Showers Pass Men’s Ridgeline Half-Zip LS Shirt

The Showers Pass Ridgeline Half-Zip long-sleeve shirt works well on or off a road bike or mountain bike, inside or outside a café, as a baselayer or jersey. The combination of technical features and merino-synthetic material creates a wardrobe staple that you'll probably wear more often than just about anything else.

• Pros: Jack of all trades and master of most, long arms, nice details
• Cons: None I can think of beyond the price

To my mind, a quality merino baselayer is essential for every outdoors-orientated person's wardrobe. Capable of being worn for days without causing a stink, keeping you warm when wet and cool then it's hot, the miracle of merino is well documented. It's now possible to purchase low-cost merino, but there's still a market for well-executed premium products. At £73, the Ridgeline is towards the upper end of the price spectrum, but you definitely get what you pay for.

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Showers Pass markets the Ridgeline squarely at mountain bikers, and lacking three rear pockets or a full zip, it's not your traditional road cycling jersey. Recent trends for decent on-bike spares and tool storage such as the 76 Projects Piggy and the increasing prevalence of tubeless mean you can quite safely ride for many hours without needing to load up your clothes. Mountain bikers have never really gone for pocketing kit, preferring either backpack water reservoirs or increasingly taping stuff to frames, so it's no surprise that a 'mountain bike' top only has a small zipped valuables pocket. That said, I think it works pretty well on-road too.

The size Medium tested fitted me bang-on all over, the generous arm length being most welcome. The fit isn't body-hugging but nor is it baggy, making the Ridgeline suitable for wear as a casual about-town or apres-ride top that pairs well with jeans and doesn't scream 'CYCLIST'. The zip comes down to mid-chest, affording plenty of cooling on climbs while not looking out of place in town.

At the rear, that zipped valuables pocket is good for a decent-sized mobile or a set of car keys, but the light weight of the material means much more than that would start to drag the hem down. The hem is dropped ever so slightly to afford cover when on the bike, but again it's not obvious when walking about. A reflective tag is sewn on the left of the hem, belying Showers Pass' US origins.

The zip ends in a garage at the collar, which when zipped up snugly fitted my 15.5in neck.

The front and back panels are a 50/50 merino/polyester mix with the grey underarm-side panels 87% merino, to afford durability and anti-smell properties where needed. Wearing the Ridgeline for three days straight about the house/office as a baselayer, it passed the sniff test – obviously strenuous physical activity will shorten this timeframe, but it'll be much less offensive than 100% synthetic.

> Buyer's Guide: 15 of the best cycling baselayers

Layering the Ridgeline under either shells or jerseys for cycling or running worked fine; no issues with fit or movement evident and wicking/insulation on par with other higher-end lightweight merino I own. No, this won't be the one to go for on a sub-zero morning unless there are at least two more layers over it, but then it's marketed squarely as a summer garment including SPF40 UV protection.

> 30 of the best items of cycle clothing to keep you warm in winter

I'd say the Ridgeline would really come into its own on a long bike tour or gravel expedition – a top that can go for days between washes, mixes well with other garments, can be worn by itself in a range of temperatures, and blends in with civilisation when you need to go undercover. That said, when about home you'll probably find yourself in it more often than any other bit of bike kit.

Verdict

A utilitarian, flexible garment that can be worn in a variety of sporty or non-sporty settings