Encove Blog

One could argue that apart from colour your basic cycling jerseys don’t tend to differ much one from the other, OK there's long or short sleves but the main style choice is the length of zip. In winter it is probably best to have a jersey with just a short zip at the neck or on the raglan seam, as this stops any possible draughts and when the temperatures outside are very low you need every advantage you can get. In the spring and autumn, a long zip is probably the best choice, as you can adjust it depending on how hot you get, right down to fully open.

If you like your jersey very closely fitting, a full length zip is probably essential, so that you can get it on easily. When you have finished a ride and you are a bit sweaty, there is nothing worse than trying to ease a stretchable garment up your back and over your head because it only has a part zip. Just being able to undo it and shrug it off is much more pleasant. If you have longer hair as well, taking off a tight jersey creates all kinds of problems; if you get your hair caught down a sleeve or in any pilling under the arm or on a seam, it can be very uncomfortable.

Long zips do have a built in disadvantage over the shorter ones, in that if they break they are far more expensive to replace. You might say that a cycling jersey is not so very expensive that this would be strictly necessary, but if it is a favourite then many people would go for the repair. Although the long zips are pricier, the open ended ones are a much simpler sewing task than the short ones set into the jersey, so if you are not much of a sewing expert or can’t lay your hands on one to help you out, then the open ended long zip will be much the best option. Long zips have a longer life span anyway, as the closed end doesn’t get forced going over your head.