The Sportful Pista short sleeve jersey represents an affordable entry point into the Italian firm’s range.
The jersey is made from what Sportful call a Nimbus fabric. It’s 100 per cent polyester and is extremely lightweight and soft to touch. This is a jersey designed for warm summer rides and the perforated fabric does a very good job at transporting moisture away from the skin or a base layer.
A mesh material (unsurprisingly called Nimbus Mesh) is used under the arms and, once again, this is designed to keep you cool but in areas more prone to heat and moisture build-up. It works well in conjunction with the regular Nimbus fabric used on the rest of the jersey, while the full-length zip is a neat feature which is most effective on warm days, when it allows you to regulate air flow to a far greater degree than a shorter zip.
Sportful, being Italian, produce clothing which is, well, less-suited to more generously proportioned British riders. The Pista jersey is described as having a ‘comfort fit’ and it’s a little more roomy, particularly around the middle, than Sportful clothing we’ve previously tested, plus the fabric has plenty of stretch. However, the arms, which are finished with a microfibre jacquard knit elastic bearing the Sportful logo at the end of each sleeve, are still very slim.
Out back there are three rear pockets, as well as an additional zipped pocket for a mobile phone or set of keys. The four-pocket arrangement is enough to carry the supplies required for a day’s riding but the pockets are prone to sagging a little when fully loaded.
That’s in part due to the stretchy fabric and more generous cut but also the absence of a silicone gripper around the hem of the jersey, which would help lock everything in place. It’s an obvious omission from a stylish summer jersey which is low on price but otherwise not short on features.
Sizes: S-XL
Price: £40
Website: Sportful
UK distributor: C3 Products
