The SS Venice BO, Heini Cycling Jersey was tested by Sumit Patil, Cyclop Team. Sumit, based in Mumbai, is an ultra-cyclist, listed in the Limca Book of Records. He has represented India at the prestigious RAAM race.
I tested the SS Venice BO, a Heini cycling jersey on 100 km+ rides in the daytime. One of the rides was in peak afternoon around Mumbai and Alibag. Usually the weather is on the cool side in Mumbai, and the humidity is quite high. I also tested the jersey on an indoor trainer.
The jersey oozed quality right out of the box. While going through the details, the Made in India tag on this jersey brought a smile to my face.
Fabric – Lightweight, Breathable, Stretchy, No Sagging
The jersey feels lightweight and at 128.6 gm for medium size, it certainly is!
The front and back of the jersey is constructed out of a breathable, four-way stretch fabric. The stretch is more lateral compared to vertical which ensured that there was no sagging even when the pockets were loaded heavily during one of my long rides.
The shoulders, sleeves and the side torso of the jersey are made out of a perforated fabric to enhance breathability.
One of the best things for a long distance cyclist, like me, is the silver nano technology incorporated in this jersey. It did seem to do its job on my rides! The jersey felt refreshing and by that, I mean that it was good at sweat-wicking and was odour-free even at the hundredth kilometre of an afternoon century ride and was wearable, without a wash, for the next day’s ride. I haven’t pushed it beyond that, yet!
Fit, Grip & Sleeves
Talking about the fit, it’s snug but not restrictive. The feel and the lightness of the fabric makes you forget you’re wearing one!
The one-inch tall collar looks nice unlike a few open-neck jerseys.
The silicon gripper strip throughout the waistband holds the jersey in place. The sleeves have an optimum length. The 2-inch wide sleeves gripper is made out of a stretchy, silicon free band, which keeps the sleeve from sliding up without any form of skin irritation.
The Zip
The jersey has a full length YKK zipper. YKK, need I say more! The zip garage keeps the Adam’s apple happy, if you zip-up all the way. If only Heini could tidy up the zipper seam, the jersey would be blemish free.
Pockets & Visibility
The jersey has three conventional back pockets. The right side pocket has a button hole to allow the earphone through. It also has a fourth piggybacked, zip-up security pocket with an internal earphone hole and a reflective zipper on it.
I use this pocket to secure my phone and to route my earphones through it neatly. The centre pocket can take a cycling sipper. The other two can accommodate the sipper only if you shove it in.
The pockets are a tad confined but they can easily store a small pump, spare tube or two, tire levers, a multi tool kit, an energy bar or two and a phone and may be a little more!
The back pockets have a reflective piping, to help ‘being seen’, while on the road.
Heini Cycling Jersey Is For …
In my opinion Heini SS VENICE BO is a race leader’s jersey.
No flapping.
No irritation, no chafing.
A race-fit aero jersey that stays fresh and certainly goes FAST!
PROS
-Non-restrictive snug fit
-Breathable
-Stays fresh after long rides
-Lightweight
-Aerodynamic advantage
CONS
-Slightly confined pockets
-Sloppy zipper seam
