Indulge me here… I’ve been doing some longer rides recently, which start early and fairly cold, so I usually wear a thinnish windstopper jacket and a base layer. By midday it’s warmer so the jacket can come off.. but then I’m aware that the base layer isn’t quite as ‘good’ as a proper SS jersey, and looks a tad ‘basic’…

The thing is, MTB jerseys are usually baggier than a base, so won’t fit that well as a base as they’ll be all folded up underneath the jacket.

So I’m after either a base that’ll look good and work well as a standalone jersey, or..
a tighter-fit MTB jersey that’ll work okay as a base early doors.

Any ideas? Maybe a driRelease MTB jersey?

Maybe something like this?
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/endura-singletrack-short-sleeve-mtb-jersey-ss21/rp-prod203898

[Note, I don’t want to use gilets/armwarmers etc. as I’ve tried that and it’s just more clobber to put on/take off. I also don’t want a zipped roadie-type top. I’ve tried that and don’t like that straight onto skin]

Arm warmers and a thin gillet are bloody useful at this time of the year when it starts cold then warms up. Start with them on and then pop in a small pocket when you get a bit warm. Brilliant.

edit – did you add that final sentence as I was typing to make me look like a numpty? 🤣

Not sure I get the problem, but, I think jerseys have a more fitter cut these days, so I’d guess most will be OK.

My favourite jersey is a Morvelo one, which has a good fit and shouldn’t bunch up under a jacket.

How about a tighter fit “hiking” t-shirt? I used a cheapish Rab one for yeeeeaaars.

Go full 90s with a zip up road style jersey? (Oops, just read the edit)….still, looks pretty cool, will match nicely with any purple anodised bits you have 😉

Royal’s long sleeve options (Core etc.) fit well and while slightly baggy compared to a base, are long in sleeve and back so you can get away with a smaller size than you might think if you’re looking to split the difference.

https://royalracing.com/collections/jerseys/products/core-jersey-long-sleve (Out of stock at the mo though).

I have a couple of Salomon running type base layers that I wear. Superb fabric and they don’t really look like base layers, look pretty good worn on their own. Work well for riding too as they have long arms.
This sort of thing https://www.salomon.com/en-gb/shop-emea/product/agile-ls-tee-m.html
Unfortunately, due to B****t, you can’t buy from their site anymore, so would have to try alpinetrek.co.uk etc, maybe SportsDirect as they had some Salomon stuff in

cheers all

Just spotted these, which may do the job..

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/dhb-trail-short-sleeve-jersey-drirelease-2021/rp-prod205241
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/fohn-drirelease-tee/rp-prod202398

I have a Specialized Enduro drirelease merino with 3/4 sleeves. It’s excellent alone for cool morning rides (5-15 degrees), and works well under my outdoor research waterproof (0-10 degrees). Over 15 degrees I wear lighter synthetic shirts, but I’m confident it would be plenty comfortable into the mid 20s.

The material is fairly thin, not much heavier than a mid-weight cotton shirt. It’s quite stretchy, so you could size down if you wanted a tighter fit. In both warmth and fit, it’s between between my sports shirts and lycra base layers. Afraid I can’t compare to a short sleeve cycling jersey – never found one that fits to my liking.

Note I run hot and am generally more concerned with shedding heat than retaining it when exercising.

I don’t want to use gilets/armwarmers etc. as I’ve tried that and it’s just more clobber to put on/take off. I also don’t want a zipped roadie-type top. I’ve tried that and don’t like that straight onto skin

TBH this time of year (and again in Autumn) if you’re starting in lower temps and riding as the sun comes up and seeing a ~10*C change that’s precisely what Gilets and arm warmers are for, they just suit the application.
Obviously it’s great when summer hits and you can go out just a pair of shorts and a SS jersey and know you’ll be fine all day.

The only think I can suggest if you’re really dead against Gilets is wearing a LS baggy jersey and just rolling the sleeves up if you find you’re too hot, possibly layering up a thin SS/sleeveless base layer (that would be a vest to your grandad) underneath?

As for base layers I’d recommend looking at Decathlon, not just their cycling stuff but their running and Skiing kit.

multiple Thin (ideally removeable/un-zip-able) layers are ideal when temperatures are so variable (IMO of course)…

@cookeaa +1

You are trying to bend some laws of physics here…

Am i missing something? Why not just wear a SS jersey under your windstopper jacket? Why the need for a specific baselayer?

I started to wear one of these from Albion when the weather is like it is now. Full on base layer is too much and i often have some sort of wind jacket stuffed into my hip bag so if the temps drop you are basically in 3 layers.

https://www.albioncycling.com/product/short-sleeve-mesh-base-layer-white/

that was one of my options, trailwagger.

But the SS jersey needs to be fairly close-fitting so that it wears well under the jacket. Many MTB jerseys are too baggy for this.

I find a close fitting top and a soft shell with pit vents usually does it all from around zero degrees to light rain and then up to about 15 degrees C.

A full on waterproof is a bit boil in the bag but, for all but the heavy downpours a £40 to £60 ish soft shell keeps the wind off and can be worn with the vents open or unzipped slightly up to about 15 to 20 degrees, so no actual need to remove it totally.

Much easier than messing about trying to store clothes whilst riding, unless I have a camelbak on, which will take a gilet and armwarmers that the OP doesn’t want to use.