Stolen goat jersey review: bodyline short sleeve jersey

Stand out from the crowd in a Stolen Goat cycling jersey

Above everything else, what makes a Stolen Goat jersey distinctive is the designs and colour choices.

They’re unusual.

But in a good way!

When I first looked at their range of bodyline short sleeve jerseys, the first thing that struck me was that these were something a bit quirky and different. The Fury top (the blue one in our photos) is probably the most conventional, but even then the bright bold blue and multi coloured bands marks it out as something special.

Personally, I think many cyclists are looking for this. It’s quality kit that’s bright and bold and stands out from the ubiquitous Rapha and Castelli out on the road. Stolen Goat’s jersey designs change frequently, so you’re unlikely to ever see someone in the same top as you!

I love the thought that’s gone into putting a contrasting coloured material on the inside of the collar. It looks great and it’s little touches like this that oozes class.

Another big tick in my box is that the branding is subtle. No big logos or emblems, just a small quiet logo on the top left of the jersey, under the collar.

So, what about the quality?

We found it very hard to fault. The jerseys are made in the same factory as the Belgian national kit and some serious attention to detail has gone into crafting these cycling tops. (There’s also a certain similarity of style between the Fury top and the Belgian national top!)

On closer inspection, I see there are two different materials within the jersey. The arms and side panels are in a silky smooth lyrca type material, while the front and back panels are covered in semi-perforated holes. I guess this is the UV protective material that Stolen Goat mention “makes up the core of the jersey” and “is designed for optimum ventilation and is super quick drying”. All I can say is that it works!

Stolen Goat say that the fabric features a “four way stretch fabric that is breathable and fast drying with an aero, but comfortable, fit”. I have no idea about the four way stretch, but I can verify the result. In the Dolomites and Italian Alps, we wore the jerseys while pedalling up thousand metre climbs under the scorching sun, and the jerseys still felt – and looked! – good.

What was the fit like?

Beautifully comfortable.

The chap in the green Alchemy top is 1.86m (6″1′) tall, 76kg (12 stone) with 100cm (39 inch) chest.

The chap in the blue Fury top is 1.80m (5″9′) tall, 74kg (11.5 stone), with 96.5cm (38 inch) chest.

We both wore the small tops.

We loved the snug but comfortable fit. There was no stretching, bagging or uncomfortable bits. The tops almost felt weightless. The length was also great – not too short but not drooping over our bums either! We were also impressed by how the jerseys fitted when riding and the zip didn’t really bunch up when riding on the drops or tucked in.

While the fit was on the performance-orientated end of the spectrum, it wasn’t skin suit crazy-tight.  We had room for a base layer vest underneath.

When choosing your sizing, be aware of this athletic, aero fit design. We’re very comfortable with this kind of style as we’ve both raced a lot, but you might prefer to go up a size if you want a looser fit.

A final word on fit – one of our favourite features is the aero sleeves. Stolen Goat say they’re raw-cut and I guess that refers to the fact there’s no gripper tape or elastic around the sleeve. I have no idea how the technology works but we found it meant the seamless sleeves hugged our arms and stayed in place without any tightness or restriction. They were comfortable all day long, didn’t rise up and, back to the style thing – they looked good too!

What’s it like from a practical perspective?

Absolutely excellent.

The three main back pockets are deep and sufficiently roomy for tools, a jacket and phone. The elasticated top does its job of holdings things in place.

The water resistant fourth pocket is a nice touch. It’s small and accessed via a zip on the outside of the righthand back pocket. It fits a credit card and Stolen Goat mention that it would fit a small phone – but I think it would have to be a very small phone. There was absolutely no way our iPhone 7 Plus would have fit.  This is probably the one thing we would change on the jersey, so I asked Stolen Goat about it. They say they’re looking at changing the design in order to be able to incorporate larger phones. Hopefully they can find a way to make it work as it would be super useful!

I’ve never really thought about zips very much, but apparently the YKK camlock zip on the front of the jersey is the best zip money can buy! The advantage is that you can fix the zip in a position and it stays there – good for fast descents. The fact the zipper is full length is also good for when you’re super sweaty climbing a massive mountain pass. It definitely came in handy for our Italy trip!

At the top of the zip, near the collar, is what they call the zip garage (what I would call the flap of material). This means the zip doesn’t run on your neck when the zip is closed. It’s a nice touch and works.

Another sign a cyclist has clearly been involved in developing these jerseys is the fact there are no potentially scratchy material labels on the collar (the ones with size, manufacturer etc). The label with washing instructions etc is inside the body of the jersey and the neck label takes the form of a printed label that’s on the actual fabric and not at all bothersome.

To finish on the most mundane of notes, even after being stuffed into suitcases and washed in unfamiliar washing machines in three different locations in Italy, the jersey still looks great. Okay so that’s not the most comprehensive of longevity tests but it certainly gave us hope that we’ll be wearing these jerseys for many seasons to come.

Conclusion

We love the fact Stolen Goat combine bright, bold styles with jerseys that really work. We would certainly recommend them to friends.

Pros

• Great fit
• Superb attention to detail
• Distinctive designs

Cons

• Fourth zipped pocket could be bigger so that it holds a larger phone

Want more Stolen Goat clothing reviews?

We’ve also reviewed Stolen Goat’s bib shorts, cap, socks and mitts.

What do you think of Stolen Goat cycling jerseys?

You can find out more about Stolen Goat, here.

Let us know your thoughts and any questions: get in touch!

If you’re packing for a cycling trip, check out our ultimate packing list.