Ashmei Men's T-Shirt

The Ashmei Men's T-shirt is a very capable baselayer or technical T-shirt for wider use, but your wallet might shudder at the mere thought of buying one...

• Pros: Technical ability, wide-ranging uses, style
• Cons: The cost

So what has Ashmei done to justify the £75 price tag? Well, it of course uses merino wool as its base material, but also weaves in 35 per cent carbon too (according to the website – the internal appliqué says it's polyester) for additional breathability. Supposedly, this fabric blend is about as good as it gets in terms of moisture wicking – although Ashmei doesn't quote any figures – while it also provides 50+ SPF protection too.

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Relying on my own subjective opinion – an opinion qualified by the fact that alongside cycling I also row and go to the gym regularly – I have to say that it's incredibly effective. Light to begin with at 138g in this, a medium, it never really gains any tangible weight even when working hard to shift moisture. After a dousing following a particularly grotty Wattbike session, it largely dried after around an hour of doing core exercises. Even my Nike Dri-Fit Knit T-shirts struggle to do that after the same kind of session (they retail at £59.95 normally, for reference).

It remains light and, unless truly soaking, doesn't cling, which makes it very comfortable in pretty much any environment you test it. Also, once dry again it's one of the best technical T-shirts I've ever used at resisting odour. I'd still wash it between uses to remain socially acceptable at the café, but if you went on a weekend gravel adventure with this top either as a baselayer or a second layer, you could easily stretch it for the duration.

> Buyer's Guide: The best casual kit for cycle commuting

Ashmei describes it as a looser cut ideal for lifestyle use, but it remains a relatively slim fit if you buy a size down – so if you're of an athletic build you'll fill it nicely, while thinner cyclists won't get lost in it. The crew neck has a decent amount of space as well, so it really does feel like a T-shirt you can relax in, not restrictive at all.

The seams are very high quality, as you'd expect, with no fraying after plenty of use. As importantly, the shape of the T-shirt has remained the same, and I've been washing it on 40-degree washes along with the rest of my soiled sports kit, despite the recommendations to wash it on a cool 30 cycle. There's no instruction to wash it using a 'delicate' setting, hinting further at the quality of its construction.

Finally, it's available in four standard colours (this blue, navy, black and silver) along with a special edition purple. I think it's a stylish design, with those sublimated vertical tramlines down the back, and the subtly contrasted Ashmei branding on the chest.

So, the bottom line is that Ashmei's technical T-shirt is very good indeed, and versatile too. You can use it as a relaxed baselayer, sports tee or as a stylish lifestyle T-shirt, and it works brilliantly as all three. However, no matter how well it works, it's impossible to ignore that £75 price tag. A quick look in our casual jerseys section – which includes T-shirts – shows you can get technical tees for a lot less, although you can still pay more for technical 'polo' shirts...

Verdict

This technical tee is a brilliantly versatile piece, but you really have to pay for it