Cycling Clothing; it’s a huge subject and one where many riders will have very polarised views. How else do you explain being able to buy your jersey for £5 (Sport Direct) or if the notion takes you, being able to buy your jersey for £240 (Rapha).  Presumably these jerseys are bought by different kinds of people and it’s very unlikely that you’d ever find a wardrobe containing both!  Fortunately this huge variation does mean that there truly is something for everybody and this is my review of just one of the many jerseys out there.

I got this jersey as a birthday present from my sister (thanks sis).  Which did give me the dilemma of whether I should review it or not; is it really nice to review a gift?  But seeing as there are no reviews on-line about this jersey I thought I would.  Zucci is not a name I’m familiar with and probably the same goes for you the reader.  It’s basically a brand name of Go Outdoors, much in the same way as Karrimor is a brand name of SportDirect, as is MuddyFox and many others!  So you’ll only get this jersey from Go Outdoors.

It’s a full zip, long sleeve jersey in black with high-vis detailing and pockets on the back; this pretty much defines it as an autumn/winter type of clothing.  With this in mind the ‘small’ that I received is of a reasonable fit. In that I mean, with a couple of baselayers underneath you get the no flappy bits, snug fit that you’re ideally looking for in cycling wear and the weight of items in the pockets doesn’t lead to any sagging.  I wouldn’t wear this without a couple of layers underneath though just because it really wouldn’t be fitted enough for that.  There’s also quite a lot of ventilation on the sides (the green bits) so it might get a little chilly without a baselayer too.

Having the full length zip is always useful in my opinion and it zips up to the neck pretty nicely, you won’t get many drafts with a buff and the zip to the top!  The zips both on the jersey closure and the central zip pocket seem to be well made and I haven’t had any issues with them.  However, while on the subject of pockets it’s worth mentioning that the outer two pockets have a smaller opening than internal width.  This is a bad design feature and means that it’s tough to get out what you put in, especially true while riding.  Bananas and long gel packets are fine as they will tend to poke out but energy/cereal bars, jelly babies etc will need to be stopped for.  Also as it is a winter jersey this whole issue will be compounded by the wearing of bulky gloves.

Generally the feel and quality of the jersey is good.  I’ve been wearing it as my new go-to jersey for winter rides and apart from the pocket openings I have no complaints.  It’s been keeping me warm and hopefully the green high-vis details have been keeping me well seen in the dark, of course I can’t know that without driving my car toward myself.  It’s no high end cycling jersey that’s for sure and the pocket look like they’ve been designed by someone who doesn’t cycle themselves but if you’re looking for a less expensive winter jersey as a top layer instead of having a jacket then you won’t go too far wrong with this one.  You won’t get kudos on your choice of jersey from the cycle club fraternity that’s for sure but as it’s winter and possibly dark anyway, well, what does it matter!