Howies Slipstream short sleeve jersey

The Howies Slipstream short-sleeved jersey is nicely made, smart-looking and generally comfortable but a few niggles make it less lovely to live with than the companion long-sleeved jersey.

The short-sleeved Howies Slipstream jersey has quite a lot in common with the long-sleeved version, but with some small but significant differences.

It shares the same clever weaving technology that allows Howies to combine varying material properties across a single fabric panel without seams. For some reason, I'd expected literally no seams at all, which is apparently not yet actually possible. Even the much-vaunted Castelli Bodypaint has to content itself with being "almost seamless".

Do we have Castelli technology for dhb prices here? Mmm, well, not quite. The short-sleeved Slipstream jersey is one of three items that Howies has brought out this summer, their first 'serious' cycling gear.

It's made in Portugal rather than China. I have no problem with good quality Chinese gear but it's muito bom to see something that's been made a bit closer to home.

Any colour you like

As with the long-sleeved version, it feels quite different from most jerseys. It is a tight-knitted polyamide (96%) and Elastane (4%) blend which is matt not shiny. It almost looks like cotton. Completely Henry Ford except for a few small details: a subtle blue Howies logo on the bottom seam at the front; a reflective zip lining on the middle of the three rear pockets; and reflective stitching on the arms.

Howies describe it as having a "second skin" fit and that's about right. This is tight, tight, tight. It's also incredibly stretchy, so that tight fit never feels like it's constraining you. I did find the sleeves tended to ride up my skinny-ass biceps, though; I guess because it's stretchy in both directions.

The jersey has a half-zip on the front. It's one of those superfine "hidden" ones, and it was a little bit fiddly in use, particularly if you open it all the way down and then try and close it again.

Stretchy

As with the long-sleeved jersey, there are three pockets at the back, with a zip closure on the centre one. They're a decent size and they didn't sag when loaded up as much as I might have expected (did I mention how stretchy this thing is?). They do cling to your hands when you try and put things in and out, whether or not you're wearing gloves. This was annoying on the long-sleeved jersey and it's annoying here.

According to Howies, the variable weave is designed to allow "lighter breathable panels in sweatier areas like the underarms and back, or produce areas with more compression around hems and places where you need a tighter fit" and you can see the variation.

It is clever stuff, and clearly preferable to having lots of panels stitched together in terms of comfort. However, this is not an out-and-out summer jersey; it's a little bit warm for that. We've had some nice sunny days of late, and when it's 18-20 degrees I was too hot in the Slipstream. Everyone layers up differently on a bike. I tend to prefer being a bit cold than a bit warm.

Too warm for summer?

For a spring day that might get warmer but not hot, pairing this with some Roubaix arm warmers would be pretty much ideal for a day in the saddle. For riding in the evenings, I'd be concerned about visibility, unless I had a garish gilet or good lights. Howies have included some reflective detailing but it's kept to a minimum. To be fair, some folk will doubtless appreciate the plain black styling.

Howies say that the Slipstream jerseys are intended to be unisex. They're so stretchy they'll accommodate different shapes. There is no silicone gripper strip at the bottom of the jersey. It is held in place with a more compressive strip of the same fabric as the rest of the jersey. No issues here; it works well.

Verdict

Well made, smart-looking and generally comfortable, but the grabby pockets are irritating, the sleeves creep up skinny arms and the hidden zip is fiddly.