Rockrider Mid-Season Long-Sleeved Mountain Bike Jersey EXPL 500 review

The Rockrider Mid-Season Long-Sleeved Mountain Bike Jersey EXPL 500, which I’ll call the EXPL 500 jersey from here on, is designed for temperatures ranging from 4 to 15ºC.

However, it isn’t a traditional baselayer or mid-layer. Instead, it hovers in a unique grey area of design, featuring a hood, three rear pockets – two of which are zipped – and slightly thicker-gauge material, positioning it between categories.

Its multiple-panel design results in an eclectic blend of fabrics. The sleeves are made from polyamide and elastane, and the body from lyocell, polyester and elastane.

These mixtures are woven, and according to Decalthlon designed to stop it getting snagged on branches, while being breathable and robust enough to reduce abrasion from backpacks.

Designed specifically for mountain biking, Rockrider says it has a straight cut and looks both “sporty and casual”.

It features a dropped rear hem to help maintain coverage over your back when you’re “leaning over your handlebar", according to the brand.

It’s available in sizes small to extra-extra-extra-large. My size-large test sample weighed 343g.

Rockrider Mid-Season Long-Sleeved Mountain Bike Jersey EXPL 500 performance

I found the size-large EXPL 500 jersey’s fit relaxed but not overly baggy.

Thanks to a well-tailored cut, there’s little excess material, but it’s not too tight or restrictive.

Its stretchiness boosts that; any section that pulls tight during movement expands gracefully, contouring your body’s shape.

The soft material feels airy, light and smooth against your skin, and slides over you as you move, flying in the face of its chunky headline weight.

It even remains comfortable when sweat-soaked, not turning cold and sticky as some synthetic fabrics can.

With plenty of length, the dropped tail protected me well against mud and water reaching my skin. It didn’t ride up and tucked easily into waterproof trousers and MTB shorts, where it stayed put.

The length of the sleeves is great, too.

These are long enough to overlap with winter gloves, but aren’t so baggy that your hands are swamped with material. Add in secure but not overly tight cuffs and it’s possible to roll the sleeves up to your elbows comfortably.

The rear zipped pockets are perfect for securing softer or smaller items such as packable jackets, smartphones or tubes, for which there is plenty of space.

Its central flapped pocket is easy to access, perfect for stashing unwanted energy bar wrappers or other smaller items.

Overload the pockets, however, and the jersey tugs on your shoulders.

The hood and neck opening trap in body heat well, even when it’s seriously cold (3ºC or less). I managed to stretch the hood over my helmet, and it stayed in place while riding, but some may prefer wearing it under their lid.

At the top of climbs, slipping the hood on slows down how quickly you cool. Its collar can be spread to let air in or closed to seal your neck, adding versatility.

The baggy fit traps warm air between the top’s material and your skin, offering some protection against cold winds even when saturated in sweat. Its relatively thick construction also helps.

Generally, it runs quite warm. It's best worn on its own in hotter weather (around 10ºC) and with other layers in cooler conditions.

On cold, dry days, I found it worked best with a thin baselayer rather than a hardshell.

Worn with the latter, its slightly baggier fit contacted the shell’s material, transferring heat away from my body. But this wasn’t an issue with a baselayer.

Despite the light fabric colour, it took a lot of sweat to darken or stain the material.

Rockrider Mid-Season Long-Sleeved Mountain Bike Jersey EXPL 500 bottom line

Versatile and good-looking, the EXPL 500 jersey performs in a wide range of conditions and temperatures, always remaining comfortable.

Great features, such as zip closure pockets and a hood, only boost performance and its adaptability, all for a very respectable asking price.

If you’re looking for cold-weather riding kit, Decathlon has done it again, because this is one of the best winter MTB jerseys you can buy.