The Sportful Pro Baselayer Tee is really designed for roadies, but don’t let that put you off. Because base layers are much more of a staple for road than MTB, and something most roadies wear on every ride, road apparel brands have bigger ranges, do more R&D on them and ultimately pack more technology into their line ups. For these reasons, I reckon they make the best cycling base layers, period.

Any sorted base layer needs to handle moisture and heat built up while exerting yourself and also manage rider temperature. The best ones wick sweat away from the skin to evaporate on the outer face of the fabric and dry quickly. They also keep the rider from under or overheating by clever use of fabric textures and technology to work with air movement around skin.

The Sportful Tee material is super thin, and the mesh back panels are stretchy and cooling

Functional rather than fashionable, some of these mesh and transparent tops might look a bit like string vests your grandad wore or what you might rock when down at a rave, but it’s all in the name of performance. And seeing as they are worn underneath riding kit anyway, who cares?

One recommendation to bear in mind with road cycling gear is to go up a size, as much roadie kit is cut for a more bottom-heavy (bigger legs and butt, rather than chest and shoulders) physique compared to the more muscular upper body many mountain bikers will have.

Design and specification

The latest version of Sportful’s Pro base layer uses an all-new fabric for improved performance over the previous generation. The Tee is also available in a whopping eight sizes to fit all body shapes, which is really important as any base layer needs to have a nice and tight fit that isn’t restrictive for best performance.

Sportful’s concept is to introduce ribbing into the base layer, but they don’t sit proud enough from your body to be truly effective

The main fabric here is 100% polyester and uses vertical ‘ribs’ to raise the material away from the skin. There are panels with extra stretch and 8% elastane in several zones like under the arms, the centre panel on the spine and the area at the waist where bib tights overlap. These three zones also use a more open mesh material than the finer ribbed fabric elsewhere, presumably for better cooling and airflow.

The primary reason Sportful uses a ribbed design is to help air to circulate between the fabric and skin and help move moisture away from the flesh to cool or insulate skin. Having a layer of ‘trapped’ air like this sees the brand claim that ‘when it’s hot the top quickly evacuates moisture to create a cooling effect and when it’s cold it keeps the moisture from sitting on your skin and sapping away heat while also trapping warm air’.

The sleeves are kinda skinng and short, so if you’re packing big guns you might want to look elsewhere

Performance

Sportful’s fit is very close with just enough room to move your arms and shoulders when riding dynamically on a mountain bike (roadies will sit in a mostly static cycling position). The seams use elasticated thread and are very comfy and flexible when moving, but the shorter than usual sleeves will be pretty tight if you have bigger biceps and shoulders.

The material here is definitely not as stretchy and free flowing as some other base layers I’ve tested, and since there’s only elastane in the mesh panels on the spine and under the arms, the rest of the top including across the pecs and shoulders can feel a bit solid and lacking flexibility.

The Tee is like a second skin, so it doesn’t loft air underneath as well as some rivals

Sportful’s shiny and reasonably thin fabric sits more like a continuous ‘second skin’ than the kind of base layer that noticeably lofts off the skin and only connects intermittently. I find the coarser mesh designs and more textured materials on other tops create better air flow over skin too; here the ribs aren’t really deep enough to do any meaningful lifting of the material off the body.

Because of this design aspect, when you get sweaty riding hard, Sportful’s Tee can feel a bit clingy under your pecs and also in the small of the back. This is eveident in a thicker outer layer or even when wearing a baggy, airy riding jersey over the top that is allowing a lot of air to move in and out.

The Castelli works well in both hot and cold weather, thanks to its great wicking and insulating proporties

In terms of wicking, Sportful’s almost football top style-fabric is effective and dries fast, but not quite as quickly as some of the best rivals I’ve tested, like the superlative Castelli Core Mesh 3 base layer.

The mesh side panels are great for ease of movement

One part of the top that works better is the more open weave back mesh section and lower part where bib tights sit, which does a more effective job with air flow and balances heat really well. These mesh parts let enough air through to dump heat and keep skin aired, which means the back panel stays pretty dry and cool when you’re working hard and stops that clammy feeling down the spine that can shill you when you stop.

There’s a big, wide neck opening, which is great in the heat but less useful on chilly days when you need more insulation

Sportful’s neckline opening is a bit loose at the front, which is good for getting air on the skin on hotter days, but not as effective at keeping you cosy when it’s cooler either, so I’d rate this top as less successful when it’s colder than some, mainly because it has less of the ‘trapped air’ effect closer to the skin of more coarse and textured fabrics.