Cervo Rosso Strada Full Zip jersey

This stylish, Italian-made jersey is a top performer in warmer weather.

This is the first time we've reviewed anything from Cervo Rosso on Road.cc and it's a very good start. The jersey is made of two different types of fabric. The front panels and the arms are made from Lycra Sport that's very stretchy with an almost silky feel.

The back panel is a lightweight polyester. It's not a mesh but it's a fairly open weave. When you sweat, it shifts the moisture away very competently and dries out in next to no time. It's highly stretchable widthwise but there's very little vertical give so the pockets don't end up sagging down.

There is one other fabric, actually. At the ends of the sleeves you get elasticated arm grippers – stretchy bands that are similar to the grippers you get at the end of many pairs of shorts these days. Dots of silicone on the inside face of the grippers help hold the arms in place. That's not much of an issue on bare skin but it's useful when you're using arm warmers.

The cut is slim and the arms are close fitting and there's enough stretch here that this jersey will suit a range of different shapes and sizes. It's certainly a sporty silhouette, though.

I'm a big fan of a full-length front zip and this is a high-quality lockable one. Yes, we're currently in the middle of the worst summer in the history of the universe but it's handy to have the option of opening the front right up on a hot climb. You never know, the sun might shine one of these days and this jersey will be ready for it. 'Be prepared': that's what they taught me in the Cubs.

You get three lower-back pockets that are elasticated around the top to help keep everything in. As I said before, despite the stretchy fabrics the pockets don't sag too much; they stay pretty stable even when filled with all the bits and pieces you need to carry on a long ride.

Personally, I like the look of this jersey too. It's fairly busy, I guess, but it's not got a wannabe pro appearance. Classy, we're saying.

Our version has a Swiss flag design on the left arm gripper, Cervo Rosso being a Swiss brand. You can get models with other bands including a red, white and blue GB design although, in truth, that one looks more French or Dutch to us. There's another version where the left arm gripper is the same as the right, but where's the fun in that?

One final thing: anyone know what Cervo Rosso means? It's 'red deer' in Italian – hence the emblem. See, you come to Road.cc looking for a bit of buying advice and you leave with an education. Result!

Verdict

Certainly pricey, but a high-quality summer jersey in an attractive design