Altura Thermocool Long Sleeve Base Layer

The Altura Thermocool Long Sleeve Baselayer is soft and warm, fits very close to the skin and wicks well. The '4-way' fit is excellent, but the sleeves came up too short for my liking when riding.

Producing a baselayer that is not too hot, not too cold, close fitting, good at wicking and soft as well is a challenge. Altura has got very, very close, but falls slightly short – for me, at least – with the length of the sleeves. And I wouldn't say that I've got particularly long arms.

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Altura uses what it calls an 'intelligent yarn, engineered for thermoregulation'. The makeup of the 'yarn' isn't specified. From using it on my chilly commute and also a few Sunday group rides, I found it to be very good at regulating my body temperature as I never got overly hot.

'Altura Dry™ technology is engineered to move excess moisture away from the skin, keeping you dry and comfortable' – that's the claim from Altura. I'd say that's true for the most part, but I did find that the strip of fabric around the base held a little more moisture than the rest of the jersey.

The Thermocool comes in Altura's performance fit. That makes it sound like it should be for skinny climbers only, but the reality is it's simply a snug fit without being restrictive, and many body shapes are accommodated comfortably. Its slim fit was particularly good under a skinsuit for cyclo-cross racing and under a big winter jacket for my commute in the week. Both times the weather was quite cold but I was perfectly comfortable.

Sleeve length is the only thing that, for me, lets the Thermocool down. As I said, I don't have especially long arms, but the baselayer's sleeves would leave my wrists exposed when on the bike, not helped by their elasticity which meant they were quite quick to ride up my arms. The solution was to use gloves that covered my wrists, but when riding without gloves I got a little chilly. 

> Read our guide to the best cycling baselayers

I know not everyone feels the same way about sleeve length as me – as Ash proved in his review of the Rivelo Hathersage baselayer – so if you're not so bothered, ignore my complaining here!

At just under £50, the Thermocool is on the expensive side – dhb's excellent Merino baselayer is £10 cheaper – but other than the sleeve length it's hard to criticise. The fit elsewhere is brilliant and will suit many rider shapes. If you haven't got overly long arms, take a look, because otherwise it's a real winner.

Verdict

Very good baselayer but the sleeves are rather short