Van Rysel Racer 2 jersey review: The best budget cycling jersey on the market

Van Rysel has really come on leaps and bounds in recent years. A subsidiary of sports hyper-retailer Decathlon, it has done well lately to silo itself off and build a slightly more premium reputation than the other cycling gear in the Decathlon family. A sponsor of Cofidis for a couple of seasons now for clothing, and now a title sponsor for Decathlon-AG2R, including bikes, clothing and accessories, it’s no great surprise that more people are taking an interest in the brand, especially given it still seems to be maintaining a commitment to some pretty low prices.

The Racer 2 is Van Rysel’s unisex, do-it-all road jersey. While you may see Cofidis and Decathlon-AG2R in Van Rysel Jerseys, those are more premium offerings and appear to only be offered in like-for-like team replica colours. The Racer 2 is likely what you’ll be steering towards if you’re coming to the site looking for a well-performing bargain.

Having tested out all the best cycling jerseys on the market, the Van Rysel Racer 2 stands out pretty clearly as the best budget option. It’s not perfect by any means, but considering what it offers in the context of a market space where a jersey can cost north of £200/$200, it’s pretty astounding. I’ve been using it whenever the British summer (if we can call it that) allows it, so if you’re looking for a pro-looking jersey on a budget, read on.

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Design and aesthetics

Quite often when it comes to budget jerseys, brands pitch their products at beginners. This generally means a looser fit on the assumption that customers don’t want aero. The Van Rysel Racer 2 is unusual in that it costs under £50 / $70, but fits like a proper race jersey. The cut is tight, with stretchy enough materials to allow for that proper form-fitting look.

The sleeves, too, are thoroughly modern. Most of the time budget jerseys have what we’d think of as ‘classic’ sleeves, but here they truncate just above the elbow, in keeping with the style of the pro peloton.

In terms of panelling, you’re actually getting more than just the basics too. The front and most of the back are constructed from an unperforated polyester that’s a little more sturdy than most. It holds its shape well and is pretty supportive, and is similar in feel to the Altura Icon. The sleeves, side panels, and the upper back though are made from a lighter, lightly perforated polyester.

The sleeves have raw cut ends, are great for comfort, and do have a series of gripper dots, though unusually these aren’t grippy on one of the jerseys I was sent, but they were on the other. I think the block colour jersey is the latest iteration and so the actual grippers will continue. The lower hem though does feature a full circumference gripper along with thick, stiff elastic.

While this isn’t a gravel jersey - yes, you can use it off-road without perishing - it does have some additional pockets over the hips. Empty gel wrappers and the like go in just fine but they aren’t cavernous. If they were they’d unbalance the jersey when full. The upper hem of the main pockets is rolled over inwards to create a lip to keep things in more securely, which is handy as the pockets themselves aren't the biggest. Unlike many jerseys, the zipped valuables pocket is in the centre too.

Visually I think it’s a great-looking jersey, especially in this price range. Curiously I was sent two jerseys, one a pale lilac and the other a lovely sunburst orange/red fade, neither of which I can find commercially available anywhere. Regardless, the simple block colours on offer should match a lot of kit and thus avoid any fashion faux pas.

One final design note - Hidden away slightly on the product page is a note on the environmental impact of the jersey, within which it is revealed that it is made from 82% recycled material. The low price and the ‘made in China’ label may indicate certain things to you, but using non-virgin materials is still to be applauded where it exists.

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Performance

‘Best budget...’ is very often misconstrued as ‘cheapest...’. While the Racer 2 Jersey from Van Rysel is, to my knowledge at least, the cheapest pro-fit jersey on the market, it also punches above its weight, as is the case with a lot of Van Rysel stuff lately. The fit is brilliant. Trim, modern, without being extreme in its aero intentions. The neck, for instance, is still cut to the neck, rather than being widened as is the fashion for aero jerseys lately, and the torso isn’t heavily truncated, meaning it works for riding in positions other than a full aero tuck.

I think I’ve been given two versions of the same jersey to test, with slight tweaks made between the two. The lovely sunburst fade I surmise is the older one, and while wearing the two there are slight differences in the feel. The sunburst one has a slightly thicker main fabric, making it a little less breathable, but this shouldn’t be an issue going forward as the block lilac is lighter and more airy. I believe the lilac has since been superseded by the red/black/white/beige suite of colours, but from what I’ve seen any changes will be very minor.

Things are pretty comfortable, more so than many other jerseys I’ve tried. Especially under the arms where I often find jerseys bite in there were no such issues. The main fabric is soft to the touch, and while the zip has no flap it doesn’t ever rub. You can tell in the finishing of the stitching that this is a budget item, but there’s nothing janky or mis-stitched anywhere.

The pockets are a little small. Smaller jerseys often come with smaller pockets, which is mad as smaller people don’t necessarily use smaller phones and eat smaller bananas. None of the pockets are big enough to comfortably house a normal-sized smartphone without the top protruding nervously from the top, failing to make use of the neat lip from the rolled-over hem. I did like the central valuables pocket though; as I keep my phone in the right pocket, usually where the valuables one is housed too, things often get busy in that area.

While I’m not a gel fiend, the hip pockets are always handy for stuffing empty wrappers into so you don’t jettison them across the countryside when you pull something else out of the rear pockets.

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Value

If you’re dropping 50 quid / 70 bucks on a jersey the chances are you’re going to end up with something fine, but baggy. Here, though, you’ve got a jersey that’s offering a pretty aero fit, so you can look pro without having to drop double the RRP on something from another brand. The next closest thing to my mind would be the Rapha Core jersey, but even that has a looser cut and more old-school sleeves. You could happily race in the Racer 2 jersey without feeling like you’re being held back by your clothing, and for that, it should be applauded.

Verdict

If you want a modern looking, decently performing jersey that really won’t break the bank then look no further. What the Van Rysel Racer 2 offers you can’t really get elsewhere. It’s not perfect, but you can probably look past the slightly small rear pockets when you’re saving at least £50 / $50 if not double that for a jersey that fits like this. It’s comfortable too, and the long cut means it’s prime for long days in the saddle in more endurance-oriented positions.