Troy Lee Designs Skyline Chill jersey review

The Skyline Chill jersey from Troy Lee Designs is intended to add a little extra warmth to your ride as the weather starts to deteriorate coming into winter, or on those chilly spring mornings.

While a winter jersey won’t replace a jacket, especially in a downpour, the good ones ensure you won’t need quite as many layers when the temperature starts to plummet.

But how does the Skyline Chill perform on the trail?

Troy Lee Designs Skyline Chill jersey details

The cut and fit of the Skyline Chill is based on the regular Skyline jersey, though the Chill uses a heavier-knit fabric (TLD claims it’s 70gsm heavier than the standard jersey) in an attempt to keep you warmer.

In terms of touch, while the outside feels silky smooth, the inside has a soft, almost micro-fleece-like handle to it.

When it comes to the cut, TLD has gone for a casual fit, though it’s tailored enough to ensure you’re not left with excess material billowing out as you ride. There’s a slight drop to the rear hem to help keep your lower back covered when you're seated or up out of the saddle and throwing yourself about.

Other details include a generously sized lens wipe, which sits on the back-left of the jersey, and a printed neck label. The Skyline Chill is bluesign-certified, signifying that it has been created to meet very high environmental standards, which is nice to see.

Troy Lee Designs Skyline Chill jersey performance

In many ways, thanks to the handle and weight of the fabric, the Skyline Chill feels very much like a regular jersey. There are no fluffed-up fleecy windstopper panels and there's no noisy thermal material.

The lack of bulk or additional weatherproofing materials means the Skyline Chill is best suited to those transitional autumn or spring days, when it's cold but not freezing outside.

I found the Skyline Chill jersey really came into its own on the days when the weather changed frequently. While autumnal days can be cold first thing, when the sun does pop out the temperature really can creep up. Here, the Skyline Chill excels.

While it’s not the warmest winter jersey going, there’s enough insulation on offer to prevent you getting cold. Yet when you start working really hard, it never feels stifling or as though you’re close to overheating.

Naturally, pairing it with a thick long-sleeve baselayer means it’ll be fine when it gets properly chilly, but it won’t keep you as cosy as some jerseys, especially if there’s a cold headwind.

The cut and fit are spot on, too, with ample length in the sleeves and body preventing me from feeling as if I wasn’t properly covered when on the bike. Thanks to the close-fitting neck, cold drafts are kept out.

While the cuffs aren’t particularly deep or tight, you can still comfortably push the sleeves up your forearms (where they’ll stay) should you feel the need to.

Overall, while the Skyline isn’t the warmest winter jersey going, it’s a great bit of kit for autumn and spring rides, when the temperature can really fluctuate throughout the day. I’m a big fan of the fit and feel, but there’s no getting away from that lofty price tag.

Troy Lee Designs Skyline Chill jersey bottom line

While the Skyline Chill jersey isn’t cheap, it works really well on chilly rides, where it’s too mild to wear a jacket but riding in just a regular jersey and baselayer isn’t quite enough.

It may not be quite as snug as some when it gets really cold out, but I like the fact that it retains more of that ‘regular’ jersey feel, yet still feels plenty warm enough.

It also means when you do get working really hard, the Skyline Chill never feels overly hot or stuffy, which is a big plus.