It seems as though the weather, in the UK at least, has a sense of timing this year. The minute September arrived the heavy meteorological gloom set in and I began scrambling to put away all the mesh options from my enormous stash of the best cycling jerseys, replacing them on the hanger with sensible long sleeve options. In days gone by long sleeve cycling jerseys were a winter option only; heavy roubaix fabric abounded, leaving riders a choice between being clammy and sweaty, or cold and shivery.
Thankfully nowadays things have moved on somewhat, and we have lightweight long sleeve options on the table. The Maap Evade Pro LS Jersey 2.0 is one such option, and one I am a big fan of for those fast autumnal rides where you’re just finishing in the dark. It is definitely less useful when things get properly cold, but for this time of year - in the northern hemisphere at least - it really comes into its own.
Design and aesthetics
The premise for jerseys like these is pretty simple. Take a normal summerweight jersey and just swap out the short sleeves for longer ones. It’s no different here, so if you already know you like the short-sleeved version, the Evade Pro Base 2.0, then you’ll likely get on with this one.
The main body is a thin, pretty luxurious feeling Lycra. There’s no fleece backing, it’s just the same as you’d find on a nominally normal summer jersey, but it’s also not meshy. Enough to keep some wind off, but breathable enough to avoid overheating. The sleeves on the other hand are a more heavily perforated, honeycomb-esque material, and for me, at least the real winner here is that they’re actually long enough to reach my wrists thanks to a triple-headed combo of being long, stretchy, and tight enough that they don’t ride up when in place. If you’re lanky like me, take note.
The neck has a slightly raised collar, again like a ‘normal’ jersey, so no wide, modern aero jersey neckline here. The rear hem is wide and covered in silicone dots to keep it in place, while the front hem is ungrippered and its rollover stitch is bonded rather than stitched to give the front a lower profile appearance, which I like.
The pockets, a standard array of three plus a zipped valuables one on the right-hand side, again have a bonded rollover hem at the top so there’s less to catch on when putting things in/out. A really well thought-out touch on the pockets as well is that the material behind them in the small of your back is the more breathable honeycomb of the sleeves, so as to negate the double glazing effect a touch.
Aesthetically, it’s a good-looking jersey. It’s simple, with only the MAAP wordmark on the chest and a smaller one on the back, along with a flash of colour on the rear too for contrast and a logo on the sleeve. If this ‘fawn’ colour isn’t to your liking, there are twelve other options available, some with contrast sleeves, some with matching.
Those of you with an eye for sustainability will be pleased to hear that the sleeves at least are made from recycled Polyamide fabric, though the body it seems is virgin material. Maap does state that it is working towards a more sustainable future on its website, so you can peruse that particular page at your leisure.
Performance
Once you pull this jersey on you’ll realise it’s something of a departure from the normal long-sleeve jerseys that we’re generally more familiar with. It is still absolutely race fit, and in terms of thermal management you’re going to happily fit some of the more racy options from my colleague Tom’s guide to the best cycling base layers, but if you want to put something more bulky underneath it then it will fit, but you may see some bunching. I found the limit to be something like the Rapha Merino Base Layer, but I run my version of that a size small so it fits like a second, woolly skin.
The fit is impeccable for me. It’s one of a very few jerseys that comfortably sits at my wrists in the sleeves, and the sleeves themselves have a slight compression to them. Not nearly so much as those of something like the Rapha Pro Team Aero Jersey, but enough that even over the course of a long ride they stay in place. The flip side of this is that you can’t roll them up should you wish. I know long sleeve jerseys aren’t really meant for this but it’s something I often find myself doing anyway, but here it’s not an option. The sleeves are breathable enough that they shouldn’t pose an issue, however.
While it may not be so useful in deep winter, it is versatile enough in other areas to offset this. Wear it standalone and it is honestly not much different to just wearing a short sleeve jersey, and you could happily be out in temperatures over 20 degrees Celsius and not get too hot - a key point here is also the fact your arms are out of the UV rays of the sun; not so much an issue in the UK but more so in the southern hemisphere.
With a thicker base layer, you can head out after work when the temperature slowly drops into the mid-teens. If you’re riding hard, throw on one of the best cycling gilets and you’re good into the very bottom end of double figures. Below that you probably will want something warmer, not least in the arms, which do let the wind through far more than the best arm warmers for cycling do.
The rear pockets aren’t obscenely high up the back as many race-cut jerseys seem to have, and they’ll just about swallow a pretty large smartphone. They’re not the most secure though, with little in the way of elastic on the upper hem to keep things in place, relying instead on the inherent stretch of the body material to balloon the pocket cavity out more than the hem. It’s not really a concern for the road unless you’re frequently getting rad and hopping speedbumps, but off-road it is perhaps something to consider.
One final thing is that this really is a jersey that is best suited to hard riding. A lot of my autumn and winter rides slowly morph from smashy, max HR endeavours to much more mellow plods, at which point the risk of getting cold increases due to the lack of insulation. It is actually cooler than some of my thicker short sleeve jerseys - the Maap Alt-Road ¼ zip and its full zip counterpart for example - so if staying warm is more of a battle for you than keeping cool then I’d look to a thicker short sleeve option and then pair it with arm warmers.
Value
With an RRP of £180, or $235 for those in the States, it’s certainly not a cheap option. Given it covers a lot of the same ground a short sleeve jersey can while paired with a light set of arm warmers it is perhaps a little harder to justify than a similarly priced, thicker option that’ll see you further into the winter, but it is attractive, fits very well, and does fill a niche that until recently has been relatively vacant. If it fits your bill for speedy shoulder season smashes then I think you can justify it, but there’s also no getting away from the fact that Maap is a premium, fashion-forward cycling brand and you are paying a premium for that.
Verdict
The Maap Evade Pro Base LS 2.0 jersey is a mouthful, but it looks good and fits extremely well (especially for those with long arms). It’s light and breathable enough to have a significant crossover with summerweight jerseys, making it helpful for the transition into autumn. Once the cold sets in properly though you’re going to want to reach for something a bit warmer. For high-tempo riding it is excellent, suitable for use from about 10-20 degrees Celsius with the right layering strategy. You’re paying a little for the name, but it’s not a rip-off.
