The Nukeproof Blackline jersey in short and long sleeve versions really hit the nail on the head for summer riding apparel. They are mega airy, well-fitting and at an excellent price point. Hard to argue with and not to be overlooked when looking for your next jersey.
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Nukeproof’s Blackline range claims to be a “premium trail” offering using high-quality fabrics and cut for mountain biking. The Blackline Jersey certainly echoes Nukeproof’s sentiment with first impressions of a high-quality, well thought out product in its long-sleeve and short-sleeve flavours.
This is a lightweight jersey aimed at summer riding with a back panel made from 110gsm material, which is noticeably thinner and more breathable than the rest of the jersey. The rest of the jersey is cut with 115gsm material, which feels like the usual jersey material; having this on the front panel and arm provides some protection from the breeze and shrugging off the odd crash.
A bonus point for the fabrics is the environmental and sustainable footprint, which has been minimised with Bluesign fabric. This is a great added feature to ease the conscience and shows Nukeproof’s commitment to protecting our environment.
Nukeproof claims this jersey is a “trail fit”, designed to be loose against the body with no restrictions to movement. I can confirm the cut to be loose but not baggy, the fit is like a regular t-shirt, and with a longer hem at the back, coverage is more than enough for trail duties. In the long sleeve version, the arms have a generous length that never felt lacking; the cuffs are simply hemmed over but are comfortable and cause no issues.
Long term testing has been carried out through several seasons. The short sleeve jersey really excelled at keeping me as cool as possible during hot summer rides. The thinner back panel helps with ventilation, making the jersey mega comfortable, wicking moisture well without feeling clingy, even with a good sweat on.
The long-sleeve jersey benefits from the same thin back panel and cooling properties. Still, I’ve found the long sleeves to help on cooler summer evenings, and with a base layer, it works well moving into autumn or spring. It is impressively airy for a long sleeve jersey, which stops heat from building up. In terms of sizing, my go-to is a medium, and both the long sleeve and short sleeve jerseys fit as expected.
Both jerseys have suffered a little from threads being pulled by rouge brambles which is a shame, but to be expected on material this thin.
The short-sleeve jersey retails at £45 and represents excellent value for money with the quality and features on offer. For similar money, the PNW Ozone short sleeve jersey is available, but our Liam didn’t rate the sweat handling capabilities too well, see here. For £65, the Alpinestars ALPS 8.0 short sleeve jersey handles cooling better but loses out on comfort and value for money, see our review here.
The 7Mesh Compound jersey is a mega lightweight jersey, although perhaps a little flimsy, and at £70, it isn’t cheap; see my thoughts on it here. The long-sleeve version represents equally good value for money retailing at £55. It’d be hard to find a similarly airy long-sleeve jersey; the Hackney GT jersey comes close with a motocross-inspired perforated front panel but does build heat on hot days – see our review here.
Nukeproof’s Blackline short-sleeve and long-sleeve jerseys really hit the nail on the head for lightweight and breathable apparel. There really isn’t much to argue with; the mega breathable back panel, excellent cut and price point make these hard to look past when hunting for your next summer jersey.
