Altura Men’s Short Sleeve All Road Classic Jersey

The Altura Men's Short Sleeve All Road Classic Jersey is ideal for when you aren't taking things too seriously or when you want something a little more relaxed when riding off the beaten track. It's a decent price, offers a good fit and comes in three neutral colours.

While I'm perfectly happy wearing my road kit on my gravel bike, sometimes it's just nice to have a bit more freedom when on or off the bike. I've found the Altura to be a good compromise, and it's seen a lot of use on my gravel rides.

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It's tailored enough to suit your position on the bike, with a dropped rear and decent length sleeves, and if you want to get a move on there isn't any baggy material flapping around in the wind.

The stud fastening isn't as quick to open as a zip should you need a bit of extra airflow, but unless you are in the middle of the pack taking your part in the paceline I really don't think it's an issue.

Altura describes the fabric – 100% polyester – as high wicking, but it's not the best. On my usual three-hour gravel loop there were a few times that I'd notice my back was getting a bit damp, mostly on the climbs, which is understandable, but temperatures weren't exactly scorching, probably 20°C tops.

It does wick sweat away, it's just not quite as fast as some, though once you get to a downhill or start taking it easy on the flat, the wind will soon dry you off. Helping this are mesh panels under the arms and a mesh strip down the centre of the back.

This does mean you lose a rear pocket over the standard three setup, but the two remaining ones are deep, and there's a zipped valuables pocket, so you're still fine for storage.

The material also has a Silvadur antimicrobial finish which seems to work well. I wore this jersey for four rides in a row, about 12 hours in total – and some of those miles were tough going too – and it was still smelling as fresh as when it came out of the wash.

One neat little touch is the light loop on the right-hand side of the bottom of the jersey. If I'm carrying a large seatpost bag on my gravel bike there isn't a whole lot of room left for a light, so it's handy to be able to clip a flashing light of some kind to your jersey, for a little more visibility.

Altura is asking just £45 for the All Road, which is competitive. The quality is good throughout, and the fabric has resisted being snagged by brambles and branches while out riding.

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It's £15 less than Madison's Roam jersey at £59.99, though that is made of a merino/polyester blend, which helps the breathability.

The slightly more race styled Endura GV500 Reiver S/S, which I'm testing alongside the Altura (review coming soon), offers more breathability and some extra pockets. It's £89.99 though.

Conclusion

Overall, I really like the Altura. Aside from really hot days, it's a good choice for gravel rides.

Verdict

Not the most breathable, but a relaxed fit jersey that works well on and off the bike