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Chapeau Club Pro Jersey

8
£89.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Well-designed jersey in terms of cut, and the fabric brings great breathability
Impressive quality and attention to detail
Breathable material
No zip garage at the neck
Weight: 
166g
Contact: 

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Club Pro is, according to Chapeau, its fastest ever cycling jersey, and while that is very difficult to quantify, I will say this: it is very comfortable, has a great fit and is very well made.

The Club Pro is very similar to Chapeau's standard Club jersey, which Jamie tested earlier in the summer, but comes with 'aero' sleeves. They are a welcome addition, with the stretchy fabric clinging to your upper arms meaning that it doesn't move and there is no need for any silicone grippers or elastic.

2020 Chapeau Club Jersey Pro - sleeve.jpg

The main fabric of the jersey follows a mesh style route which aids breathability and I've found the Club Pro to be very cool and refreshing to wear over the summer months, even on those days that the temperature was north of 30°C.

Riding hard on a climb, you'll still get hot and sweaty, but the fabric does a good job of letting airflow through once your speed picks up or your effort drops off, so you dry out quite quickly.

2020 Chapeau Club Jersey Pro - back.jpg

The cut is performance orientated but it's not as extreme as some aero jerseys. The fit compliments 'normal' body shapes rather than you needing to be a stick thin pro climber to look good in it.

It is worth bearing in mind that Chapeau has a disclaimer on its site which says that the 2020 stock of this jersey is a larger fit than intended, so you are probably best to drop down a size. This one I'm testing did measure up a little bigger than I would have expected, but it wasn't massively noticeable.

2020 Chapeau Club Jersey Pro - collar.jpg

The tail has a decent length to it to keep your lower back covered when in the drops, while the front is short enough to not bunch up and ruin the aero effects.

The full zip offers plenty of ventilation options and runs smoothly. Personally, I'd like to see a zip garage at the neck to stop irritation but that is the only detail lacking really.

Round the back there is the traditional line-up of three pockets, all spacious enough to carry your ride essentials with the openings being large enough to get your hands in on the fly.

2020 Chapeau Club Jersey Pro - pockets.jpg

Alongside those three is a fourth zipped valuables pocket, which is pretty much a must-have these days.

2020 Chapeau Club Jersey Pro - zipped pocket.jpg

The quality of the jersey is very good throughout, with tight seams that are neatly stitched.

2020 Chapeau Club Jersey Pro - gripper.jpg

Sizing options are generous, ranging from S through to XXXL, and there are also eight different colours to choose from.

Chapeau is asking £89.99 for the Club Pro, in the same sort of ballpark as the La Passione Duo jersey; that's a tenner cheaper at £80 and is a very good jersey, although it does lack a valuables pocket on the rear.

The Club Pro is a fair bit less than the Giro Chrono Pro short sleeve jersey, a similar top that has a close fit without being a dedicated full-on aero jersey. Simon was reasonably impressed with it overall, but one of the main sticking points was the price: £119.99.

> Buyer’s Guide: 25 of the best summer cycling jerseys

Overall, I like wearing the Club Pro jersey. The cut strikes a good balance between comfort and performance, and the breathability is particularly good on hot days. Topping everything off is the overall quality.

Verdict

Well-designed jersey in terms of cut, and the fabric brings great breathability

road.cc test report

Make and model: Chapeau Club Pro Jersey

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for

Chapeau says, "The brief for the Club Pro was simple. It had to look and ride fast.

'As fast as a hare or a speeding bullet train. Lightning in jersey form. Whether you're feeling fast or you just want to convince yourself that you are, the Club Pro is the one for you."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Chapeau lists these details:

The Club Pro features aero sleeves for an even faster version of our popular Club jersey. It is lightweight, comfortable, quick to dry, bullet fast and stylish.

The stripe sleeve fabric is not only aero-fast but delivers style and allows us to create tonal differences in colour that works beautifully with the main body fabric.

The rear of the Club Pro Jersey has the essential three pockets and a zip-up security pocket for your keys and coins. There's also a full gripper to hold the Pro securely in place.

You can choose to go full on with the pattern or low key with the logo only, as well as the ever sharp chest stripes. You can even pair with a matching base layer for full on dazzle.

The Chapeau! Club Pro Jersey is our fastest ever cycling jersey that offers form and function in abundance.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
8/10
Rate the product for sizing:
 
7/10

It does size up a touch big but Chapeau has mentioned the reason for this on its site.

Rate the product for weight:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

No problems at all, following the washing instructions.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

The fabric works very well on warm summer days.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The colourway looks very sleek and there is a wide range of offerings from Chapeau.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

No zip garage, but that is about it really.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It is very similarly priced against other top quality opposition like La Passione, Le Col and some of Rapha's stuff.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

The Club Pro is very good: it performs well in a range of temperatures and is very well made throughout, which definitely helps justify the price.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 41  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

Since writing his first bike review for road.cc back in early 2009 senior product reviewer Stu has tested more than a thousand pieces of kit, and hundreds of bikes.

With an HND in mechanical engineering and previous roles as a CNC programmer/machinist, draughtsman and development engineer (working in new product design) Stu understands what it takes to bring a product to market. A mix of that knowledge combined with his love of road and gravel cycling puts him in the ideal position to put the latest kit through its paces.

He first made the switch to road cycling in 1999, primarily for fitness, but it didn’t take long for his competitive side to take over which led to around ten years as a time triallist and some pretty decent results. These days though riding is more about escapism, keeping the weight off and just enjoying the fact that he gets to ride the latest technology as part of his day job.

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