Van Rysel RCR jersey review: a racy budget option that delivers in most areas
A stylish, reasonably priced race jersey from French brand Van Rysel
Another very well-priced, nice-looking product from Van Rysel, the RCR jersey provides a performance-oriented, modern aesthetic with a great cut. Just make sure you are happy with the pockets, as they are shallower than those on most jerseys.
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Good cut
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Decent fabrics
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Reasonable price
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Shallow pockets
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A couple of cheap-looking touches
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Van Rysel is Decathlon’s own cycling brand, with everything from clothing, shoes and helmets to complete bikes available. Its sponsorship of a WorldTour team has meant that over the last few years it has really stepped up its game and it now produces lots of great products that are generally good value as well as high performance.
As the price of cycling clothing rises, with £200/ $200+ jerseys not unusual, it's fantastic to see lower-priced options available that don’t seem to sacrifice much in performance or style.
Design details
Van Rysel’s RCR Jersey is a modern, lightweight top with what they call ‘Pro Fit’, meaning that it is very close-fitting, similar to many of the best cycling jerseys. Two fabrics have been used in its construction, with ‘Amigo’, a slightly denser material over the chest and back, and a lighter, more mesh-like material down the sides, over the shoulders, and for the sleeves.
Overall fit is good and close
The collar isn’t quite as low-cut as some jerseys, but is still pretty minimalist, while the sleeves are a good, bicep-covering length, with a raw-cut finish complete with micro-dot silicone grips. The entire hem is elasticated, with a silicone gripper running around the inside, and the front zip locks when flipped down, so it stays in place.
Mid-height collar and small, locking zip
In addition to the expected three rear pockets, there is a horizontally zipped security pocket on the middle pocket and two smaller, extra pockets on each hip; ideal for sticky gel wrappers. The required care labels are another neat touch, attached with a soft fabric tab so that when they are cut out, the remaining stub isn't scratchy; it's a feature I’d previously only seen on high-end garments.
6 handy pockets and a message to 'Embrace the Light'
I liked the green fade colourway with pink logos and motifs, but I have no idea what the wording ‘Embrace the light’ means on the back? It sounds more like something you’d say to someone on their deathbed than words of motivational encouragement!
Along with the Pine Green, Lemonade Yellow, Ultra White, and Indigo Blue are available in XS to XXL, with the jersey claimed to be unisex.
Performance
As ever with Van Rysel, my initial impressions were pretty good, and I was impressed with the fit and feel of the jersey. It was snug but comfortable, and certainly a much better cut than the similarly budget-orientated Madison Flux Jersey. It is perhaps on the smaller side of medium though, and I’m not convinced that it would work particularly well for many women, despite its unisex claims, but that isn’t really for me to say.
I wore it in cool weather with arm warmers (when the sleeve grippers helped keep them in place) and in 30°C+ weather in Mallorca and Gran Canaria, where the fabrics coped perfectly well with comfort and moisture management.
The lightness and stretch of the materials allowed full, unrestricted movement whilst keeping the jersey flap-free at speed; just don’t expect much by way of warmth if the temperature drops.
A couple of minor criticisms, before one major one: Personally, I think that elasticating the front half of the bottom hem and the attempt at hiding the front zip behind small plackets are both unnecessary and slightly cheapen the look of the jersey, but that might be subjective.
What is objective is that the rear pockets are too shallow.
A quick survey of pockets on some of my other jerseys (Castelli, Santini, Assos, and Velocio) revealed an average depth of roughly 16-17cm, whereas the Van Rysel RCR pockets are only about 13cm deep. To be fair, I didn’t lose anything out of them, and it certainly made accessing them a bit easier, but I spent more time than usual patting my pockets mid-ride to check that nothing had made a bid for freedom. My phone (a modestly sized iPhone 14), for instance, protruded noticeably rather than being safely tucked away; I certainly wouldn’t want to ride off-road with the RCR jersey and anything valuable in the pockets.
There might be six of them, but the pockets are much shallower than normal
It’s an odd misstep by Van Rysel, as whilst some things can be forgiven on lower-priced products, deeper pockets wouldn’t really have affected the cost at all. On the plus side, I liked the small side pockets that remained virtually invisible until I needed to stash some wrappers, after all, no one wants their phone, gilet or keys covered in sticky gel residue.
Value
The RCR Jersey is really good, but I think that the pocket issue is a problem at any price. It retails for £60/ $89.99, and for that it offers a well-cut, comfortable jersey with decent fabrics and a modern aesthetic, which should make it great value.
For me, though, the pocket security costs at least half a star. If the jersey was more expensive, then I would probably penalise it more, but to give Van Rysel credit, the value inherent in such a nice jersey offsets it to a degree.
It is certainly worth popping into your local Decathlon, trying one on, and seeing if your ride essentials fit safely into the pockets; if so, it's certainly good value for money.
Tech spec
- Price: £60/ $89.99
- Pockets: Six
- Fit: Race
- Type: Short sleeve
- Colours: Pine Green/Delicate Green (tested), Pink, Pine Green, Lemonade Yellow, Ultra White, Indigo Blue/Delicate Green
- Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
