Review – Shutt Velo Rapide Isobel Jersey

Shutt Velo Rapide are fast become a household name in the peloton, known for their bold designs from British based designers.  The lastest to their growing portfolio of women’s clothing, the Isobel jersey is exactly what you’d expect – colourful and eye catching.

On first appearance, the jersey is very well made with a heavier lycra suitable for chillier autumnal rides. Featuring a full-length reflective zip, mesh side panels, reinforced pocket design, a zipped fourth pocket for valuables and a reflective hem trim, the Isobel packs a lot of features.

Purple spotty design of the Isobel jersey makes for a bold statement

The bold design was well received by many a jealous rider as we set out for 100km hilly ride. If you like to hide in the middle of the peloton, then this jersey is definitely not for you. A warm purple colour with a spotty panel across the front and back, and a nifty spotty fold-down collar, the Isobel certainly helps you stand out from the standard blandness of blacks and reds of a social ride. By the end of the ride, it was the boys who were most envious of the bright and bold colours which are often not available to the the men.

As a petite (5ft2), but fairly curvy (size 8, 34/36cm bust) cyclist, I’m never surprised when a jersey doesn’t fit perfectly and unfortunately on this occasion the Isobel fell into the disappointing pool, hugging in the wrong places and baggy in the others. The length of the jersey was a little too long for me, and although the elasticated waist band is great at keeping the jersey in place whilst riding, it unfortunately gave too much fabric on the stomach creating a bulge (and if you’ve a bit of a bust like me, a white spotty panel may not be the best feature). Plus, the high foldable collar annoyed me slightly on a long hot ride, although it was pretty sharp on the eye when enjoying my cream tea.

Unlike many male cyclists with a broad back and pockets to match; packing for a ride needs military procession. The pockets on the Isobel are plentiful, with 3 open pockets across the back and an additional zipped pocket to keep the valuables in, providing many storage options. Unfortunately, the elastication on the pockets doesn’t provide a flat

collar

centre back zip pocket

finish which resulted in a baggy fit, especially on the middle pocket, which resulted in me leaving my pump at home and hoping one of the other riders would come to my rescue if I needed.

The weight of the lycra mentioned previously does mean you lose some heat control functionality on a hotter day, which also likes to hold on to the sweat produced on a tough ride (it also took more than one wash on my usual 30 degree kit wash to rid it of the smell too). That being said, this jersey is perfect for the ‘sunday social’ cyclist who wants to be seen at the local cycling coffee stop or out to a pub lunch; this jersey is full of style and all eyes will be on you alone.

As a social Sunday ride and coffee jersey Isobel scores 74%

As a race jersey Isobel scores 65%

Pros: 

– Fabulous bold design

– Heavy weight quality lycra for chilly days

– Zipped pocket to keep hold of valuables

– Draws attention to the bust

Cons:

– Slightly long in the body for shorter riders

– Lacks breathability and took more than one wash clean

– Baggy pockets

– Lumpy zipper issue

– Draws attention to the bust

The Shutt VR Isonel Jersey retails at £79.00 and available from the Shutt VR website.

Hayley road tested a Shutt VR women’s size XS