Mons Royale Men’s Merino Temple Tech Jersey £80.00
Performs well, well-cut, comfortable and nicely styled, but pricey and could be a slimmer fit
Jon Slade
|
Sep 28 2017 |
Base layers
Overall
Quality
Performance
Value
What's good?
- Decent warmth
- Dries pretty quickly
- Flatlocked seams & lack of seams on shoulders and armpits
What's not?
- Pricey
- Could be a slimmer fit
Buy if...
You've got the cash for a well performing, stylish tee and don't mind a looser fit
Mons Royale’s Temple Tech jersey is the long-sleeve version of the Temple Tech T Geo. As such it shares the tee’s fabric, features, generous-length fit, comfort and good wicking performance – and not insignificant price tag, but then merino is expensive. It’s a good-quality, versatile top/base layer for autumn through to spring.
The front, side and sleeve panels are made from a silky soft 140gsm merino wool (83%), 13% polyamide and 4% elastane mix fabric, while the back and underarm gussets are full merino mesh to aid ventilation. The material is fairly lightweight which means it’s more breathable than other winter base layers that tend to use heavier 200gsm merino. Although you still get sweaty when riding hard, it wicks well and dries off pretty quickly, and the beauty of merino wool is that it stays warm even when wet.
Bike-friendly features include a drop tail to keep your back extra snug, and raglan sleeves so no shoulder seams to rub under packs. There’s also no armpit seam thanks to the mesh insert. The sleeves, like the body, are a decent length even on my 6ft6 frame and the thumb loops keep them in place if you want to keep your wrists covered. The hem of the cuff is unobtrusive and flatlock-stitched (like all the seams) which means it feels fine pulled down under gloves. Also, the great thing about merino is it doesn’t smell like manmade materials do, so you can wear this a few days on the trot. One downside is that the fabric isn’t super durable so you don’t really want to crash if you’re wearing it as an outer layer.
The Temple Tech LS jersey also comes in a blue option, both retail at €90. Check out Mons Royale for more.
Test report Mons Royale Men’s Merino Temple Tech Jersey £80.00
Base layers
Product purpose:
Versatile top/base layer for autumn through to spring. It’s designed to be lightweight and breathable for “high output activity” – the 140gsm merino wool fabric (83%) with 13% polyamide and 4% elastane takes care of that, as merino is known for its wicking and fast-drying properties. It kept me comfortable and fairly dry even on day-long rides. Being wool, it also insulates well so will keep you warm when the temperature drops.
Build extra:
To enhance breathability the back panel and underarm gussets are a full merino mesh fabric. It has a slight drop tail so no chance of leaving a gap above your shorts’ waistband, plus it has raglan sleeves which are cut so there’s no seam at the shoulder that might potentially irritate under pack straps. The mesh underarm panel also has no seam at the armpit, which is a nice detail.
Product construction
Product construction extra:
A very well made product ... for a price ...
Product performance
Product performance extra:
It kept me comfortable and fairly dry even on day-long rides. Being wool, it also insulates well so will keep you warm when the temperature drops.
Product durability
Product durability extra:
Absolutely fine as an under layer but the fabric isn’t super durable so you don’t really want to crash if you’re wearing it as an outer layer.
Product weight
Product weight extra:
At 215g for a Large size it's impressively lightweight for a long-sleeve.
Product comfort
Product comfort extra:
Silky soft material, flat-locked seams and a lack of seams at the shoulders and armpits mean its a comfortable top to wear all day.
product value
Product value extra:
Fairly pricey, but very well designed and constructed.
Overall performance:
A good merino long-sleeve which kept me warm and pretty dry even on all-day rides.
Product likes:
The lack of seams around the shoulders and armpits plus flatlocked seams all-over were very nice details, as was the slight drop tail.
Product dislikes:
Maybe too loose, considering it's a slim fit. Fairly pricey.
Enjoy:
Yes
Buy:
Maybe
Recommend:
Maybe
Conclusion:
As a technical merino long-sleeve it performs well, is nicely cut, feels nice on and is good-looking. But, it's fairly pricey and could perhaps be a slimmer fit.
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