Rosti Road Warrior short sleeved Jersey
One way of checking the variety of materials used in a cycling jersey, is to turn it inside out and look at it. There are no colours or patterns to obscure things, and you get a good idea too about the quality of the garment. Looking at this jersey from Italian brand Rosti, it was immediately obvious how they’d thought about the panelling and varying requirements.
On the back and on the sleeves, they’ve used a lighter and more breathable cloth, even down to a lighter terraband gripper on the sleeves. Under the arms is a strong net style wide mesh, allowing the air to flow freely. Down the sides is a tighter knit mesh keeping that airflow and wicking, whilst also holding in some warmth; and it’s finished off with a heavier material to the front, protecting you more against the elements. Flatlock stitching brings it all together, with an elasticated waist to hold it in place.
This is a race fit jersey, and is well styled, definitely looking the business; how it looks is ultimately down to you though, but it fits well, stays firmly in place and is very strong and stretchy for its excellent light weight. The high collar keeps the winter days out, a day the tough zip is easy to operate in gloved hands. There’s also a nice amount of material contained verging the full length zipper, helping to keep the wind at bay.
How does it perform though? Well, we started testing this towards the end of winter and early spring, and have used it with a full base layer top underneath, and a lightweight sleeveless base. It fits well with each, and the airflow is excellent due to the quality of material used. In the odd shower I’ve not resorted to a waterproof, and it’s dried out quickly in a following breeze. The three pockets at the rear are spacious and not too loose, although a small zipped pocket would be a good finishing touch.
Design wise it’s excellent, with Rosti opting for a high quality white lycra to print their funky text and brand name and images onto. This is always a better option, and whilst not cheap to produce, the finish is worth it. It’s a sleek and stylish modern design that we like, with a black and grey pencil striped base to hide the road dirt just enough. The jersey proudly displays the Italian flag, and this garment definitely has the flavour of Italian cycling – we like it lots, and think that you will to. As we say, apart from the lack of a zipped pocket, it’s a superb jersey that’ll keep you comfortable and stylish this year.
