I've been after a retro jersey for a while, but always felt hesitant about the etiquette involved; for example, I wouldn't choose to wear a classic design like Molteni, as I have no experience of riding in the Flanders classic with which the jersey and its most celebrated wearer, Eddy Merckx are indelibly associated. I felt my first retro jersey should be aware, as I am, of its history and yet not a copy - something unique. This is why I loved the idea behind the design of the Velotastic 24-Seven London jersey.

Velotastic describe their 24-Seven London jersey as follows:

"We grew up watching the Tour. It really became more real for us when we started racing back in the late eighties.

One of the coolest teams around then was a bunch of Americans who raced for the 7-Eleven team. This jersey is a homage to them and also celebrates our capital city. We chose 24-Seven and London because it's a city that never sleeps.

None of us will probably experience riding up the Gavia in the snow like Andy Hampsten did in '88, but this jersey at least tips a nod to those golden years."

This is clearly a company that knows its cycling history.

Happy with my choice of design, I turned my focus on Velotastic's attention to detail. The jersey material is smooth and silky, seams and cuffs are double stitched and close fitting without being restrictive. The downside to this (for me at least) is the unforgiving profile it presented me in the mirror, but I kept thinking "more aero" and that fooled my internal dialogue into shutting up. The XL size is spot on for me with my 42" chest - if you want a more flattering cut, go one size larger.

Elsewhere, the full-length, good quality YKK zip is a nice touch for a shirt of this price. An elasticated hem and a silicon gripper all the way around the bottom edge of the shirt keeps the jersey in place even when middle-aged bulges encourage it to ride up. The dropped back offers further cover behind, and the collar doesn't gape either, which eliminates another potential niggle I've found on other shirts - I may not have the pencil neck of a climber, but I don't have the shoulders of a track sprinter either.

Another nice feature is the reflective strip on the left rear pocket, although for a UK marketed shirt I would have liked to see it either repeated on the right or centralised. This is a design trait shared by other brands, including Rapha's trademark stripe on the left arm. Whether this is a nod to cycling's European heritage, or simply catering to the US market, who can say.

What I will suggest is that the Velotastic jersey is not designed for blasting down country lanes in our UK winter - the material would become splattered with the kind of indelible road muck that has ruined many of my bright shirts. I'm reluctant to hide it under a winter jacket either, as this is a shirt to make a statement. It will get plenty of use over the winter on the turbo though, and maybe a brief sortie or two when the sun shines, the roads are dry and I have enough thermal compression layers on underneath.

Roll on next spring so I can show the Velotastic jersey off properly...

The Velotastic 24-Seven London jersey is available from www.velotastic.co.uk, priced £54.99.

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