Owning one of the best long sleeve cycling jerseys will be a game-changer for any bike rider. Proving to be an extremely versatile piece of cycling apparel, a long sleeve cycling jersey can work well across most seasons making them a great value purchase.
Often worn on their own in the spring and autumn, the long sleeves protect against cooler starts and finishes to the day. As winter arrives they become a great layering piece, teamed with a thermal base layer and one of the best winter cycling jackets.
There’s a huge range of long sleeve cycling jerseys to choose from, with some featuring a fleece inner material that adds warmth, while others benefit from panels of fabric that guard against the wind and the rain.
To help you find the jersey that fits your exact needs, we've tried, tested and selected the best long sleeved cycling jerseys, most of which will have both male and female versions available.
It's been around a while, but the Castelli Perfetto ROS Long Sleeve Jacket still lives up to its "perfect" name, offering impressive protection and comfort in wet, windy conditions. It combines the feel of a long-sleeve jersey with water resistance akin to a rain jacket.
Rapha Pro Team Long Sleeve Gore-Tex Infinium Jersey
Best for breathability
The Rapha Pro Team Long Sleeve Gore-Tex Infinium Jersey excels as a race-fit performance piece for cold, wet, and unpredictable weather. Its lightweight, breathable material repels rain and snow, making it ideal for high-tempo rides.
The Specialized RBX Expert Thermal Long Sleeve Jersey is a solid option for cold weather riding, offering warmth and comfort down to single-digit temperatures when paired with a thermal base layer. It lacks any wind or water repellency, so best paired with a rain or wind jacket when the weather turns for the worse.
The Rapha Brevet Long Sleeve Jersey is a versatile and durable option ideal for long rides, touring, and bikepacking. Its breathable yet warm merino wool will also keep odors to a minimum and ideal for easy layering with base layers or jackets.
The Le Col Pro Aqua Zero Long Sleeve Jersey is made from a soft, thermal fleece-lined lycra and provides excellent windproofing and water resistance in mist, drizzle, and cool conditions. as it dries quickly and handles autumn and mild winter rides well with just a base layer. Read more below
Castelli’s Espresso Thermal Jersey is a no-frills example of doing the basics exceptionally well. A great option for spring and autumn rides on its own, or acting as a foundation layer when teamed with other pieces as conditions dictate. The fabric is warm and breathable, with the cut offering comfort without restriction on the bike.
Cut with performance in mind, the Perfetto RoS Long-Sleeve jersey is the perfect companion for racking up the competitive miles.
With a temperature range ideal for spring and fall, the latest version of the Perfetto jersey has been engineered to provide water and wind resistance, with a GORE Infinium 205 warm fabric at the front for warmth and protection, and a GORE Infinium 203 back for restriction free movement.
During testing we were impressed with just how the breathable the jersey was, with zipped venting at the chest aiding moisture management.
The racing focused jersey does only have two rear pockets for essentials only, and as Castelli has a jersey for every season, weather, riding zone, and discipline it does make the Perfetto RoS Long-Sleeve very focused, there's even a Castelli Perfetto Light which is a short sleeved version, considered the lighter weight iconic Gabba jersey, for an even more niche version.
The Perfect long-sleeved cycling jersey for the exacting rider, less so for a do all option, but if you are looking for the best long sleeved cycling jersey for performance, you can't do better.
The Rapha Pro Team Long Sleeve Gore-Tex Infinium Jersey is similar in many ways to the Castelli Perfetto RoS 2 jacket.
The party trick of both of these jackets is to combine Gore-Tex’s Infinium Windstopper with taped seams. The material is really breathable while still managing to be windproof and also highly water resistant.
This makes the Rapha Pro Team Long Sleeve Gore-Tex Infinium Jersey excellent for foul weather riding. Whereas with a hardshell rain jacket you can easily become hot, clammy and sticky, we found ourselves bone dry, both from the road spray flicked up over an hour and a half and around our upper back where sweat typically tends to linger.
The jacket is better suited to harder-paced riding where you are generating your own heat, because it doesn't offer the same level of insulation as a jacket intended for the deep winter. That said, it can work perfectly fine on its own during the more mild rainy conditions of the spring.
Colors: Arctic blue, Smoke, Black, White mountains
Waterproof: No
Reasons to buy
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Warm
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Breathable
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Soft fabric
+
Strong construction
Reasons to avoid
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Cut won't fit everyone
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Lack of zipped pocket
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Less sustainability focussed than competition
The Specialized RBX Expert Long Sleeve Jersey is constructed from first rate fabrics with top notch build quality. Although not windproof - let alone waterproof - it still provides good insulation down into the sub 10ºC / sub 50ºF range of riding. Combined with a hardshell rain jacket, it delivers a pairing that can carry you deep into the foulest winter weather – but with the option to stow the jacket away for greater breathability should the conditions improve.
The RBX Expert Long Sleeve Jersey is best suited to those who prefer a relaxed fit and who have with shorter arms – the fit is not for everyone. We found it lacking length in the arms, as well as riding up at the rear.
Although the RBX Expert Long Sleeve Jersey boasts a top quality construction, it does lack some niceties such as zipped pocket for cards and keys, and grippers around the hem of the sleeves. However, considering the price it makes for a reliable jersey that's best paired with a winter jacket or worn during milder temperatures.
Very relaxed fit – you may need to size down from your usual size
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Not very strong elasticated cuffs
On test, we’ve highly rated the male and female versions of this specific long distance jersey.
Inspired by the long distance Paris-Brest-Paris endurance event, the font of the jersey has a zipped chest pocket for carry a brevet card that gets stamped at the race checkpoints.
Designed specifically for riding in low light, the jersey has two high-visibility stripes around the chest, along with a reflective armband. It's also made with a polyester/ merino mix, making it not only great at the double act of warmth and breathability, but if you do find yourself without the ability to wash between rides, then it's odourless!
We found it the perfect long sleeve jersey for functionality, with pockets, zips and pull chords all over the place - the Swiss Army Knife of the cycling clothing world if you will. But all this extra functionality does add up, making it not the lightest jersey we've tested. We'd suggest that if you aren't needing all the cargo space, you might want to opt for the slightly cheaper Rapha Pro Team Training Long Sleeve jersey, for example.
Water repellent quality not as high as other products
The Le Col Pro Aqua Zero Long Sleeve jersey is made with Aqua Zero fabric with hydrophobic rain protection added to it to help water repellence. On test it put up a really good fight against the wet stuff, and although the water did eventually breach the repellence of the fabric, it maintained the original warmth - which was really impressive.
The fleeced back inner of the jersey was sumptuously comfortable, and with the cosiness of high collar, will happily keep you warm on its own, anywhere between six and twelve degrees. Topped with a gilet you'll be able to wear it in much lower temperatures too.
On test we found that the water repellent coating does swiftly wash out, but it's an easy fix with an off the shelf DWR treatment, we even have a how to re-waterproof your cycling jacket page to help you.
It's not the cheapest offering, but if you find yourself spending a fair proportion of your rides are undertaken in the rain, it's the best long sleeved cycling jersey you can get.
The Castelli Espresso Thermal Jersey is a perfect example of why the Italian brand is considered the gold standard of cycling clothing. The cut is superb, highlighting that using excellent quality materials makes simple designs high-performing. Easy to layer up or down, depending on the conditions, this long sleeved cycling jersey became a go-to piece of kit for much of the year in the northern hemisphere. Sure, there are cheaper options but few will offer the same technical and aesthetic qualities as the Espresso
What is the best material for a long sleeve cycling jersey?
Are you wanting to make a cool or cold weather purchase?
If you are just wanting to take the nip out of the cool morning air, or add a layer during a warm up, then all you'll need in a thin fabric similar to that of a short sleeved cycling jersey.
At Cycling Weekly we find these a kit bag staple, ideal for warming up ahead of a race or event. Added over a short sleeve jersey with arm warmers or a thermal base layer will extend its temperature range.
For mid temperatures, the best long sleeved cycling jersey for you will probably have a soft brushed inner and high breathability properties.
If you're looking for something to take you below the 12 degree mark then you'll want a jersey with thermal credentials.
Look for fleece, soft brushed inners and close weave outers. High collars will keep the cold wind from whistling down your back. By layering up or down, the level of protection you'll get from the best long sleeved cycling jerseys in this category can be huge, from just above zero to low teens.
The best long sleeved cycling jerseys of this kind often come with additional weather protection features, such as a durable water repellent (DWR) coating or wind cheating capabilities.
All styles mentioned above - thermal or lighter weight long sleeved cycling jerseys - can easily have their temperature range extended via layering, such as adding a base layer, gilet or a packable waterproof jacket.
In really cold weather, you can even pair a long sleeved jersey with a winter cycling jacket, meaning that there’s a lot of use to be had from just one piece of kit.
Fleece linings will help trap air, natures best insulator.
Should a long sleeve cycling jersey be breathable?
All of the best long sleeved cycling jerseys that we recommend will have good breathability and sweat wicking capabilities.
It's important however to ensure that you've chosen the right level of protection for your ride and matched it with the right base layer. Some brands will even provide their own base layer recommendations to ensure you get the maximum benefit from the model.
If you decide to layer up, just bear in mind that this might impact on both breathability and sweat wicking functions. It's a bit of a trial and error to see what works well together, but if you are popping a waterproof cycling jacket over the top or a long sleeved jersey, you might want to avoid any that have water or wind proofing already as this can hinder breathability, overwhelming even the best moisture management systems.
How should a long sleeve cycling jersey fit?
The ideal fit for you will depend on the riding you do and personal preference.
If you're looking to just simply keep warm, you may want to consider a looser style of fit in order to layer up underneath. High collars will also be on your tick list.
If staying aerodynamic is more important, then consider tighter aero fits, lower neck lines and low profile pockets to ensure they don't billow in the wind when in the racing tuck.
Cuffs are the only other consideration fit wise as you are likely to want to pair your jersey with gloves at some point. It's horses for courses in terms of gloves over or under sleeves, but whatever you choose, slightly too long is better than slightly too short.
Some brands will have a few versions of similar models to choose from, so pay attention to fit guides.
The fit of the best long sleeved cycling jersey will depend on when you want to wear it.
What are the important features of a long sleeve cycling jersey?
As already mentioned, the warmer long sleeved cycling jerseys will come with more functionality.
Wind and water protection will be the most common additional feature. Be aware though that for even the best long sleeved cycling jerseys any water-repellency will be in the form of a DWR coating which will need reapplication over time. It's simple to do, but does require you to keep on top of it after every wash.
Other features to look out for across long sleeved cycling jerseys will be reflective details for low light levels, and roomy rear pockets for stowing rain jackets and gilets as well as spares and ride snacks.
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Hannah is Cycling Weekly’s longest-serving tech writer, having started with the magazine back in 2011. She has covered all things technical for both print and digital over multiple seasons representing CW at spring Classics, and Grand Tours and all races in between.
Hannah was a successful road and track racer herself, competing in UCI races all over Europe as well as in China, Pakistan and New Zealand.
For fun, she's ridden LEJOG unaided, a lap of Majorca in a day, won a 24-hour mountain bike race and tackled famous mountain passes in the French Alps, Pyrenees, Dolomites and Himalayas.
She lives just outside the Peak District National Park near Manchester UK with her partner, daughter and a small but beautifully formed bike collection.
