We know the price will make a lot of you flinch, but if you’re a devotee of merino wool you’ll already know that it doesn’t come cheap. Plus, the Rapha Country is actually a more complicated version known as Sportwool.
It’s a mix of merino and polyester, with merino inside and a smooth polyester outside. The idea is you get all the natural comfort benefits of merino wool against your skin, but once sweat is wicked through to the manmade surface it disperses and dries more quickly than it would in an all-wool jersey.
We like the way merino gets warm to a point and then suddenly your temperature seems to regulate, and we weren’t disappointed by this version of it. It’s especially good when a ride starts in the morning chill then warms up.
The cut, we cannot lie, is slim to roadie-skinny. It’s also very short. We’d like to say go up a size if you prefer the relaxed look, but suspect the immaculate styling wouldn’t work, so you’re just going to have to suck it in...
The finish is exceptionally high quality. Details such as a hem gripper and hidden drawcord add value, and we love the practicality of the inner pump sleeve and oversized zip pull on the valuables pocket.
This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.
