Bike Perfect Verdict
Slim, stylish eco friendly jersey with extra storage for all sorts of riding at a surprisingly good price. Watch the flank pockets with heavy/valuable stuff, though.
Pros
- +
High performance fabric mix
- +
‘Re-Source’ sustainability
- +
Snug fit
- +
Extra flank pockets
- +
Premium features for medium cost
Cons
- -
Don’t accidentally put your phone in the flank pockets
- -
Half zip makes it hotter
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As with their shorts and shoes, Scott’s Tuned range is always their top-end kit, so this Gravel jersey is surprisingly affordable. The snug fit comes with lots of performance details, and the extra pockets work well for all sorts of riding too, as long as you don’t accidentally put something heavy in the side pockets.
Design and material
The majority of the fabric is a DRYOxcell quick dry, open waffle jersey material, with side strips of a more spandex style DUROxpand 4-way stretch cloth. It’s Polygiene-treated for anti-bacterial effect too. The shirt is also part of Scott’s sustainable ‘Re-Source’ initiative. This covers everything from a high % of recycled cloth and environmentally conscious manufacture to their new Swiss mothership building, which is an ultra-efficient eco build.
Detailing includes a two-tone half-zip with logo puller and a neck guard where it meets the tall collar. The rear hem gets a deep silicon-dotted gripper and there are metallic mirror logos on sleeve, chest and rear pockets. The pockets are designed with an expanding placket at the bottom and a doubled-over, hemmed top lip. As well as the three standard pockets in the centre there are two slanted top pockets that sit on the side panel above your hip.
Performance
While it’s fully synthetic, the waffle fabric has a really nice, natural feel on the skin. It’s got enough air entrapment to give it a decent comfort bandwidth in warm to intermediate conditions. It still dries/wicks fast if it gets wet with sweat/showers, too.
As well as making it easier to pull over your head the long half-zip gives reasonable venting too, although not full belly-in-the-breeze cooling. The Polygiene treatment also reduces stink build-up on sweaty rides or multi-day expeditions where laundry opportunities are rare. That all makes it a good choice for people who might otherwise be considering a partial merino mix (although Scott do an 80% merino Gravel jersey as well).
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The cut is a simple ’T shirt’ style but the material stretch keeps it close and flap free, while the sleeves come down to just above the elbow in race/aero style . The fit and styling work well for any sort of speed work as well, so we’ve worn it for road and MTB rides without looking or feeling out of place. If your idea of gravel is more dangle mug than tri bar you’ll probably want to look at Scott’s Trail range instead.
The expanding pockets also work really well for carrying a lot of snacks, spares, extra layers etc. The more structured upper lips make it easy to get your hand in or stuff them too. That does reduce security slightly and the sloping top of the side pockets increase the spill risk significantly if you’re leaning forward or riding a rough descent. That means it’s best left for gels, snacks and lighter stuff as when I accidentally put my phone in a side not back pocket I was lucky that one of my mates behind me saw it eject into the bushes and found it before I even realised it had gone.
Verdict
As long as you’re wary of the side pockets and not expecting a casual cut Scott’s Gravel Tuned shirt is a great all rounder. It’s natural in feel and in the way it fights stink but it’s got the broad comfort bandwidth and fast drying advantages of a premium performance synthetic. The expanding pockets are useful for any sort of epic ride from road to MTB and the detailing is excellent. It’s also a great price and doesn’t cost the planet as much as some other options.
Tech specs: Scott Gravel Tuned short sleeve shirt
- Price: £63.99 / €69.90 / $N/A
- Sizes: S -XXL
