Gear News

Six highlights from Sportful’s 2018 spring/summer clothing range

From the revamped BodyFit Pro jersey line-up to the all-new R&D Celsius range, we take a look through Sportful's latest clothing collection

Sportful’s clothing range has been revamped for the 2018 spring/summer season, with a refreshed line-up of jerseys inspired by the Italian brand’s two sponsored WorldTour teams.

The Dolomites-based firm is partnering with Peter Sagan’s Bora-Hansgrohe team and Vincenzo Nibali’s Bahrain-Merida squad this year and the BodyFit Pro line-up takes the jerseys worn by those teams and offers them to wider public. You get the same fit and features, but without the sponsors’ logos.

We’ve taken a closer look at the BodyFit Pro Evo, BodyFit Pro Classics and BodyFit Pro Light jerseys in the video above, along with a handful of other highlights from the range, including the refined BodyFit Pro Ltd bib shorts, or read on for more about Sportful’s refreshed clothing range.

Sportful BodyFit Evo Jersey – £90.00

The BodyFit Pro Evo is the go-to jersey for Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain-Merida riders, and is designed for day-to-say summer use. As a result, you get a lightweight fabric (though not as lightweight as the BodyFit Light jersey), an aero-inspired fit and laser-cut sleeves.

Sportful’s BodyFit Pro Evo jersey is designed for day-to-day summer user (Pic: Toby Martin/Factory Media)

You also get three rear pockets and reflective accents, and you can take your pick from five colours, including the ‘blue twilight/yellow fluo’ option pictured here.

Sportful BodyFit Pro Light Jersey – £80.00

Unsurprisingly, the BodyFit Pro Light Jersey is a lightweight version of the Evo, with a minimalist mesh fabric used to improve breathability and airflow.

The BodyFit Pro Light jersey is made from, you guessed it, a super-light fabric (Pic: Toby Martin/Factory Media)

The BodyFit Pro Light is a jersey designed for the hottest summer conditions and that’s reflected in a recommended temperature range of 20 to 35 degrees (compared to 20 to 30 degrees for the Evo). This time you get three colours to choose from, including our anthracite/black/red test sample.

Sportful BodyFit Pro Classics Jersey – £90.00

Whereas the Light jersey is designed for summer use, the BodyFit Pro Classics jersey is inspired by the cooler conditions of the Spring Classics. However, the Classics jersey isn’t to be confused with Sportful’s Fiandre range, which offers water resistant protection.

The BodyFit Pro Classics jersey has a lightly brushed interior (Pic: Toby Martin/Factory Media)

Instead, the Classics piece has a lightly brushed interior to offer additional warmth over a typical short-sleeve jersey, making this an ideal piece for spring rides (and, depending on where you live, summer rides when the temperatures is struggling to get out of the teens).

Once again you get three rear pockets, while details include a flap over the front zip to help stop the wind sneaking through. The ‘raspberry/wind/coral fluo’ jersey pictured is one of three colour options.

Sportful BodyFit Pro Ltd Bib Shorts – £115.00

Moving onto bib shorts, these are a subtle update on a long-time Sportful favourite. The bib strap construction has been refined, with each individual strap now being made from one piece of fabric.

The popular BodyFit Pro Ltd bib shorts have been updated for spring/summer 2018 (Pic: Toby Martin/Factory Media)

The shorts are also slightly longer in the leg, bringing them up-to-date with contemporary trends, and are finished with seamless leg bands. Otherwise, you still get flat-lock stitching throughout, a lightly compressive (and, according to Sportful, aero) lycra fabric and Sportful’s 13mm-thick TC Pro chamois – a favourite of the pros. If you want something a bit plusher, the Total Comfort shorts (£130.00) are built with, well, pure comfort in mind and have a heavily-padded 18mm chamois.

Sportful 2018 spring/summer clothing (Pic: Toby Martin/Factory Media)

Sportful Fiandre Light NoRain SS – £100.00

Moving on and here’s our pick from the latest Fiandre range. As we’ve already alluded to, Fiandre is Sportful’s line-up of weatherproof clothing, inspired by the changeable conditions of Flanders (Fiandre is Italian for Flanders).

The Sportful Fiandre Light NoRain SS now has three pockets (Pic: Toby Martin/Factory Media)

The Light NoRain SS could be described as a water resistant gilet with short sleeves, so you get a bit more protection than a typical vest, both from the fact you have sleeves and that it’s made from a windproof and water repellent fabric. While the Light NoRain SS has been around for a while, it now has three rear pockets (whereas there were none before), making this an even more versatile piece. If you want a bit more colour, there are also yellow fluo and orange options.

Sportful R&D Celsius Jersey – £110.00

Finally, as far as this highlights reel is concerned, we’ve got the Sportful R&D Celsius jersey. Now, we gave you a glimpse of this back at Eurobike, and here it is in the flesh. The R&D range includes Sportful’s most cutting-edge clothing and the Celsius jersey has an inner mesh layer designed to improve moisture transfer by increasing airflow next to the skin.

The R&D Celsius jersey has an inner mesh layer to aid moisture transfer (Pic: Toby Martin/Factory Media)

The result, according to Sportful, is a jersey that keeps you cool in warm temperatures, while the fact your skin is dry should help retain warmth in cool conditions, according to the brand. Is this the Swiss Army Knife of cycling jerseys? Oh, and we’re big fans of the jazzy design, but there’s also a black option if you want something a bit more understated.