Santini Sleek Plus Short Sleeve Jersey

If you liked the look of the very comfortable Santini Sleek Plus bibshorts that I reviewed recently then you might be tempted by the matching jersey that we have here. Like the shorts, it's very nicely made with a focus on the performance end of the market, and the sizing is on the small side.

Dave reviewed the previous Sleek jersey from Santini last summer and was impressed with its fit and comfort. Since then Santini has changed the fabrics used but the Italian sizing is unchanged. I tested a large, my usual size in Castelli, Alé and Santini, and it was very closely fitted. As with the previous Sleek jersey, it is quite short in the torso. It's not a problem when you're on the bike, but I found I suffered from VBM (visible bib mesh) at the front when standing. That's not me in the pictures, by the way.

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Once you're riding, the fit is pretty well dialled – there's no loose fabric and certainly no flapping. At the bottom of the torso there is a wide strip of stretchy, grippy fabric which is pretty good at holding the jersey in place. The front is made from a fabric called Kontatto, which is a fine Lycra-style textile. It is stretchy and feels pleasantly slinky against the skin.

The Plus fabric on the shoulders and back is perhaps more unusual and interesting; it has a pinstripe effect and when you look closely these pinstripes are almost transparent. Santini describes these variously as "ventilation channels" and "aerodynamic channels", but they certainly aid breathability and look quite cool too, I think. At the sides of the jersey are mesh panels which do a good job of letting further heat out.

The sleeves are stretchy and with more of the grippy material at their ends. Lengthwise they are more in line with tradition rather than the recent trend for longer sleeves.

At the rear are the standard three pockets, with an additional zipped pocket in the middle. As is sometimes the case with racy jerseys, they are rather on the small side. While this isn't generally an issue for the pros, I found it a frequent irritant not to be able to fit as much as I'd like, and it made me downright nervous to have my smartphone poking out the top of its pocket when I was in the drops. You can buy race-fit jerseys with sensible-sized pockets – look, here's one that we reviewed just the other day.

On the positive side, I liked the chunky zip pull which made it easy to grab when in danger of overheating on a climb, and I like the well-positioned reflective tabs on the hips. As with the shorts, comfort is really good – I've ridden long, hard rides in this kit and never given it a thought.

Would I buy it? Well, no, I wouldn't. But that is mostly because I'm rather underwhelmed by the look of it (and I found the matching shorts much too short for my liking). You can get it in other colours, and I think the white/black combo looks better than these colours.

> Buyer's Guide: 15 of the best summer cycling jerseys

At £99.99, it isn't an inexpensive jersey, but it is in line with other Italian brands. It's worth noting that Santini will do club kit; my club has the previous generation Sleek jersey and it's been a very popular choice.

Verdict

Sleek by name, sleek by nature – a comfortable aero jersey but the small pockets are likely to be an annoyance