SFR Jersey Review
I managed to get out for a short ride yesterday (July 4th) in spite of some general vacation-day laziness, household chores, and celebratory BBQ preparations at a friends' place (cedar plank-grilled salmon fillet, tasty!) ...did a quick 40 miles on the abbreviated Paradise Valley Loop route, and I wore my new San Francisco Randonneurs jersey for the first time. So here are some general impressions...
It was a pretty warm day yesterday -- in fact it ended up being the first day this year that I rode in short sleeves and shorts, sans arm- and leg-warmers. It was also pretty windy and a little chilly crossing the GGB, but never bad enough that I felt the need to pull on the warmers or the fleece vest I packed in the handlebar bag.
During ride preparations, at first I dug my standard warm-weather-goto polyester jersey from the bike-wear drawer, but then changed my mind. The SFR jersey is made from a fairly thin wool weave, and I figured it wouldn't be too hot on an 80-degree day. Turns out I was right. The Medium jersey fits me well (for reference I'm 5'10" tall, around 145lbs, and wear a 38-39 sport coat) although I wouldn't want it to be any shorter in the torso -- I'll be hand washing and line-drying this one ONLY to prevent any shrinkage, despite the instructions that machine-washing is OK. The jersey isn't too tight across the torso, which allowed for some air-circulation, and the loose-fitting raglan-cut sleeves allowed for some additional armpit-airing, further helping to keep things cool. However, I must say that the sleeves ride up oddly, and I suspect that this'll be a problem when wearing arm warmers.
I stuffed my usual ride accessories (contact lens drops, chapstick, wallet, cellphone, pencam, keys) into the three rear pockets of the jersey. Everything fit and nothing bounced out (I would've loved button-closures on the pockets) but, typical with wool, the jersey sagged a bit in back. I won't be overstuffing these pockets with anything more.
The nicely-designed SFR logo (thanks Carlos!) is embroidered onto both the front and back of the jersey, and on the inside employs some fabric batting to stiffen things up and reinforce the stitching. I was worried that this heavier fabric might chafe during riding, but I'm happy to report that it was fine and totally comfortable.
The zipper worked well enough for temperature control, although I would've liked it to be a couple of inches longer.
The merino wool feels wonderful against the skin!
Overall I'm pretty happy with this jersey and look forward to wearing it on many more rides...
It was a pretty warm day yesterday -- in fact it ended up being the first day this year that I rode in short sleeves and shorts, sans arm- and leg-warmers. It was also pretty windy and a little chilly crossing the GGB, but never bad enough that I felt the need to pull on the warmers or the fleece vest I packed in the handlebar bag.
During ride preparations, at first I dug my standard warm-weather-goto polyester jersey from the bike-wear drawer, but then changed my mind. The SFR jersey is made from a fairly thin wool weave, and I figured it wouldn't be too hot on an 80-degree day. Turns out I was right. The Medium jersey fits me well (for reference I'm 5'10" tall, around 145lbs, and wear a 38-39 sport coat) although I wouldn't want it to be any shorter in the torso -- I'll be hand washing and line-drying this one ONLY to prevent any shrinkage, despite the instructions that machine-washing is OK. The jersey isn't too tight across the torso, which allowed for some air-circulation, and the loose-fitting raglan-cut sleeves allowed for some additional armpit-airing, further helping to keep things cool. However, I must say that the sleeves ride up oddly, and I suspect that this'll be a problem when wearing arm warmers.
I stuffed my usual ride accessories (contact lens drops, chapstick, wallet, cellphone, pencam, keys) into the three rear pockets of the jersey. Everything fit and nothing bounced out (I would've loved button-closures on the pockets) but, typical with wool, the jersey sagged a bit in back. I won't be overstuffing these pockets with anything more.
The nicely-designed SFR logo (thanks Carlos!) is embroidered onto both the front and back of the jersey, and on the inside employs some fabric batting to stiffen things up and reinforce the stitching. I was worried that this heavier fabric might chafe during riding, but I'm happy to report that it was fine and totally comfortable.
The zipper worked well enough for temperature control, although I would've liked it to be a couple of inches longer.
The merino wool feels wonderful against the skin!
Overall I'm pretty happy with this jersey and look forward to wearing it on many more rides...
posted by jim g at 11:43 AM
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