Another sign of the gravel scene maturing is the ever expanding range of clothing aimed at the market. With a well established road & MTB range, Endura are the latest to put an Adventure range to market. We’re looking here at the short sleeve MTR Adventure Jersey. Available in the same range of colours usually attributed to Henry Ford’s favourite palette, does it deserve the adventure moniker?
Construction
Like others, Endura have chosen to use a soft merino wool-mix fabric. This has the advantages of both keeping fresh on long sweaty rides. Inside, all the panels are joined by overlocked seams which are well finished and don’t irritate. The rear pockets feature reinforcements so don’t be afraid to cram everything in! The rear pockets themselves are made from a water resistant material.
Endura MTR Adventure Jersey – Features
As an essentially plain black jersey, the Endura MTR hides it’s clever design well. Kudos then to Endura for their attention to detail. Starting at the top the full-zip features a guard and garage made from a fabric like shark skin. This is both soft to the touch and didn’t once get stuck in the zip.
There is also zip pocket on the left breast that can easily accommodate a large smartphone. Unlike Rapha’s popular Brevet jersey, you could actually fit a Brevet card into it! On the back the aforementioned spray-proof rear pockets have drainage holes and the centre slot is double-skinned and also has a zipped pocket with reflective detail. The rear has an extended flap to protect against spray. If you fill your jersey pockets you’ll appreciate the elastic cord in the hem to keep them under control.
In-use
For clothing often the best thing you can say is that you didn’t really notice it, and so it was with the Endura MTR jersey. Despite some ghastly weather in Wales, it stayed comfy and never became clammy despite the normally killer combo of perspiration and precipitation!
The rear pocket spray fabric is as stretchy as the regular jersey fabric and helped retain contents over rough terrain. Fit-wise the MTR is fraction more relaxed than a Rapha Brevet, this makes it a better match for those days you fancy pairing with baggies or a less self-conscious mid-ride pub stop.
Endura MTR Adventure Jersey – Conclusion
While Endura describes the MTR Adventure Jersey as having a merino-mix fabric closer inspection of the label reveals that merino only makes up 4% of the fabric. Having said that the performance of the jersey didn’t suffer either. It has been as comfortable, moisture wicking and fresh-feeling as any similar jersey I’ve worn with a higher Merino content. Combined with little touches like the oversized spray-proof pockets and the seemingly unjammable zip the MTR has a lot to recommend it, not least because of the price advantage over comparable items. With an RRP of £74.99, Endura has thrown down the gauntlet to its rivals. The MTR Adventure Jersey measures up for style and performance while comfortably undercutting on price. It’s just a shame there aren’t more colours to choose from.
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