Endura MT500 Burner Lite L/S jersey review

Endura’s MT500 Burner Lite L/S jersey is a long sleeve top that’s built especially for warm and sunny rides. Littered with perforations and ventilation, its airflow is excellent and it looks great too. Although it’s useful for smashing overgrown trails in the sun, away from bike park laps, it's not a true substitute for a short sleeve.

Endura MT500 Burner Lite L/S jersey - Technical details

The MT500 Burner Lite from Endura takes the proven design of the existing Burner jersey but shaves some fabric to make it lighter and airier in order to help it perform in warmer climates, and just like the original Burner, the Lite also gets special panels located to boost durability.

Throughout the jersey's construction are a number of breathable and moisture-wicking fabrics. There are laser-cut perforations on the sleeves and mesh-like panels under the arms, the lower front torso and the lower back. The top of the sleeves get a harder-wearing fabric and there are silicone prints on the shoulders to act as grippers for a backpack. There's also a dropped hem, as expected of a mountain bike jersey. And better still, this top is manufactured using 50 percent recycled fabric.

Endura MT500 Burner Lite L/S jersey - Performance

I started off with the fit and I really struggled to find fault. Even though Endura says it's a slim fit, it’s not dress shirt style slim. Rather, it’s tight enough to keep excess fabric from becoming a problem. The sleeves and hem are of good length, posing no issues when leaning right off the back of the bike, and providing excellent coverage against dust and muck.

Comfort is excellent too, which is credited both to its good fit, but also its seriously light construction. The fabrics are soft and they promote excellent airflow, which is mega handy when there’s a breeze on the go.

During my time with the Burner Lite jersey, I took it through a range of uplift-assisted rides and general pedal abouts and I found that it’s a jersey that lends itself best to the former. During uplift days, there’s not as much pedalling or climbing involved, only speedy descents and on the rare occasions it’s been warm, I’ve revelled in the extra airflow those fabrics offer.

However, on my normal trail rides, the jersey feels a little confused. That’s down to the more durable feeling fabric that makes up the upper arm and shoulder portions. While there are perforations on the inside of the elbows, it stifles breathability and in use, it doesn’t wick moisture very effectively. And that’s surprised me, given the intention of this Burner Lite. But it is a bit of give and take, as that same fabric fends off clashes with trailside foliage.

Either way, because of this, it doesn’t replace a short-sleeved jersey on the all-out breathability front.

However, it does work well in warm conditions that may be a bit wet, or where the extra coverage is useful. So as we move into autumn, this jersey may find its calling, but even then, there are other lightweight long-sleeve jerseys that are designed to do the same thing and are slightly more capable when the sun beats down.

Endura MT500 Burner Lite L/S jersey - Value and verdict

With an RRP of £55, the Endura MT500 Burner Lite shows reasonable value for money but there are good tops out there for a little less. One of which is the Nukeproof Blackline at £50 (here’s our review of the short sleeve). This one gets a light-mid fabric construction but it’s built with a mesh back which helps with airflow. Even then though, it’s not quite as effective as Endura’s offering.

Leatt’s MTB Gravity 4.0 jersey (the same as this MTB 4.0 UltraWeld) is another that’s designed to be super light and airy. It does do a better job while offering a bit of protection to the elbows. It is pricier though, at £80.

If you’re mainly riding bikeparks and specifically want a breezy long sleeve, the Endura MT500 Burner Lite is a good choice thanks to its great fit and comfort. However, it does struggle to wick moisture towards the shoulders which limits its versatility a touch.