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review
Base layers
Sugoi RS Core Long Sleeve Base Layer Sugoi RS Core Long Sleeve Base Layer Sugoi RS Core Long Sleeve Base Layer Sugoi RS Core Long Sleeve Base Layer
Sugoi RS Core Long Sleeve

Sugoi RS Core Long Sleeve Base Layer

9
by Stu Kerton
UPDATED Wed, Dec 16, 2015 15:50

First Published Dec 16, 2015

1
£39.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Great fit, great breathability and great comfort all at a great price
Weight: 
140g
Contact: 
international.sugoi.com
How we test

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 figure-hugging RS Core Long Sleeve is from Sugoi's Pro range. It's warm, breathable and being so thin fits easily under a race jersey. Priced at £39.99 it's not bad on value either.

The RS Core is manufactured from the Canadian company's FinoPro material, which sits towards the top end of its quick drying, wickable fabrics. A Dri Active Core, as Sugoi calls it, and it works very impressively as well.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy this online here

It's been a mild winter so far, making layering decisions even more crucial, and the few times I've got it wrong the RS Core has been overwhelmed. Get it right, though, and you still get hot if you push it on the climbs, but the baselayer soon wicks sweat away and keeps you dry and, more importantly, warm.

Sugoi RS Core Long Sleeve - collar.jpg

I've worn the Sugoi beneath a long-sleeved jersey on days between 5-10°C and it was about perfect, so adding a gilet or jacket over the top should see it comfortably dealing with below freezing temperatures.

The material is very soft and very thin, which for a garment designed to sit next to your skin means it's damn near perfect. It doesn't itch or irritate one bit, and even though it's cut very close the RS Core moves with you thanks to the amount of stretch in each direction of the weave.

Sugoi RS Core Long Sleeve - shoulder detail.jpg

The sleeves offer plenty of length when you're stretched on the bike, preventing any gaps between sleeve and gloves and making sure no draughts can get in. The torso offers the same, with plenty of length in the body, even though the RS Core does lack a significantly dropped tail. It's not a problem at all if you're wearing bib tights but if you go more traditional it could be an issue when really stretched out.

> Check out our guide to the best baselayers here

Sugoi kit has always stood up well to long-term testing and I certainly don't see anything that would cause concern from the RS Core. The stitching is tight and well finished, and even though you have to pull it on you don't feel any threads letting go.

Taking all of this into account certainly makes its £40 price tag a bit of a bargain. It's going to last you for plenty of seasons and its thinness makes it very versatile, so you'll get a lot of use out of it.

Verdict

Great fit, great breathability and great comfort all at a great price

road.cc test report

Make and model: Sugoi RS Core Long Sleeve Base Layer

Size tested: Medium, Black

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?

"ANCHOR EVERY WINTER RIDE WITH THIS ULTRA SOFT THERMAL BASE LAYER TO BE WORN NEXT TO SKIN, WITH POWERFUL MOISTURE WICKING TO MAXIMIZE COMFORT." That's what Sugoi says and I'd happily agree. It ticks pretty much all of the boxes.

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

*Dri Active Core wicks moisture away to keep you dry and regulate your temperature

*Low profile pattern and construction fits easily under a pro-fit jersey

*Flat seams for increased comfort and abrasion resistance

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

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

Absolutely brilliantly, my go-to baselayer at the moment.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The comfort of the soft material against your skin.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

A slightly more dropped tail would be nice.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

The RS Core is a great bit of kit which really performs in a large temperature range, depending of course on what you layer it up with. Its wicking properties are great, and as far as comfort goes it's one of the best I've worn. Add value to the mix and it's hard to knock.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: Kinesis T2  My best bike is: Mason Definition

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

Sugoi RS Core Long Sleeve Base Layer 2015
Sugoi RS Core Long Sleeve Base Layer
Sugoi 2015
Sugoi
Stu Kerton

Since writing his first bike review for road.cc back in early 2009 senior product reviewer Stu has tested more than a thousand pieces of kit, and hundreds of bikes.

With an HND in mechanical engineering and previous roles as a CNC programmer/machinist, draughtsman and development engineer (working in new product design) Stu understands what it takes to bring a product to market. A mix of that knowledge combined with his love of road and gravel cycling puts him in the ideal position to put the latest kit through its paces.

He first made the switch to road cycling in 1999, primarily for fitness, but it didn’t take long for his competitive side to take over which led to around ten years as a time triallist and some pretty decent results. These days though riding is more about escapism, keeping the weight off and just enjoying the fact that he gets to ride the latest technology as part of his day job.

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1 comments

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DSEyers | 8 years ago
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Not quite answering your question, but Halo Sport detergent is amazing for getting rid of bacteria/odour.  On sale online (Amazon, Wiggle etc and at some big supermarket chains).

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