Santini Eco Sleek Raggio Women’s Short Sleeve Jersey

The Santini Eco Sleek Raggio Women's Short Sleeve Jersey brings eco credentials to a pure racing option. The environmentally friendly qualities of this jersey do not at all detract from its top notch performance. The slim cut is perfectly form-hugging, and the fabrics are light and breathable too.

The Raggio is 100% made with recycled fabrics from PET and waste yarns. These fabrics feel top quality and so it's great to see an eco-alternative being used effectively.

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Sitting within Santini's 'sleek fit' range, the jersey's cut super close and has a second skin feel about it – this is so lush to ride in, it just moves completely in sync with your body.

The cut around the chest is spot on for me – none of the fabric's extra stretch is used, and the sleeves perfectly hug the shoulders and tops of the arms.

While the body feels shorter than even some aero/race cuts at the front, when shifted forwards on the hoods or drops it's perfectly placed – there's no excess fabric here.

The front panel and sides are made from a 95% polyester/5% elastane blend that's perforated for breathability. The rear panel is made from a slightly more elasticated fabric (80% polyester/20% elastane) with a four-way stetch that contours very comfortably against the back. However in hot and humid conditions I found this fabric – which isn't perforated – gets a little sticky and isn't quite so breathable, although still pretty good relative to other jerseys.

The sleeves are raw cut and provide an impressive close fit. The length is also just where I'd like it to be, halfway down my arm, sitting roughly 14cm above my elbow.

There's silicone gripper tucked discreetly inside at the sleeve ends. I'm not fully convinced these grippers are needed as the fabric hugs my arms so well, but they do help ensure the sleeves remain in place, especially across different body shapes.

The full length zip has a long grippy tag which makes it easy and quick to pull for letting air in when you're sweating it out on a taxing climb. There are no zip garages, but there are two guards at the top and bottom – a nice touch, although I did find the bottom one often peeks out beneath, which doesn't ruin the performance in any way but doesn't look the neatest.

Up top there's a very narrow discreet collar that sits gently against the skin…

…while down below, the 3cm-wide elasticated hem extends the full circumference of the jersey – with silicone strips also featuring right the way round. I found it a little overbuilt, with the heavy duty elastic having a tendency to pull the jersey up my torso as it does its best to contract. A less aggressive elastic would have done a better job at keeping it in place.

The three rear pockets are a standard design which I can comfortably slip my smartphone into within its phone pouch. There's no side zipped pocket for securing valuables, though.

The pockets use a two-way stretch fabric – it has decent horizontal stretch for stuffing in larger essentials such as a wind jacket, but has no vertical stretch which helps prevent any sag.

The fabric is also perforated here, so excess heat from the lower back can escape a little more easily.

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Stitching is faultless, and the fabric used throughout is thin but also feels robust.

The Raggio's diagonal design with black stripes and blocks of colour looks interesting and stylish, and so is a good option if you favour a bold look over subtle designs.

As well as the Silver Bullet colourway I had on test, the jersey is available in Nautica Blue, Vigneto Purple and Black (with coral highlights).

Value

Retailing at £105, it's rather expensive for a summer jersey, but not too dissimilar to racing styles from other brands. For example, Rapha's Women's Pro Team Crit Jersey is £110 and has a similar comfortable aero fit.

> Read more road.cc reviews of women’s cycling jerseys here

There are much more expensive options such as the race-fitting Assos Dyora RS Summer Jersey (£145) and the lightweight Velocio Women's Breton SE Jersey (£136). The latter also has eco credentials like the Raggio but at a much higher price point.

But there are also cheaper options with the same close-fitting style. I've been testing La Passione's Duo Women's jersey (full review to come), which is impressively breathable and a considerably cheaper £80, although it doesn't use recycled fabrics.

Conclusion

Overall, the Raggio is a stylish high-performance jersey that's a delight to wear in hot weather thanks to the breathable and quick-wicking fabrics. Its close fit across the chest, shoulders and tops of the arms is absolutely spot on – it's very comfy here as well as aero – though the waistband is a little tighter and bulkier than I'd like.

Verdict

Very good lightweight, figure-hugging race jersey made fully from recycled materials, though the waistband could be improved