Rapha Pro Team Long Sleeve Lightweight Jersey - Men's

The Rapha Men's Pro Team Long Sleeve Lightweight Jersey is a beautifully designed layer that works best in warmer conditions, or – when partnered with a base layer and shells – can be effective down to 6°C. Made mostly of incredibly thin material, the jersey has good breathability and is figure hugging too, so it feels fast. Rapha has used a large proportion of recycled materials and created an understated design so that you can look good and feel that you are doing some good. The company offers lifetime repairs, which is also good for the environment.

> Buy now: Rapha Men's Pro Team Long Sleeve Lightweight Jersey for £130 from Rapha

Our best winter cycling jerseys buyer's guide rounds up our favourite long-sleeve tops.

The first thing I noticed about the jersey was how thin the Italian material used for the back is – though Rapha says it still says provides SPF 30 protection. Held up to the light it's gossamer thin and allows a large amount of light through. The sleeves and front panels are opaque while the additional material used for the three pockets thickens that area of the jersey. There is a thicker material behind the front YKK zipper to block out wind.

The material feels very soft and silky throughout. There is some striped rubbery embossing on the middle rear pocket while Rapha branding appears subtly on the left shoulder.

Inside, Rapha has added a quote from the late Kenyan rider John Njorge Muya, which is a nice touch. The low collar didn't provide any issues for me, but if you were looking to pair with a snood or neck-warmer, it makes it slightly tricker to tuck this inside.

The sleeves come down below the wrist bone and I didn't find that the material caught or snagged anywhere – and the result was was very nice to wear.

Colouring

Rapha offers this in three pretty muted colour varieties: black with white detailing; light and dark purple; and double turquoise. That's my translation of Anthracite/Graphite, Cadet/Eclipse/Iris bloom and Dusted Blue/Jewelled Blue. My dark-and-light turquoise jersey is a good combination for my pasty palette, but this shade does open the door to the possibility of visible sweat patches.

Once on, the jersey feels incredibly soft to the skin and I found it an instant hit when it came to comfort. The internal seams protrude, though you can't feel them on your skin, and Rapha has taken care to cover two of the seams from the pockets to minimise the risk of any rubbing.

Pockets

On the right rear pocket as you reach back, there is a small zipped pocket with a YKK zip. This is semi-concealed under some fabric, which makes it totally unobtrusive.

Sometimes these kinds of zips catch in the material but that wasn't an issue here. The pocket fits a bank card and a multi tool but you wouldn't want to cram too much in as it would be uncomfortable.

The pockets aren't that deep but they have enough space for an iPhone X to stand up vertically with a few fingers to spare.

They feel well made and the seams have some stretchy material to help out when you really need to stuff them full. There are some Rapha stripes on the middle pocket but these aren't reflective.

Size

I'm 6' 2" and weigh 84kgs, and Large is my go-to for pretty much all non-Italian jerseys – and this large fitted me perfectly. It drops low enough to meet up with the front and rear of my bibs, and the sleeves came to the edge of my fingerless gloves. The material is super stretchy so it adapted without issue to every movement on the bike – plus the rear hem is elasticated.

Rapha says it is designed to fit a range of body types, which I suppose is a nice way of saying that both winter and summer you should still be able to tug it on. I'm not exactly at fighting weight in April and it doesn't leave anything to the imagination – but I still consider it a good fit. To be clear, the jersey is tightly fitted to all of your contours – good or bad.

Riding

Rapha recommends this for use in temperatures from 6-20°C, which made it perfect for testing over Easter. I wore a short-sleeved base layer at all times and I can't see a situation in that temperature range where you wouldn't need a base layer.

On one ride, where it was windy and sunny with an air temperature of around 19°C, I was more or less perfect. I didn't get cold when I was standing still, and the breathability was good enough to dissipate heat during and after efforts. I asked my riding friend to spot me for sweat marks and he said that only a very faint mark at the base of my back was visible.

When rides were cooler, the breathability of the jersey was excellent, and I never overheated, but I did need to partner the jersey with a shell or windbreaker. Without, it was definitely too thin, and you would find yourself caught very short if the rain hit as it soaks up precipitation.

It's a great jersey performance-wise as there is no flapping material and I always felt fast when riding it – which we know is a failsafe test. At 165g it's very light and that will be appealing for many. Rapha says the jersey is for year-round versatility and I would agree with that, but only as part of a layered outfit. If you go out riding in just this and a base layer and it's 10-12°C, you will come back shivering. I'd envisage this as a go-to summer jersey for the less scorching days of the season.

Value

For £130 you would quite rightly expect a very good jersey. And this is a very good jersey in many ways, though it lacks a bit of ability to perform on its own, without additional layers, when the weather gets cooler.

I reviewed the Cafe du Cycliste Constance Jersey last year, which was in its element between 6°C and 16°C. It's more expensive at £175 and is made of far thicker material than the Rapha so it's more suited to cooler spring and summer days. Moving into summer though, the Rapha's thinness, breathability and sun protection will be very helpful.

Also making the Rapha look like good value is the £190 Pas Normal Studios Men's Essential Long Sleeve Jersey. It's good to look at, with great-feeling construction, but it had an odd-fit and it was really more suited to spring and autumn riding.

To save £40, you could opt for the £90 Invani Reversible Slim Fit Long Sleeve Jersey that Aaron liked. It performed best in spring and autumn and worked well without a base layer down to 8°C. It also came in pretty light at 210g.

You could also consider the £54.99 Van Rysel Men's Mid-Season Long-Sleeved Road Cycling Jersey Racer that Shaun Audane rated very highly. It's heavier by around 60g but seems to work at slightly lower temperatures and Shaun liked the fit. It doesn't offer any repair guarantee like Rapha but it is half the price!

Conclusion

Despite requiring maybe more layering than Rapha indicates to function at really cool temperatures, this jersey is a delight to wear and provides a great long-sleeve option for late spring and summer, when mornings can be cold, but you want good breathability once the sun is out. As you'd expect from Rapha, the design is excellent, there are eco credentials, lifetime repairs and, perhaps more surprisingly, it's cheaper than a lot of the really fancy brands.

Verdict

Doesn't excel without assistance in cooler weather but otherwise still an excellent fair weather and lightweight jersey

> Buy now: Rapha Men's Pro Team Long Sleeve Lightweight Jersey for £130 from Rapha