Altura Endurance Women’s Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey

The Altura Endurance Women's Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey lives up to its name well. It's a slightly more relaxed fit than a full-on roadie top, and is made from a combination of materials designed to wick sweat efficiently and keep you comfortable. I'd say Altura has achieved this well, with only a slight niggle about the snug sleeves as a complaint.

Despite the sleeves, the jersey felt comfortable even after a good few hours on the bike, both on and off-road. And, importantly for me, I didn't need to keep pulling it down, like so many jerseys that ride up and cause irritation, the silicone gripper doing its job well. The pockets are spacious, too – enough for my giant phone and other ride essentials.

As its name suggests, this jersey is designed for long days in the saddle. It's not a high-performance race-orientated top, but it is something that will keep you comfortable hour after hour. If you're not looking for marginal gains, and want that little bit of extra breathing room, it's definitely got that.

Altura achieves this breathability and comfort through its 3D knit yarn, which helps with thermoregulation. There's also plenty of recycled polyester in there too, which is what I imagine gives it that almost net-like, 90s football shirt feel. That's not to say the quality is similar to a 90s football shirt, in fact quite the opposite.

I used it through our recent heatwave and beyond, and was pleasantly surprised with how cool I felt despite the raging sun. I took it off-road for some gravel riding, and I'm pleased with how well it stood up to my lack of talent, with no sign that I ended up in a hedge at one point. Despite my attempts at destroying the jersey, it remained unscathed, and I remained comfortable and cool.

Fit and sizing

Design-wise, this jersey is quite understated. There is reflective detailing across the arms and on the rear pockets, which I quite like, given most of the jersey is so dark. The contrasting colour of the pocket panel is nice, but I would like to see other colour variations.

I tested a size 8, which is Altura's smallest size. If you are petite and normally wear a smaller size, then I'd say this will likely be baggy. Even though it was on the smaller end of the suggested measurements in the chest, waist and hip, I was surprised that the arms felt quite snug. In less flattering light, it could be seen as sausage arms, and rolling the sleeves up to avoid a dodgy tan line was not really an option. The sleeves are bonded at the cuff and there's no silicone edging, but I'm glad as I think that would have exacerbated my fitting issue.

It's a shame, because the rest of the jersey fits really nicely. Even the collar, which I usually find is too high on some cycling jerseys, was spot on.

The pockets are also worth mentioning. You get three deep pockets, plus one zipped, and I was pretty pleased with how much of my usual barrage of cycling 'essentials' I could fit in there (think phablet, riding wallet with glasses in case of a contact lens emergency, food, and my keys).

Value and conclusion

At £80 this jersey isn't cheap, especially as it's not a race-orientated piece of kit, but it compares well with a couple of similar tops we've tested in the last year or so.

The Santini Colore Riga Women's Jersey, for example, which Emily reviewed, costs £90. Emily found it quite long, but is quite stylish and may be worth that extra tenner for a bit of flair.

And for £94.99 there's the Endura Women's Pro SL S/S Jersey. In her review, Suvi thought this was a great bit of summer performance riding kit, and enjoyed its breathability and performance, though again it has a slightly longer fit.

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

Overall, the Altura Endurance SS Jersey is a good choice for short or long rides, and is quite a high-performance garment thanks to the marriage of the 3D knit yarn and recycled polyester. It felt nice and light on, though it could do with just a little extra room in the sleeves, and a new colour or two.

Verdict

Good performer, especially its sweat-wicking capabilities, just a sizing niggle to consider when purchasing