Reviews

Bontrager Classique short sleeve jersey – review

Classically-styled jersey, with up-to-date merino/polyester fabric for enhanced temperature control

The Bontrager Classique is a traditionally-styled jersey brought up to date with modern fabrics to offer a smart combination of retro looks and strong performance.

The Classique jersey is crafted from a combination of 56 per cent Cocana 37.5 polyester (more on that later), 37 per cent merino wool and seven per cent elastane. It’s not heavy, by any means, but it does feel quite weighty compared to a synthetic jersey when you first put it on.

I tested it in a range of temperatures, pairing it with a base layer on days when the mercury was showing nearer 12 degrees, and on its own when the temperatures were up towards 18 degrees. It is definitely warmer than a regular synthetic jersey, owing to the fabric being thicker – wool isn’t as durable when it’s thin, compared to synthetic materials, so the extra thickness means more air trapped as an insulate.

The Bontrager Classique jersey pairs modern technology with classic styling

Specification
Price: £119.99
Sizes: XS-XXL
Size tested: M
Website: Trek

While merino wool is billed as a retro wonder material, offering no bacteria build up and a good, natural level of temperature control, I was grateful for the full-length zipper to control my temperature on warmer days or when tackling long climbs.

However, on cooler days the weightier fabric offers decent protection from the wind – though it is not windproof – and I found it a good jersey to pair with arm warmers when the temperature proved less predictable.

The other chief material, the Cocana 37.5 polyester, takes its name from Bontrager’s 37.5 active particle technology, which is also intended to assist with temperature regulation.

According to Bontrager, the particles are meant to add more surface area to the fibres, creating a ‘driving force to remove moisture’. Unlike temporary treatments like DWR (Durable Water Repellant), 37.5 is permanently embedded in the fabric and responds to body temperatures.

Paired with the merino wool, I felt comfortable – and while warmer, not as warm as I initially thought I’d be when unwrapping the thicker jersey.

The jersey has a close fit, though not a race fit, and features the three standard rear pockets and an additional pocket for valuables. Alongside the pockets, on either side, are two long vertical reflective dashes.

The Bontrager Classique Jersey is crafted from merino wool and Cocana 37.5 polyester

Other details include metal trims on the zips and pocket closure – a popper, with a faux perforated leather inlay which gives the impression of a water resistant pouch. There is more faux leather on the ‘Profila’ branded tab on the upper back of the jersey, while a tricolore theme runs across the hemline, chest and above one of the rear pockets, with a metal Bontrager ‘B’ inset onto it.

These stylish touches add a real air of attention to detail, and while not performance-enhancing they do make the jersey stand apart from the every day.

Conclusion

The Bontrager Classique jersey is a solid, reliable jersey, with classic styling. It gives a definite air of class, and points to a by-gone age, but with modern technology applied to bring it right up to the present day. Bontrager also do the Classique as a long sleeve jersey, for extra protection as a jersey from autumn through to spring.