While generally when the weather is wintery I favour an all-in-one style winter jersey like the Castelli Espresso Air jacket, sometimes it’s too mild for a heavy, membraned top layer yet too chilly for a short-sleeved jersey, even if paired with arm warmers.
This is where products like Madison’s DTE Men’s Isoler Thermal Long Sleeve Jacket come into their own. Worn over a suitable base layer, it provides warmth and, just as importantly, breathability, on those ‘shoulder season’ days. Thermal-style long-sleeved jerseys also work brilliantly under an outer garment, such as a waterproof or windproof, especially if you know that the forecast suggests the barrier layer won’t be coming off at any point during the ride.
The DTE Men’s Isoler Thermal Long Sleeve Jacket is part of Madison’s comprehensive range of cycle clothing, which covers mountain, road, trail and urban riding. They also divide their products into five categories ranging from ‘Stellar’ for low-light conditions to ‘Flux’ for high-performance riding, whether that is on or off-road. So for instance, the road range includes some Stellar products and some Flux pieces. The DTE Isoler Thermal Long Sleeve Jacket is from the ‘Defy the Elements’ part of the road range, hence the ‘DTE’ in the name; the Isoler part of the product name is taken from the French word to insulate or protect, so that gives you an idea as to where the jersey is aimed.
Construction
Madison lists the jersey as being made from ‘Brushed Isoler thermal Roubaix fabric’, but this is only half true. The shoulders, chest, stomach and front of the arms are indeed made from a stretchy, brushed material, but the back of the arms and rear of the jersey features a much lighter, Lycra-esque fabric, presumably for a better fit and improved breathability. The whole jersey has a DWR (durable water repellent) treatment to ward off light showers.
Despite its relatively modest £70 price, most of the other features that you might expect and hope for on a long-sleeved jersey are present and correct too. The full-length zip has a placket behind it to better keep out the breeze and there is a ‘garage’ over the top of the zip to prevent chin irritation. There are three rear pockets plus a vertical security pocket with a locker zip so that it can’t come undone inadvertently and the tail of the jersey has a slim elasticated hem with gripper fabric.
As someone with a slightly lanky physique, I was particularly interested in the ‘adjustable’ length cuffs. The sleeve is finished with a black Lycra hem, as you might expect, but then there is another couple of centimetres of fabric tacked into it. This fabric can either be extended to provide wrist coverage if required or tucked up inside the sleeve for those with shorter arms.
The ride
By and large, the jersey fitted well. I originally received a size large, but it seemed a little big so I requested a medium to try too, and this fitted me (186cm/75kg) better with room for a long-sleeved base layer, although there didn’t seem to be a huge amount of difference between the two sizes, to be honest.
Sleeve length was adequate with the extra cuff deployed and the jersey was nice and snug across the chest, shoulders and sleeves. The only area that was less impressive was the tail below the pockets. The elasticated hem was under no tension, and, despite the silicone grippers, immediately rode up so that the fabric sat rucked up on top of my bum. This had no impact on performance or comfort, but looked and felt a bit strange.
The three pockets were easy to reach while riding but they weren’t particularly substantial either in terms of size or material (they are made from the same Lycra as the rear of the jersey) - similar to a normal summer top really.
Warmth is highly subjective, but I would certainly say that the Isoler is at the cooler end of thermal thanks to the areas of thinner, non-brushed fabric. Castelli’s Espresso Thermal Long Sleeve jersey is warmer (and a lot more expensive), for example. For me to wear the Isoler on its own with just a short-sleeved base layer, I’d want the thermometer getting pretty close to double digits - spring or autumn rather than deep winter. Of course, under a gilet, windproof or waterproof jacket then its viable operating window becomes greatly extended. I wore it over a base layer under a Gore-Tex jacket on a gravel ride that didn’t see the temperature much above zero and the Isoler was fine.
Breathability and moisture movement were also perfectly reasonable - with no membrane to interfere, the passage of any sweat to the outside of the jersey is unimpeded, although I did think that the lighter, Lycra-type fabric felt a little clammy when damp.
The sample jersey was in a solid blue colour called Ultramarine, which had a bit of a retro vibe to it, with the alternative being black. Both options are fine, but it would be nice to have a bit more choice and perhaps a brighter colour more suitable for visibility in gloomy winter conditions. Ladies are also limited to these two colours in sizes UK8 to UK16 whilst men can choose between S to XXL.
Value and conclusion
With the exception of the slightly odd rear hem and limited colour choice, the DTE Men’s Isoler Thermal Long Sleeve Jacket performed well. At £70 it offers a good fit, decent fabrics and plenty of features whilst undercutting many of its rivals on price. On days that I would expect to have to keep my arm warmers and gilet on all ride long, it would make lots of sense to reach for the Isoler instead. However, if the temperature was likely to dip below 8° I’d probably be digging out a warmer jersey or at least be adding an outer layer to it.
