Saikel Segments Jersey

There are a lot of clothing brands vying for your hard-earned these days, more choice than five or ten years ago, and the latest brand hoping to make it to the top of your shopping list is Saikel. This Segments jersey has both a bold style and a high-quality finish, but it's not just about the looks, with good performance and fit marking it out as a top contender.

• Pros: Looks great, quality finish, breathable
• Cons: Sizes up a little bigger than other brands, online only

Saikel is the newest clothing brand on the market, created by two cyclists based in Switzerland who wanted to inject a bit of va-va-voom into the cycling market. Using bold designs it has certainly managed that, with this Segments jersey – one of two designs available – really standing out from others we've been testing this summer at road.cc. And it's pretty much a universal thumbs-up from everyone I've asked for an opinion.

> Buy this online here

More important than looks are how it performs, and the Saikel is close to faultless in this regard. I've been testing it loads in all the warm sunny weather we've been enjoying recently, and it works well, with the quality feel you'd expect of a £95 jersey.

It's constructed in Italy from Italian fabrics; no detail is given on the exact identity of the fabric, but it's soft next to the skin, very thin and lightweight and the 'four-way' stretch helps with the fit, allowing it to hug the body without restriction, for that essential aero edge.

Breathability is very good in warm weather. Toil up a long climb with sweat pouring off your brow, and the jersey copes well, helped by the mesh side panels for extra airflow. It dries quickly between such sweaty efforts too, so you never get that horrible clammy feeling you can with some cheap jerseys.

It works well when it's not stifling hot, too; it's not one of these super-airy mesh jerseys that are nippy when the temperature falls. Saikel describes it as a three-season jersey and I'd agree: just stick on some arm warmers when you need a bit of extra defence against cooler temperatures.

The fit is a little looser than other jerseys of the same size (a small on test and in the pics) but the stretchy fabric and multi-panel design ensure it sits well on the body, with the wide elasticated waistband really anchoring the jersey in place. The front is cut shorter, the rear lower, for a good fit when you're down in the drops.

Long (short) sleeves are the fashion at the moment, and the Saikel jersey has really messed up my tan lines! The raw cut edges are comfortable and there was no issue with them sliding up or down my arms.

The full-length zipper works smoothly and it's slightly concealed by the jersey fabric, while the collar sits comfortably around the neck.

Three regular sized pockets provide all the space you need to carry a ride's worth of food and supplies, and there's a hidden zipped side pocket for valuables. The stretchy nature of the pocket material, the same as the main jersey, did make getting things in and out a little tricky, even sliding my phone back into the pocket proved difficult sometimes – it seems to get caught against the stretchy fabric. The pockets are supportive when fully loaded, though – no sagging to note.

I also like the thick ribbon of reflective material across the top of the pockets for evening rides chasing the fading light home.

Saikel sells directly through its website and shipping adds another £3.99 to the £95 price tag (free on orders over £150). A quick glance at the latest jerseys we've tested shows there's a lot of competition at that price – the Monton Lifestyle Mustang and Morvelo EFX Nth Series, for example, though you can save £25 with the very good Castelli Entrata 3 FZ or Kalf Flux, and the Craft Monument is a tenner less at £85.

> Buyer's Guide: 20 of the best summer cycling jerseys

If you want an alternative to the more common choices, though, the Saikel Segments has the performance and quality to back up the bold looks.

Verdict

Fantastic styling backed up by very good performance from a new clothing brand