Stolen Goat Men’s Raggamuffin 20 Orkaan Everyday Long Sleeve Jersey

Stolen Goat's Orkaan Everyday Long Sleeve Jersey is designed to keep you comfortable in temperatures between 6 and 16°C. It is wind resistant and water resistant, and its breathability is outstanding. I think it looks great, and for its rrp of £125 you're getting value for money.

Stolen Goat calls this a long-sleeve jersey; in writing this review I found myself comparing it to a lot of jackets, as our lovely reviews editor Tass pointed out. When does a long-sleeve jersey stop being a jersey and start being a jacket? I don’t know either; most, I think, would say the Orkaan is more towards the jacket end than the jersey end.

> Buy this online here

Just like the Climb and Conquer jacket we reviewed recently, Stolen Goat takes charge of design, and uses Bioracer for manufacturing this jersey. As Bioracer is renowned for making top notch cycling garments, that is a Good Thing.

The Orkaan is made from a Bioracer-designed material it calls Tempest. It is wind resistant and water resistant and has a soft, brushed Roubaix lining. That water resistance is baked into the fabric, instead of the result of a treatment – as a result, it should be more durable as it won't wash out after a bit of use.

It's not as warm, windproof or waterproof as the Climb & Conquer jacket I mentioned above, and nor is it designed to be. It’s a jersey, remember… The C&C is for arctic conditions, whereas the Orkaan comes into its own when it's not quite as cold out (Stolen Goat says 6-16°C) – conditions that can happen at any time of the year in the UK. I've certainly been using it a lot since I've had it in for review.

One of the benefits of its 'jersey-ness' perhaps, is that the Orkaan's breathability is outstanding; Stolen Goat really has judged the balance between windproofing and breathability just right. It's better than any softshell I've tried in this respect, including La Passione’s Duo and the Castelli Gabba 2.

The YKK cam-lock zip is not waterproof, nor are the seams taped, but the Orkaan is plenty waterproof enough to keep you dry in showery weather. In a full-on downpour a few weeks ago I did get soaked through, but these were the kind of conditions where most waterproofs wouldn't have kept me dry either. Even in this state, the Orkaan kept me warm enough to get home reasonably comfortably. Had the forecast been accurate and predicted these biblical conditions, I would have taken a waterproof, but as it happened, enduring it didn't end up in any drama.

Fit and cut

I'm a medium size in anything non-Italian, at a weight and height of 77kg and 178cm respectively. Indeed, my numbers (with a 38in chest, a 34in waist and a 38in hip) on Stolen Goat's size chart put me in the middle of medium. Predictably, it fits me just right.

The Orkaan Everyday Long Sleeve is not like the racing fit Jez described when he reviewed the short sleeve Race Tech version, it's a bit more relaxed than that. Stolen Goat describes it as 'an all day performance fit'. Translated, that means the fabric is really stretchy without being compressive; there is no excess fabric to get flappy and annoying.

Features

That stretchy fabric means despite there being no silicone grippers at the hem, everything stays put.

There isn't a dropped back to protect you from road spray like the Castelli Gabba; some might see this as a negative. I prefer using mudguards to a dropped back for staying dry, so I prefer it this way. And remember, it’s a jersey…

There are the usual three pockets on the back, with a fourth, zipped pocket under the right hand one. Just like the Climb & Conquer, these pockets have a 'Pixel 100' reflective material. In normal circumstances, it puts a greyish sheen over the underlying colours; when you shine a light on them in the dark, the fabric reflects that light and makes you more visible.

Other little features like the zip garage, the lack of scratchy neck labels and the long, tight cuffs that make it easy to fit gloves over are just further evidence that this jersey has been carefully designed to be a pleasure to wear.

Several other colourways are available, though out of all of them I think the one we have on test looks best. There is a women-specific version too – women-specific fit, that is, not just different colours.

Value

The Orkaan Everyday Long Sleeve costs £125. That is not cheap for a ‘jersey’, but you are getting a lot for your money here; in fact, I think you’d struggle to find anything that does the same job as well for less.

The Le Col Aqua Pro Zero Jersey is more expensive at £145 and Liam thought the waterproofing didn't really work that well. Gore’s C5 Thermo jersey is cheaper at £99.99 but doesn’t have the Orkaan’s water resistance – if you want the extra protection of the C5 Gore Tex Infinium, it’ll cost you £45 more than the Orkaan.

> Buyer’s Guide: 17 of the best winter cycling jerseys

Jersey or jacket? Compared to the La Passione Duo Winter Jacket we reviewed recently, which is the same price, the Orkaan is more breathable, more stretchy, less warm and, arguably, looks better.

Conclusion

For autumnal weather – conditions which can occur at any time of year in the UK – the Orkaan Everyday Long Sleeve Jersey is near-perfect. It's reasonably waterproof, windproof and impressively breathable, and it looks great. It's obviously carefully designed and as a result it's a real pleasure to wear. I think that's an awful lot for your money.

Verdict

Impressively breathable, wind-resistant and water-resistant long sleeve for spring and autumn