Q36.5 Jersey Hybrid Que X Navy Blue

The Q36.5 Jersey Que X is a high-quality long-sleeve jersey that offers a good balance of wind protection and breathability. It has a great fit and I found it comfortable for rides of any duration. However, there is no escaping the jersey's high price.

> Buy now: Q36.5 Que X long-sleeve jersey for £139.99 from 7hundred

The Que X's combination of warmth, wind protection and breathability makes it feel as if it offers the benefits of being both a jersey and a jacket. That said, at £210 it should be versatile, as it's more expensive than any of our best winter cycling jerseys.

Materials

The jersey is made 63% polyamide, 36% elastane and 1% carbon fibre – who knew that carbon fibre was used in manufacturing clothes? I have worn this a lot throughout testing, including a few rides over four hours and always found it comfortable.

This jersey is recommended for use in temperatures from around 5-12°C – and I found it perfect on those high single-digit days when I paired it with just a short-sleeve baselayer. If it was below around 6°C I'd put a thicker baselayer or a jacket on.

On rides where it never got above 2°C, I found the jersey ideal when worn with a thin baselayer and winter jacket.

The jersey is well-thought-out in terms of materials and panelling for wind protection and breathability. There is more wind protective panelling on the chest, upper arms and upper back. The sleeves on the forearms are thinner and at times my arms felt cold on a descent, however, I appreciated the lighter material once climbing.

While the material does have an element of rain protection, it isn't going to protect you beyond anything other than a light shower.

Fit

The jersey is designed to offer a compressive, close fit, and I found it offered a good balance between a close fit and comfort. I don't really need a very tight race fit for a long-sleeved top, as I am unlikely to be racing in very cold conditions.

The jersey is on the shorter side, though in cold weather I'd always wear a baselayer and high-fronted thermal shorts, which meant there was never a risk of exposing my stomach.

The sleeves are fairly long and made from stretchy material.

They were very effective, ensuring I was able to get a good seal from the wind with my gloves, even while wearing a watch.

Size

The jersey comes in seven sizes from XS-3XL. At 178cm and 73kg I am perfectly in the middle of the size guide for medium and found the sizing spot on.

At the back there are the usual three pockets. The left-hand pocket has a small hole for wired headphones or a team radio – though I can't imagine too many people getting much use from it. This is the first jersey I have worn with a radio hole, so I was irrationally worried about things falling out of it!

While I could fit my Samsung S20 FE smartphone in the zipped valuables pocket, it wasn't an easy fit so I tended not to bother.

There's also a pocket on the arm but I never felt the need to use it.

There is no zip garage, which some people will find disappointing at this price.

However, I found the zip is more rigid than most, so it didn't move around and I never found it irritating my neck. The zip was easy to adjust, even when I was wearing bulky winter gloves.

The jersey is made in Italy and while the quality is good, there were a few small bits of stray stitching after a few months of use. While barely noticeable, I'd expect it to look perfect at this sort of price.

I tested the navy jersey, which I think looks good. You can choose from six different colour options altogether, most of which are quite muted, and I think the quite bright-looking green jersey would be best choice for visibility on darker days.

Value

At £209 there's no getting away from the fact that this is at the top end of what you'd expect to pay for a long-sleeve jersey.

Iwein liked the 7Mesh Seton Jersey but at 'just' £170 that looks cheap in comparison.

The Q36.5 Que X sounds very similar to the Assos Mille GTS Spring Fall Jacket C2, which George liked and is priced very similarly at £210.

But you can get a high-quality jersey for much, much less, such as the £54.99 Van Rysel Road Cycling Mid-Season LS Jersey Racer that Shaun rated highly.

Conclusion

Overall, as you'd expect at this price, this is a high-quality jersey with a great fit, and one I found very comfortable for long and challenging days in the saddle.

The well-thought-out design offers a good balance of warmth and breathability, with effective wind protection in the areas you need it most.

While there is no escaping that this is a very expensive jersey, the performance is great and goes at least some way to justifying the high price.

Verdict

Well-designed, high-quality long-sleeve jersey with good wind protection and great breathability – but it is expensive