Maap Allied Pro Air Jersey review

The Allied Pro Air Jersey is at the upper end of Maap’s price range, although not quite the top. It’s designed as a lightweight jersey for the hottest conditions, while also boosting a range of environmental credentials.

Not only is it Bluesign approved (as are Maap’s other garments), certifying that the textiles are safe for the environment, workers and customers – the Allied Pro Air jersey has also been made with majority recycled yarns. 

The construction: Maap Allied Pro Air Jersey

Optimised for hot conditions, there’s a heavy emphasis on breathability. To that end, the main panels on the chest and on the front feature micro perforations, while the three rear pockets combine larger perforations with a more robust fabric to better balance heat management with support. There is no fourth zipped pocket, however.

On the sleeves and side panels lightweight mesh fabrics are used to further enhance the breathability. But even with all these heat cheating features, the jersey still retains an SPF50+ sun protection factor – which many other ultra-lightweight jerseys do forego, opening up the chance of sunburn on your back if you don’t apply suncream before putting your jersey on.

The zipper is a YKK item with satisfyingly large teeth, although the zipper handle itself is quite diminutive. The collar is quite low cut, but nothing extreme, while the sleeves are “fashionably long”, extending right the way down to the top of the elbow. 

At the hem is an elasticated band which extends right the way around the jersey, with silicone grippers on the inside to keep everything locked in place. Although easy to dismiss as a gimmick, the product information is printed directly onto the fabric, eliminating the need for adding those annoying fabric tags which tend to quickly be removed, handily preserving the actually useful information printed there.

The ride

True to form, I found this jersey to be highly breathable, coping well in both the dry heat of direct sunlight after days without rain and the muggy humidity of overcast skies after a sudden shower. The feel of the sleeves, in this respect, was particularly impressive. 

Once the temperature and saturation of the air gets past a certain point, I generally find myself lamenting the length of today’s sleeves and wishing for less material for a fool-proof obviation of any feelings of clamminess. But the mesh material remained airy and pleasant, even despite the challenging conditions.

It’s not all praise for the sleeves, though. I found the hem to be far too tight and with the doubling up of the fabric there simply wasn’t enough give, with the sleeves digging uncomfortably into my arms. For skinnier cyclists, this likely won’t be an issue, but then I’m not outrageously bulky myself, so this is definitely an aspect to be aware of. 

Even with all the perforations, the Allied Pro Air Jersey lived up to its SPF50+ billing. I never applied any suncream underneath the jersey but still never got burnt or even picked up any colour at all – which could be viewed as a little disappointing, but at least fully corroborates the claims. Personally, I can’t stand the feeling of pulling a jersey on after apply suncream, so the is a real win for a lightweight jersey.

Another area which lightweight jerseys can fall down on are the pockets, with the temptation to make them from as feathery a fabric as the rest of the jersey. Here the balance has been struck really quite well, with a more robust – but more heavily perforated – fabric used. I found them perfectly sufficient for carrying my phone, pump and fuel without any significant sagging. 

I was initially a little sceptical of how thick the waistband appears and concerned about its potential for digging in and becoming distracting when breathing hard. But my worries proved unfounded and the waistband didn’t cause any issues when out on rides and did a good job of keeping the jersey in place.

Value

At £135, the Allied Pro Air Jersey is quite expensive compared to the competition. The Castelli Climber’s 3.0 Jersey is only £100 has a similarly ultra-lightweight and breathable construction, while also having better fitting sleeves and an easier to use zipper. Castelli only claims that it blocks 90% of UV rays, so those with sensitive may still need to use suncream on the harshest days.

Verdict

The Allied Pro Air Jersey is a hot weather jersey offering excellent breathability, while not skimping on the supportiveness of the rear pockets. It also has an SPF rating of 50+, which not all ultra-lightweight jerseys do. We found the sleeve hems to be disproportionately tight around the arms (at 177cm / 68kg wearing a size small), but for skinnier armed cyclists, this shouldn’t present too much of an issue.