Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

MAAP Training Jersey

8
£89.00

VERDICT:

8
10
An impressive do-all jersey that is dependable, practical and comfortable
Fit is good on the bike
High quality material
Sustainable credentials
Fit is strange off the bike
Arms may be a little tight for some
Weight: 
120g
Contact: 

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

The MAAP Training Jersey is a well-fitted, comfortable, breathable everyday jersey that provides everything you could want from a hot weather top.

MAAP seems to have exploded onto the scene over the past three years, sitting at the premium end of the scale and pledging a commitment to sustainability. They are yet to sponsor a major road team though, so are perhaps still a little under the radar.

I was therefore interested to try out their Training Jersey, designed as the everyday jersey for hotter conditions.

> Buy this online here

It uses a lightweight fabric (89% polyamide, 11% elastane) designed for temperatures around 18-35 degrees, and it's certainly a good choice for this with impressive wicking and breathability. I was lucky enough to be testing this over the July heatwave, so I managed to test it up to around 32 degrees.

2021 MAAP Training Jersey - shoulders.jpg

I am not going to lie and claim I was comfortable in those temperatures, because no jersey in the world could make me comfortable in 32 degrees, but it certainly helped keep me cooler than I otherwise would have been.

The material is clearly more than just mesh, though it's open enough that if I was facing proper alpine ascents I would have want something over it on the other side. Wicking is also very good, with sweat quickly and effectively moving away from the skin. Despite being pretty thin material, it doesn't go see-through at all. That may be down to the colour, but is something that I appreciate.

Helping with heat management is the full-length zip, which feels robust and is unlikely to snag or catch easily.

2021 MAAP Training Jersey - chest.jpg

MAAP has used its Signature Team Fit on the jersey, which in layman's terms is essentially aero. If you're familiar with Rapha's Pro-Team jerseys it is similar to that: the arms are elongated, the body is short and the fit is close to the body.

2021 MAAP Training Jersey - sleeve.jpg

An impressive amount of stretch allows this jersey to fit multiple body shapes easily.

2021 MAAP Training Jersey - back.jpg

One odd thing is that, off the bike, the Training Jersey feels like it's much too small. Yet once you're onboard, it fits perfectly...

This is one of the shortest jerseys I've worn and the arms are fairly tight on the bicep, but somehow, on the bike these aren't an issue.

2021 MAAP Training Jersey - hem.jpg

After a quick try-on I genuinely considered contacting MAAP's brand manager to get a size or two up sent out, but – having bravely decided to soldier on (I know, right?) – with this tiny jersey, I discovered it is in fact one of the better-fitting ones I've ridden in. Silicone grippers keep it all in place well – particularly important given how short it is in the body.

2021 MAAP Training Jersey - gripper.jpg

It's nice to see Bluesign certification too, as it means the material is produced using only chemicals and processes that are safe for people and the environment.

> 30 of the best summer cycling jerseys - tops to beat the heat from just £10

You get the usual three large pockets on the back, and while it doesn't have a zipped pocket, that isn't uncommon in hot weather jerseys. MAAP includes a couple of reflective areas too, including a small strip on the back and another beneath the pockets.

2021 MAAP Training Jersey - pockets.jpg

In terms of aesthetics, this is a simple but stylish design with some fun twists; I particularly like the MAAP logo in swirls on the righthand pocket, and the white stitching on the outside. In my eyes this is a really good-looking, no-fuss jersey.

Value

At €105 (around £89 at today's exchange rate), the Training Jersey is bang in the middle of the range I would expect. The obvious comparison is the Rapha Pro-Team Training Jersey at £85, as it offers broadly the same qualities and stylish design.

Another one ticking broadly the same boxes is the Chapeau Club Pro Jersey, although the fit on the MAAP is perhaps more racy.

Overall

I was really impressed by this jersey. It does exactly what's needed for a hot weather top, with minimal fuss. The pockets are big enough, it stays in place, and it's environmentally friendly. The fit may not be for everybody, especially if you have big arms, but for me once I was on the bike it fitted like a glove.

Verdict

An impressive do-all jersey that is dependable, practical and comfortable

road.cc test report

Make and model: MAAP Training Jersey

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for

MAAP says: "The Training Jersey has been built around comfort and durability, for each and every training session, ready to ride, wash, repeat."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Signature Team Fit

Reflective Print Transfers

Exposed YKK Vislon zip with lock

SPF 50+ sun protection factor

Set in sleeve for superior fit

Low profile collar

Internal elastic waist hem with MAAP silicone logos

Fabrics sustainably manufactured with the bluesign® SYSTEM

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Feels well made with a good choice of material, tight seams, and a robust full-length zip.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Kept me cool and comfortable during hot rides, whilst being practical enough to be used every day.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

It is a summer jersey with suitably lightweight material, but despite that feels like it could survive being a bit beaten up a little.

Rate the product for fit:
 
8/10

This is like the Tardis of jerseys: off the bike it feels like it's too small, but in the saddle it fits perfectly. That being said, those with bigger arms may want to size up.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
8/10

Stand around and the sizing seems off, but when riding it's bang on.

Rate the product for weight:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
8/10

This is a comfortable jersey thanks to its impressive breathability, wicking, and fit.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

This is pretty much exactly where I would expect it to sit in terms of pricing.

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Simple. I washed it several times at 30 degrees without any issues at all.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Impressively: it is practical, comfortable, breathable, and wicks moisture well.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The simplicity of the design – there's nothing too flashy, but some design details show a spark of creativity.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The arms may be a little small for some.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The obvious comparison is the Rapha Pro-Team Training Jersey which comes in at £85 and offers broadly the same qualities, with a high quality material and stylish design. Another jersey that seems to tick broadly the same boxes is the Chapeau Club Pro Jersey, although the fit on the MAAP is perhaps more racy.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

This is a solid and dependable hot weather jersey with a magical ability to seem completely the wrong size off the bike, and completely the right size on it. If you've got very big arms you may have issues, but otherwise there's little to complain about here. It's very good.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 33  Height: 6 ft  Weight:

I usually ride: CAAD13  My best bike is: Cannondale Supersix Evo

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed,

George is the host of the road.cc podcast and has been writing for road.cc since 2014. He has reviewed everything from a saddle with a shark fin through to a set of glasses with a HUD and everything in between. 

Although, ironically, spending more time writing and talking about cycling than on the bike nowadays, he still manages to do a couple of decent rides every week on his ever changing number of bikes.

Add new comment

2 comments

Avatar
Welsh boy | 3 years ago
0 likes

A cycling top which is which is marked down for being a strange fit when off the bike (or in other words when it is not being used for the purpose for which it was designed). Who the hell writes theses reviews, they just get more and more bizarre. What next, cycling shoes which are no good for running in? 

Avatar
Nick T replied to Welsh boy | 3 years ago
0 likes

Chris Froome could guest write that one

Latest Comments