Craft Adv Long Sleeve Jersey

The Craft Adv Long Sleeve Jersey is warm, comfortable and extremely well made. It's an excellent midlayer for winter rides, but versatile as an outer for cool autumn/spring time thanks to decent rear pockets and reflective patches.

This jersey feels particularly well put together, with neat stitching all over, comfortable overlocked seams and thick fabrics that feel both soft and robust. It's very nice to wear, although, as with most of the best kit, you rarely actively notice it.

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While it may be fairly thick, there's no sense of bulkiness thanks to the diamond-shaped grid cut through the fleecy lining inside. All those thin lines of uninsulated material let the polyester fabric breathe and articulate really well.

The usefully tall collar is solid fabric for extra warmth, and the wide cuffs seal well without being tight.

They also slide easily into winter gloves, and I particularly like the length in the sleeves – it's perfect on me for a good seal without any excess fabric to ruck up.

The three rear pockets aren't enormous – from 15 to 17cm deep – but fit my stupidly large new phone almost perfectly. There's a zipped and mesh-backed valuables pocket on the central one too, and while my phone will go in, it's a fair stretch. The zip is barely 11cm long, and getting your stuff back out is like watching it being born.

Though they look like low-key stripes in the day, the black silicone detailing is actually reflective for a bit of visibility. Unusually, this blue is the only colour available, though it's a stylish yet neutral design that's unlikely to clash with much.

At £95, the Adv is expensive. It's competing with the likes of Lusso's £69.99 50 Shades Thermal Jacket, which is also good for three-season use, and the warm (and very bright) Giant Illume Mid Thermal LS jersey for £64.99.

While both of those – or the £59.99 Altura Icon LS jersey – are potentially a bit warmer, they're also slightly less breathable. That said, the dhb Classic Long Sleeve Jersey impressed tester Stu and is (like the Craft), 'the perfect thickness for layering up', and that's £65 too.

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Despite the expense, the Craft Adv LS Jersey is a lovely thing that feels worth the investment. It's well made enough to last many seasons, it looks good, and it's both comfortable and effective as a layer. Pockets and reflectives mean it's not just limited to playing second fiddle either.

Yes, you can get a very good jersey for considerably less, but even at a premium, this doesn't disappoint.

Verdict

Very comfortable, high-quality three-season jersey, and worth the high price