The long sleeve mountain bike jersey has so many iterations, from those designed with low-key t-shirt looks that work as well with jeans as on the bike, to highly technical articulated constructions. The TrailKPR Daily sits, as the name suggests, somewhere in the middle. It won’t be confused with a casual top, but it wears its performance lightly, with technical riding benefits being delivered courtesy of the fabric.
Design and specification
The Gorewear TrailKPR Daily Long Sleeve Shirt is made from a recycled polyester, described as ‘highly functional’ with good breathability and fast-drying capability. The fit is easy but not baggy, slim but not tight. Hip length at the front, the back hem is slightly dropped and it has been designed to wear alone or paired with a base layer. A double hem and cuffs are added for durability at key points of wear.
Performance
The early spring days of 2023 saw me having something of a love affair with the Gore Lupra jacket and the Fernflow pants, so as the days warmed up I was looking forward to transitioning to the lighter weight TrailKPR Daily paired with the Fernflow shorts.
The fit is designed to skim rather than hug the body and it does just that. It doesn’t feel too baggy worn alone, but there is easily enough room to slide a base layer underneath – which is the way I found myself mostly using it (more of that later). I’m over six feet and the dropped hem hit at the right spot, with the front neatly hitting hip length. In fact ‘neat’ is probably the word that best fits the look and feel of this top. The shoulders are fitted without a dropped line and the sleeves are slim.
That neatness of fit should translate well on the bike, close enough to not get in the way, but easy enough for maximum freedom of movement. And yet I couldn’t quite get on with it. Moving my arms forward gives a definite feeling of pressure across the shoulders – as though there isn’t the same movement there as the rest of the jersey. Worn next the skin on warm days the feeling is exacerbated because the fabric has a tendency to stick (with apologies for the mental image) to sweaty skin.
The material itself however does exactly what it promises – it wicks moisture away effectively and dries quickly. Wearing across a range of temperatures from low teens to low twenties it was never less than comfortable in terms of temperature regulation. Pairing it with a base layer became my wear of choice, the fabric slides easily over another and it solved whatever issue was going on next to my skin.
In this way I’ve put in a lot of riding, usually steady but long distance efforts – the sort that gradually build up heat. In this top I didn’t get to the point of feeling over warm. It allows you to shed heat well and because it dries quickly, you don’t end a ride with too much of a sodden jersey. I did however find that adding some extra cooling by pushing up the sleeves was difficult, the slim cut and cuffs means that they won’t go far up the arms. It does of course keep a protective layer in place from passing brambles, but at times I did miss the ability to slide the sleeve above my elbows.
Verdict
The TrailKPR Daily Long Sleeve Shirt is designed to be versatile, and it is. The cut is such that it works alone or as a base, and the recycled fabric is excellent at temperature regulation. That said, from previous testing I have come to expect an exceptionally active fit from Gore kit and the KPR doesn’t deliver that. To be clear, it’s not bad and not a deal breaker, just not the usually impeccable Gore standard.
Tech specs: Gorewear TrailKPR Daily Long Sleeve Shirt
- Price: $60 / £59.99 / €59.95
- Sizes: S-XXL
- Colors: Black, Lab Gray, Utility Green, Uniform Sand, Process Purple
