dhb Aeron Ultra short sleeve jersey review

The dhb Aeron Ultra short sleeve jersey was selected for an Editor's Choice award in 2020. This year's list contains 78 items which scored a 9 or 10/10 with our tech team - this gear is the best of the best, and has received the Cycling Weekly stamp of approval. 

With cycling adventures and bike packing on the rise, long-distance riding is one of the most popular pastimes to be had on two wheels.

Spending all day, and sometimes all night, on your bike applies a huge demand on your kit. Comfort and durability come at the top of the list, as does practicality - and the dhb Aeron Ultra short sleeve jersey delivers all three in spades.

There are two versions of the Ultra, male and female, and we picked up the women's specific jersey for our review and it's hard to know where to start as it's one of the best-designed pieces of apparel I've seen in long time.

There's the fabric. The main material is 'Revolutional Energy fabric' produced by Italian brand Carvico, it promises to assist muscular compression, and in doing so reduce rider fatigue and possible injuries, thereby helping to improve performance.

This has then been giving a  Coldblack finishing treatment, a highly regarded process that comes from the Swiss fabric house Schoeller and protects the rider from heat built up and UV rays for up to 30+. We've been long term fans of the technology having been early adopters, and are still impressed by its performance over a decade later.

Balancing out the fabric density are mesh panels under the arms, central back and pocket insides. It's a great design idea to have it as the pocket inner, helping to reduce the jersey overall weight, keeping a UK Size 8 to 110g, putting it in the same weight category as with Santini Too Chromosome Jersey and the Lusso fade. It also helps keep fabric layering to a minimum, optimising the jersey's breathability.

The only downside of the mesh fabric panel is that it doesn't gain the Coldblack® finishing treatment, meaning that the central back panel is open to UV rays, so you may want to think about sunscreen protection under your jersey after all, especially if you're vulnerable to sunburn and don't want to end up doing a Chris Froome.

Next is the fit. The dhb virtuosos have clearly spent a lot of time getting the fit 'just so' and it's paid off.

The arms are what most would probably consider fashionably long, at 21 centimetres from shoulder to hem. It's a fit that is taking me some getting used to, and I wasn't keen on when I last saw it on the Katusha Allure jersey, but the fabric really pays off here on the Aeron Ultra and rather than feeling restricted, I felt simply held nicely together, especially over rougher terrain.

dhb Aeron performance fit as standard

The rest of the jersey fits incredibly snugly, and is definitely in keeping with the rest of the performance wear of the dhb Aeron range.

If great fabric and fit wasn't enough, there's the function - in this case in the form of pockets, a whole five of them, and all usable. Knowing that you genuinely can go out for a long day or days with all your needs covered is a joy. There's space for nutrition, layers, phone etc - you don't have to choose between either arm warmers or gilet as there's storage room for both.

My only grumble is that I personally would rather the two additional pockets be swopped around, so that the zipped secure is on my left and open right as that's naturally my snack pocket and after two and a bit decades of riding, it's mentally too hard to swop me round.

The whole package is a treat. Wearing it on one of the hottest days of the year, it's hard to get your head around opting of a dark colour in the heat, but Coldblack lived up to its usual high standards and I didn't feel over warm at any stage.

With the naturally dense Revolutional Energy fabric on the front and shoulders, simply adding a gilet and a pair of arm warmers extended the temperature range of the dhb Aeron Ultra Women's short sleeve jersey by about 10degress, making it perfect for bike packing, long distance rides when you're riding early morning, or late at night.

Talking of night riding, that's my only other concern, the lack of brighter colour options and limited reflective details. The dhb logo at the rear and tabs on the arms are better than most, but I feel it could be ramped up a little to make you more visible to other road users at night.