MBR Editor’s Choice 2019: Specialized Enduro Drirelease Merino 3/4 jersey, £48

Recent Specialized riding jerseys have looked good but felt unpleasant next to skin and turned into sweat bags at the mere hint of effort. The Enduro Drirelease Merino is literally a breath of fresh air. It’s lovely and soft against your skin, and it does a great job of wicking away sweat to keep you cool and comfortable. It’s even got a zip pocket that’ll hold your phone and car key without flapping around. A superb mountain biking garment that’s become a firm favourite with MBR staff.

Specialized Enduro Drirelease Merino 3/4 jersey review

Sometimes you get a special piece of kit you can’t put down like this Specialized Enduro Drirelease Merino 3/4 jersey top.

>>> The best mountain bike jerseys

Merino wool’s renowned for that magic thing of keeping you warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot (and never getting too stinky), but whatever synthetic fibres Specialized has blended with the wool here to expel moisture for it’s ‘Drirelease’ formula, this fabric dries way faster than any other I’ve tried, which is a massive bonus since I sweat loads riding.

It’s so effective, this drying is to the point wind and cooling from one long downhill run can turn a saturated mess into a damp or even fully dry top. No other merino jersey I’ve owned performs that trick to this extent.

I’ve noticed other industry mates (who can presumably pick and choose riding kit) often wear this Spesh top too, which speaks volumes about the performance. I’d go even further though and rate as the best riding jersey I’ve owned; it’s that good.