I’m looking around for a new jersey for road/gravel duties. Something a bit warm, for cool but dryish weather. Lots of brands have merino jerseys which are nice on the eye but a bit heavy on the pocket.

Having only ever had polyester/Roubaix jerseys or softshell jersey/jackets what’s the real world experience of merino/sportwool/mixes as an outer jersey (not base layer)? What’s good about them? Anything not to like?

Heavy when wet.

Don’t dry.

Fashion over function.

Thanks scotroutes – this is what I had feared.

I find I sweat more in them and they stay damp and clammy, meaning when I stop I then get cold quickly.

I’ve found the opposite, warm even when soaked. But they don’t stay as dry as a plastic base layer, nor do they dry as quickly.

TheGingerOne – As I sweat…a lot. This is a concern. I’m thinking I should stick to polyester already.

There is pretty much no circumstance where merino wins out against modern polyster fibre except looks and that feeling when you first put it on.

I also find they start smelling after a while. (Yes I wash them after every wear, but couple of mine are a damp stinky)

Heavy when wet.

Don’t dry.

Fashion over function.

Basically, this. They’re fine for low intensity exercise, I use one skiing, but anything where you’ll get a sweat on they are useless.

<they start smelling after a while>

Christ, its getting worse! Glad I asked before getting the credit card out. Only kneebiscuit has said anything that’s not 100% negative and his comment was neutral at best.

I’ve found that if it’s about 18-20 degs and sunny/partially cloudy, and you’re doing an easy tempo ride with your partner, and there might be a pub stop for a cheeky half, maybe some “Insta” action shots, then merino is perfect. For pretty much everything else, it’s nearly always sub-optimal. If you’re pushing hard, it’s nearly always too warm eventually, and if you wear it underneath a rain cape, then it’s guaranteed to be too warm. As others have said they do hold water, although I’ve not found I get particularly cold when they do. See the theme emerging 🙂  ?

That’s not to say don’t bother with them; there are some pleasing designs and colours, and they fit and feel great, and generally are well made, with some lovely details, just don’t treat them as if they’re “performance” sportswear. They’re are other things that are better for that. But for the Sunday pub ride, they’re perfect.

Its interesting, i find them great to wear. I dont seem to sweat too much in them and find they work really well, each to their own!!!

Great for casual cycling wear, proper ones from the likes of Woolistic. As a base layer, they’re a disaster, they hold moisture, wick poorly and not very warm in comparison to a decent polyester one.

merino, or sportwool (merino-polyester mix)? I find the latter much better

Worth pointing out that virtually all jerseys will be merino mix, which will account for the different experiences voiced above. I’ve got plenty of merino tops and find them comfortable and less ‘stuffy’ than polyester. They also smell less. However, man made fabrics have the edge when you want something to block the wind, repel the rain, etc, so it’s good to have a few options.

I find they don’t smell as bad as some of the cheap poly tops I wear.

I also find merino snags easily and develops small holes quite quickly.

(Disclaimer: I have only ever bought cheap merino/merino mix t shirts / general purpose tops rather than expensive cycling-specific stuff, so possibly the more expensive stuff is better?)

The best Merino (blend) top I have is actually the Aldi cycling LS jersey, which actually feels like a reasonably quality bit of kit … Just a shame it’s in a much-larger-than-me size (German) medium!

Thanks for all the feedback.

I rarely get the opportunity to do casual, pub-stoppy rides as my kids and work tightly constrain my windows of freedom. Plus, I live in a hilly bit of South Wales where sweating profusely up gradients in mizzle is the norm for me.

Guess I’ll stick to man-made.

i’m not a sweaty betty so get on really well with merino base layers and sportwool jerseys ( howies, rapha, icebreaker) in cooler weather, and conversely find polyester jerseys do freeze my t1t5 off so only use them in hot weather. each to their own.

Best purchase ever in that department is my Planet X 100% merino zip neck, long sleeve base layer.

I’m sweating a lot but can happily wear it for 5 days straight of commuting – 18 miles one way, 900 feet climbing one way – without bothering about smell.

I can have massive salt-crust stains on the back or under armpits but no small whatsoever.

Additionally finding it much better on cold days as a intermediate layer.

Plastics on me on the other handing stinking like dead hedgehog after one way ride.

Cheers!
I.

I got my merino base layers out for the autumn to find that they all had holes in – eaten by moths. That won’t happen to plastic tops. On the plus side, merino won’t pollute the oceans with microplastics. So it’s all a bit swings and roundabouts really.

I bought a few merino jerseys back when they promised to be ‘the next best thing’ . They have all been demoted to walking baselayers for all the reasons set out above except for two Ground Effect tops which are merino/poly mix and are excellent and are still worn regularly twelve years on. However they were quite expensive back in the day and with the decay in our currency are now downright dear- stick to the plastics!

My merino baselayers almost all have holes in them and once there’s one hole, it snags and gets bigger. Pure merino isn’t great although it does feel nice when you out it in.

Merino jerseys are almost always sportwool, a merino/polyester blend and they’re lovely. Warm, soft-feeling, comfortable, don’t smell as much as a pure poly/nylon jersey.

I swear by mine, they’re comfortable and when they get sweaty you don’t suddenly freeze. If sweat a lot, then I can see why you’d worry about them staying soaked as wet wool is wont to do, but it’s never been an issue for me.

Mine – Endura Baa Baa x 3 – have been very prone to snag damage though, I get roughly a year out of them before the holes become runs.

I’m a big advocate for quality merino tops for Snowboarding and splitboard touring. I’ve also worn merino continually whilst on artic expeditions and remained thankfully relatively whiff-free!

But for UK based activities such as running & cycling, merino is just too warm for everything but cold and dry days (like yesterday for example, it was about 6 degrees celcius, cold, sunny, dry and windyand I was wearing a Rapha* merino base-layer ‘singlet’ under my long-sleeve riding top and didn’t get too sweaty at all. pretty much spot on to be honest!

*The missus bought me a base-layer-bundle about 6 years ago and they are all doing fine with no holes etc!
As a mid-layer, riding top however, merino is not practical unless it’s part of a ‘sports-wool’ mix, that’s harder wearing and washes/dries easily

Fashion over function.

I’d say marketing over function and have been a victim. Have a good few Icebreaker tops that don’t see the light of day anymore.

Marketing always claims that they wick better than sheep wool, is that really something worth shouting about ?

Other claim is cool in the summer and warm in the winter, think they got that one the wrong way around.

And the last claim is that it doesn’t smell as bad as polyester after multi day use. Fair enough claim but I always wash my polyester tops after one day use.

For base-pace riding there’s nothing better than a good sportswool mix ime. Dries well enough and has warmth benefits over all polyester stuff. Generally feels much nicer on than man-made.

If you’re really working hard (training levels) or are a sweaty type maybe not. Makes a good base layer for wet rides as long as you’re not stopping too long (though you’ll get cold when stopping in those conditions with any layers – merino base will be warmer though).

As a base layer, they’re a disaster, they hold moisture, wick poorly and not very warm in comparison to a decent polyester one.

For a base layer, thin merino (vest, T or LS) with a poly layer over the top works really well for me. Warmer and the combo wicks well, I can do a brisk ride for a few hours and come back with a dry base layer and the outer is damp. Wouldn’t use it under a waterproof on its own and expect the same result though.

One negative of polyester stuff in general is that every wash means microplastics into the water. A merino top doesn’t need as much washing so less detergents and no MPs.

Have a good few Icebreaker tops that don’t see the light of day anymore

Always very dissapointed with Icebreaker – ended up with more holes than a peice of swiss cheese in no time.

Had a few of the original Howies merino long sleeves (New Zealand wool and made in New Zealand, rather than the more recent Vietnam manufactured) that lasted well over a decade of heavy use and abuse. In the end they went a bit stiff under the armpits from prolonged use of deodorant.

Like many things in life, you get what you pay for and like I mentioned in my earlier post, quality merino does count – especially in terms of value for money in the long run and not washing them with too many items with zips or velcro etc.

Original Howies merino never made me itch, however I had some merino from Ortovox and it was like a hair shirt!

I’ve got a short-sleeved Smartwool one. It’s too warm to wear when it’s short-sleeve weather, and yet it’s short-sleeved so when it’s chilly my arms get cold. Nice bit of design thinking there. I bought it because it was heavily reduced.

I do like it with a base layer underneath, but as said it soaks up water. And it shrank slightly. And the rear pockets are saggy esp when it rains.

I had a Ice Breaker base layer that was silly money and it felt nice on the skin but didn’t really wick, just got wet. And the back wore through fairly quickly cos I use a Camelbak.

As for warmth – I’d rather just go slightly thicker in polyester and be more comfortable.

I find a howies merino baselayer with a short sleeve cycling top perfect for this weather.
The howies medium weight ones last for years

stick with poly.

Sportwool is pretty good for cool weather, but not soaking riding imo. They wick sweat fine and don’t stink like polyester jerseys, so you get a few rides out of them. I have a couple of torm ones and they are definitely first choice over poly from now until proper winter.

I like wool and for me the biggest point is not having to wash it constantly. I’ve been commuting in the same long sleeve jersey for a few weeks now, and it’s still fresh. I just hang it to dry at work and in the evening, and it stays fresh. Not having to run my washer and having wet clothes steaming up my home every night is great.

Still riding in my 7 year old Rapha Brevet jersey; Sportwool so poly/merino mix. Recently worn in Armenia on a light tour in high-20s/low 30’c and fine.
Of course you get what you pay for with materials. The brand can be irrelevant; look at the merino % in the blend. The pure merino kit works well across a range of temperatures, packs well for travel and I have found it dried well too.

I wear merino when it’s cold and I’m not doing anything too active, it’s great for that but I don’t rate it for anything where you are working hard. One thing I really like is that a black merino t shirt I have has stayed black for years, not even a hint of it going grey. I don’t know if that is just coincidental to it being merino or related to its inherent properties.

I really like merino, and its a treat when you wake up on a sunday morning in January, its freezing cold but dry and its the one day of the year the merino jersey makes sense.

But for the average grotty winter day in the uk, nope. Like SRAM jockey wheels and fox stanchions its clearly aimed at winter riding in Arizona not Abingdon.

I’ve been commuting in the same long sleeve jersey for a few weeks now, and it’s still fresh.

Id love to believe it, but Im not convinced!

It does stay fresher when damp, unlike normal cycing kit which is downright repulsive putting it on for the way home even just after a lunchtime ride. But its not a miracle worker.

Only thing I have to add to the comments above is try something like a brynje layer under the merino. It’s the only thing I’ve found that allows you to have the benefits of the wool without the too many of the negatives.

 try something like a brynje layer under the merino

I have, still not as good as another synthetic layer over the Bryne. I have to say though the Bryne base layers are the best thing ever in what to wear next to your skin for winter cycling. Only downside I’ve found is the cheese grater effect if you go sliding down an icy road!

Heavy when wet.

Don’t dry.

Fashion over function.

+1

Sold all my expensive IceBreaker Merinos as they just soaked up sweat and stayed wet for ages. They also don’t hold any shape and look like a baggy jumper after an hour or so of wear. Just use synthetic stuff now…

I bought one from these guys: https://www.soigneur.co.nz/

Really nice to wear (but thinking about it I dont wear it that often) but never worn in the rain.

It’s the only thing I’ve found that allows you to have the benefits of the wool without the too many of the negatives.

The only benefit for me is skin feel.

As for not washing – maybe if you aren’t sweating much, but I always am so I always had to wash.