Van Rysel RR 900 Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey

The Van Rysel RR 900 Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey is a lightweight top with mesh panels, ideal for summer rides. It's a decent bit of kit, especially when you take into account the price tag.

• Pros: Form-fitting race cut; price
• Cons: Not the tidiest finish

The RR 900 jersey is part of Decathlon's new Van Rysel race range. It comes in a choice of eight colours to allow for plenty of colour coding to match your bike or other kit.

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The form-fitting cut sits close to the body without any bunching of the fabric and allows plenty of movement without really feeling restrictive around the chest or shoulders.

The rear is dropped nicely for plenty of coverage in the saddle, and above that you'll find three deep if quite narrow pockets, obviously designed with the racer in mind who is going to be carrying the bare minimum.

The pockets are just large enough to take a large phone and you could probably get a tube, multi-tool and a small pump spread out between the three.

There's an extra fourth pocket on the right hand side, ideal for an energy gel or anything else you might need to grab quickly, plus a valuables pocket on the outside of the middle pocket. A fair bit of storage then.

The main front panels and shoulders are made from a mesh fabric which is great for ventilation when riding on hot summer's day.

The rear and side panels use a close knit Lycra but it works well alongside the mesh to be reasonably breathable when riding hard. If the jersey does get overwhelmed on a long, tough climb it'll soon dry on the descent.

Other little details include a bit of reflectivity at the neck and the central pocket. It all adds up should you be riding during darkness.

Something that Decathlon often delivers is value for money, and that doesn't change here with the RR 900 coming in at £39.99. Compare that with the similarly styled Altura Race jersey, which uses mesh panels. I criticised it for not having the neatest of finishes around the stitching, and while I could say the same for the RR 900, the Altura comes in at over double the price, £89.99.

> Buyer's Guide: 22 of the best summer cycling jerseys

I'm not saying that the Van Rysel is poor quality, it's just that when you look up close you can see the stitching isn't as good quality as you tend to find on more expensive jerseys, the Altura aside.

> Buyer's Guide: 8 of the cheapest summer cycling jerseys

Overall, the Van Rysel is a great race jersey for those who don't want to spend a fortune but still want to look like a serious rider.

Verdict

Delivers top-level race performance on a budget