Best women’s cycling jerseys: short sleeved cycling tops for summer

A short sleeve cycling jersey that keeps you cool and comfortable is a necessity for enjoying—and performing on—warm weather rides.

Even when narrowing your search down to jerseys with female specific cuts, there’s an overwhelming choice of brands, styles, fits and cuts. But this also means you will be able to find something to suit your preferences and budget if you know where, and what, to look for.

First, here’s a few cues regarding what to think about when searching for a women’s summer jersey and then we share a selection of our favourites, for all needs and price points.

A good summer cycling jersey will sit fairly close to the skin and won’t flap about in the wind. Some brands boast about the aerodynamic advantages of their fit, but be careful, a jersey too tight can have the effect of suffocating your workout—you need to be able to breathe and move freely.

To help with this, a fabric that offers a great deal of stretch is ideal. Some other qualities to look out for are fabrics that draw moisture away from your body, known as wicking, and are also fast drying.

Most cycling jerseys will have three rear pockets for carrying the basic necessities while out on the road. With these you’ll want enough space for carrying nutrition, inner tubes, tyre levers and a pump—but not too much that these supplies ferociously bounce around whenever you put down the power out the saddle. Although you will find some with zipped pockets that offer better security for your valuables, such as house keys or smartphone. Some also come lined with water resistant material for added protection when you get caught in a summer shower.

Our pick of the best summer cycling jerseys for women

Here’s a look at some of the best women’s jerseys we have reviewed and some others that have caught our eye.

With each jersey is a ‘Buy Now’ or ‘Best Deal’ link. If you click on this then we may receive a small amount of money from the retailer when you purchase the item. This doesn’t affect the amount you pay.

Santini Tono Chromosome women’s jersey

With a ‘squiggles’ pattern to represent the female XX chromosome markers, this lightweight Santini jersey has been designed in collaboration with Lizzy Deignan.

Weighing in at just 108g and breathable, this jersey works well for sweaty rides indoors and it’s also practical enough for roaming on the road—making this a good value, versatile option.

Buy now: Santini Tono Chromosome jersey at Chain Reaction Cycles from £61.05

Rapha + Outdoor Voices women’s jersey

Rapha has combined quality fabric and an attractive design with a relaxed fit for this Outdoor Voices jersey.

This jersey has ample pockets that are well supported so they don’t jump around. Three of the pockets also have zipps which makes this a practical choice on road rides for carrying valuables.

Read more: Rapha + Outdoor Voices review

Buy now: Rapha + Outdoor Voices at Rapha for £120

Lusso Fade short sleeve women’s jersey

Based around Lusso’s R1 Style Breath, the Fade jersey aptly named after it’s colour detail, means there is a large range of colours to choose from if the fade options clash with your bike.

The jerseys offer a pro fit with plenty of breathability built in for hard fast rides in hot weather, while still promising 50+ UV protection.

Weighing just 111g, for a size small, there’s very little bulk, while three large and one small pocket keep it practical. This level of performance rarely comes at a price tag quite so friendly.

Buy now: Lusso Fade short sleeve women’s jersey at Lusso for £64.99

Pearl Izumi Women’s Pro jersey

Available in stealth black or teal/blue, this is a pro level piece of kit constructed from quick drying fabric which allows you to work hard. It has a close fit and a tidy collar, with ample pocket space that also holds pumps and tubes in place well.

A reflective panel can also be found on each sleeve, giving you necessary visibility.

Buy now: Pearl Izumi Women’s Pro jersey at Freewheel for £139.99

Stolen Goat Epic women’s cycling jersey

Stolen Goat has combined the very on-trend fade print with the sort of material that (race) cyclist’s dreams are made of: it’s soft, stretchy and the close fit creates a QOM ready aero silhouette.

At just 108g for a size extra small, it’s barely there, but be warned: the delicate material does show up anything you’re wearing underneath, and pocket space was not high on the agenda here. If your looking for a performance orientated jersey that’s highly breathable the Epic is just the ticket.

Buy now: Stolen Goat Epic women’s cycling jersey at Stolen Goat for £95

Sportful Bodyfit Pro W Evo jersey

Available in four colours, this lightweight jersey has mesh inserts to increase breathability, and delivers an excellent fit. Plenty of space in the pockets and laser cut cuffs for a close fit.

Buy now: Sportful Bodyfit Pro W Evo jersey at Wiggle from £54.00

Craft Essence jersey

Craft uses an environmentally friendly design process and comes out with a top end performance jersey with a friendly price tag. Just be aware that the sizing comes up quite small, and the zip pocket won’t hold much more than a basic house key.

Read more: Craft Essence Jersey review

Buy now: Craft Essence Jersey from Wiggle from £36.00

A hugely popular brand among female riders, Alé make kit that fits great, and the R-EV1 Rumbles is a performance focused utilising performance fabric. There’s a range of loud designs on offer, but we like this slightly more understated option.

Buy now: Alé Women’s R-EV1 Rumbles Jersey at Wiggle for £60.50

Wiggle’s in house brand, dhb, is renowned for offering quality cycling kit at affordable prices. The Blok range provides functional comfort, with bold designs and the Nova jersey is no exception. Mesh underarms and side panels provide added ventilation.

Buy now: dhb Blok Women’s short sleeve jersey at Wiggle for £37.50

PEdAL ED Hane Lightweight jersey

Japanese brand PEdAL ED create some beautiful block colour jerseys, utilising super soft fabric that’s lightweight and sits close to the skin. Not the most value orientated option at all, but the delicate material feels great to pull on.

In our experience, sizing comes up quite small, so worth trying on or paying attention to the size guide.

Buy now: PEdAL ED Hane Lightweight Jersey at PEdAL ED from £68.90

We hope these suggestions help you make the perfect choice—happy cycling!