in front on a bike.

Avatar
Nixster | 10 years ago
0 likes

Looks a shocking poor fit in those photos! I have the short sleeve summer version and like it but that looks more like a potato sack...  39

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