Icebreaker Bike Grace Cycling Jersey - Merino Wool, Long Sleeve (For Women)

Lightweight merino, figure flattering style. Great over a t-shirt or on it's own - on or off the bike. Will keep you feeling fresh and dry when you work up a sweat. Icebreaker quality and a great STP price! I'm a 36 bust and thought I might have to wear a medium as many cycling jerseys tend to run small, however the small size was a perfecr fit!

I ended up returning this top. I can see how it would be just right for some people, though. Negatives (for me): 1. Because of the touch of lycra in the knit, I found the fabric of this top scratchier than the normal Icebreaker wool-only fabric. 2. The wide, white mesh side panels running down either side of the top are see-through, which can be awkward for a female if she does not want to wear an additional top underneath this top. 3. This particular jersey is apparently sized more for mountain biking, not regular cycling (I read this on a cyclist blogger's product review of the item) -- as such, it is not tight-fitting like most cycling jerseys are. This top fit me quite loosely for an Icebreaker size-small top. I expect the extra-small in this style would have felt more like a typical Icebreaker small (especially in their base-layer tops) feels to me. For me, the loosest areas were around the stomach area, then the arms (fabric was bunched up width-wise, which normally does not happen to my arms in Icebreaker tops), then the chest (where there was plenty of room). The tightest area was around the bottom hem/the hip area (and I have relatively small hips -- they are less wide than my shoulders). This is not how I'm used to Icebreaker tops fitting, but I expect it's a good cut for cycling (to allow for upper-body movement while keeping the top secure around the hips when sitting down and leaning forwards). Despite the difference in fit from my other Icebreaker tops, I found this top to look flattering on and I would have felt fine about wearing it "in public" had it not been for the revealing mesh strips on either side of the trunk area that allowed a clear view of my flesh-toned bra. 4. The sleeves of this were too long, as have been the sleeves of all the Icebreaker tops that I have tried on in 2012. (Between 2000 and 2010, I bought quite a few Icebreaker size-small tops in different styles, and still have and wear them, so I have some experience in how they used to be sized.) The sleeves of this were about 2.5 inches too long, so I could have turned them up once or twice if I had loved the top otherwise (which I didn't). 5. I found the mock turtleneck zipper to poke me in the neck at an awkward place - but as I've gotten older, I have found that many turtlenecks have started to bother me, so that might just be an idiosyncratic thing. The turtleneck area in this top was NOT too tight around, like some of Icebreaker's are. I believe this top was their first women's cycling jersey and was launched in 2011 - this style is now discontinued and they have a new cycling jersey style that, if I recall correctly, does not have mesh panels down the sides of the trunk area. I got it just to wear for general things - for long underwear, skiing/hiking base-layer, sleeping-in - so I wasn't looking for a specific cycling jersey. If the material hadn't been too scratchy for me and the sleeves hadn't been too long, I would probably have ordered the size smaller to use as a general base-layer. I think this would be a great general-purpose top for ladies who want a lightweight 150-woolweight top and who are perhaps a bit apple-shaped, have muscular arms, narrowish hips, longer arms, and/or have wider shoulders, and have found that the typical Icebreaker slim-fitting base-layer top is shaped a bit narrowly around the upper arms and tummy area for them. This top got glowing reviews by two female cycling bloggers, and it's offered at a good value here.

This was listed as a cycling top and I didn't notice that it lacked back pockets when I ordered however there is one small zippered pocket on the right side. My intent is to use it by itself and for layering whether cycling or with jeans. It makes you look "marvelous". Several years ago wool cycling tops came back into vogue and I always wanted to check some out. This manufacturer makes beautiful high quality tops. The material is soft, breathable, everything you want for an active lifestyle. I ordered the medium and it does what I need. I can get layers on underneath or wear by itself. My vitals are 5'2" 125-130lbs. One of the best features of this top is that it doesn't have an elastic bottom hem so it stays in place and doesn't ride up. I know that sounds contradictory but I have found that cyling tops with supposedly stay in place grippy hem bottoms "don't". This is a keeper.