Cyclist
Cyclist’s Gear of the Year 2023: Clothing
Between hot, cold, dry and wet, we’ve got a great selection of clothing in our Gear of the Year picks. While Emma enjoyed her lightweight, wicking Maap jersey on her way to Tunisia, Will was taking full advantage of his Rapha Explore Gore-Tex jacket while riding into the office in a rainy London. Them’s the breaks.
James didn’t benefit from hot and dry weather either and enjoyed letting off steam through the vents in his drilled out Oakley Sutros, while Sam rated Assos’s baselayer-essential shoulder-weather insulation.
As usual, we’ve had a ton of other clothing to review in 2023: everything from the best arm warmers to the best budget shoes and the best women’s bib shorts. Read on for more about our picks.
Emma Cole, Features Writer
Maap Alt_Road jersey
I wore this jersey on my ride from London to Tunisia when riding in 30-plus degrees, sweating out of every pore for eight hours a day (at least) for 18 days straight. I concluded that, if you can afford it, the Maap Alt_Road jersey is worth every penny.
Why? The Alt_Road jersey is everything I want in a piece of kit. It’s ideal for all day use, wicking away sweat, never chafing and constantly comfortable.
The merino wool and synthetic fabric combination makes it very breathable and quick drying, and feels lovely against the skin too.
The cut is relaxed, and the lightweight fabric stretches nicely for a close fit without feeling super-compressed. It is also a good length on my torso – being around 6ft in height, I often find that jerseys can come up short, particularly since there seems to be a trend for female cycling jerseys to be more cropped.
- Buy the Alt_Road jersey from MAAP (£170)
James Spender, Deputy Editor
Oakley Sutro Lite Sweep MVDP
These are the Mathieu van der Poel signature version of the Oakley Sutro Lite Sweep, which is a version of the Sutro Lite only with a ‘sweep’ to the bottom of the lenses and a ‘lite’ (ie half frame) Sutro frame. I’ve worn them loads this year, along with an identical, non-MVDP-sanctioned pink set, and I can’t rave enough about how good their Prizm lenses are.
Prizm tech, in case you haven’t heard, filters certain light frequencies to enhance contrast; in the case of these Prizm Road lenses, that means boosting the greys and greens you tend to see most of when road riding. It sounds like marketing fraff – filtering light frequencies, really? – but it’s legit science and the proof is the fact I can literally see better with the Sutros on.
I’m also just a big fan of the Sutro sunnies anyway. Their aesthetics are fairly simple in a 1980s sci-fi thug kind of way, the field of vision is vast and those little drilled holes really help with venting/demisting. And these ones are very cool as they are orange. The second fastest colour after red.
Sam Challis, Tech Editor
Assos Mille GTS Spring Fall jersey
Assos’ approach to kit design is generally quite bold: if different areas require different attributes, the brand isn’t afraid to patchwork together multiple materials to create the proper overall performance. The Mille GTS Spring Fall jersey exemplifies this.
The arms are essentially a stitched-on pair of the brand’s superb armwarmers, which are water-repellent and luxuriously fleece-backed. The front and side panels are the total opposite, however. They use Assos’ new Airblock.888 fabric, which feels unusually inelastic and rough to touch, as Assos knows the rider will be using a baselayer with this top anyway. By, contrast, the back is essentially a light, stretchy mesh.
Put together, the garment they create is ideal for Autumn and Spring. The front blocks out the elements, the back panel ventilates heat and moisture as well as a summer jersey and the arms are fitted but stretchy and comfortable next to skin.
Will Strickson, Deputy Web Editor
Rapha Explore Gore-Tex jacket
This is the product I’ve used more than any other this year and not just because I got it in January. The Rapha Explore Gore-Tex Jacket is the ultimate waterproof jacket and is a dream both on and off the bike. It has Gore-Tex C-knit and Gore-Tex Black Diamond assistance for internal comfort and packable rain protection respectively as well as a bunch of details that make it a master of all trades like high pockets and an adjustable hem.
It’s not a performance fit jacket – hence the ‘Explore’ title, it’s marketed as adventure/bikepacking/gravel, aka just not for aero racing outfits – and that’s been perfect for commuting all year (especially when it seems like it’s rained non-stop). Rain protection and sufficient warmth but no overheating thanks to strong ventilation for riding; nice big hood, comfortable fit and excellent aesthetics for not riding. It’s currently a little dirty thanks to the dog but that doesn’t matter because it’s easy to clean.
It has a very large price tag but it being expensive doesn’t make the product itself any less good, if it’s within budget I can’t recommend it enough.
- Buy the Explore Gore-Tex Jacket from Rapha (£395)
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