12 best men’s cycling base layers: From merino wool to synthetic

Our best buy is a serious bit of kit for serious cycling. Designed with input from professional racers, it’s a base layer that will take anything winter can hurl at it. There are too many features to list them all but they include a roll neck to stop draughts, thumb loops to make it easier to pull on and wear with gloves, and a slightly dropped tail to protect your lower back.

The man made fabric is cleverly structured to hold pockets of insulating air beneath it. We had no problems with chills or overheating while riding hard, and we loved the body-hugging fit – it never felt bulky with or without a jersey beneath our jackets. Buy it if you want to keep on racking up the miles throughout the colder months.

Looking for a gift for the cyclist in your life? This luxurious top will go down a treat – especially as it comes packaged in one of the French brand’s cool little canvas bags. Café du Cycliste doesn’t do ordinary – hence that stylish shawl-type neckline. That collar is practical as well as being stylish – a little higher at the back as a buffer against the cold, but lower at the front so it doesn’t rub when you’re hunched over the bars.

The fit is slightly more generous than some without being baggy, and the merino blend fabric is engineered to offer better wicking at the back and arms with a little extra insulation at the front. There are flat-locked seams to avoid any rubbing and it washes at 30C.

Unleash your inner Flandrian with this sleeveless mesh number. It seems a shame to hide that bold lion design under a jumper, so it could be a great one to wear on your indoor turbo trainer or at spinning sessions. In summer you can show it off Superman-style beneath an unzipped jersey on warmer days. The “air mesh” fabric has a four-way stretch to mould to your body and offers excellent wicking and drying.

This one has stretchy thumb loops to stop the sleeves bunching up when you slip your arm into your jersey or jacket. It’s a small detail but one you’ll appreciate. The soft merino fabric is thicker than that used in most other base layers, making it a great choice for really cold rides. It’s thick enough for you to dispense with a jersey and just wear a jacket over it for much of your winter riding. After use you can throw it into the washing machine on a cold cycle and even tumble dry it on a cool setting.

There’s a hefty price tag with this one, but it’s so wonderfully warm you might never want to take it off. It uses Polartec’s “power wool” to give you merino softness but with a more durable, breathable synthetic outside layer. The short-sleeved design works well beneath a long-sleeved jersey and jacket on bitter days, and there are extended sections at the front and back that are designed to work with bib tights or shorts. We found it to be really warm with a fit that’s snug without being restrictive. Ease the blow of that sky-high asking price by using it for hiking or skiing too.

Gore’s “windstopper” fabric is an amazing barrier against the chill. Here it’s been used at the shoulders, sleeves and front to great effect. It incorporates a membrane that blocks the wind but lets moisture pass through, keeping you warm during long hours in the saddle. The back section of this tight-fitting top is even more breathable, helping you to avoid the misery of suffering a sweaty back beneath your outer layers. It’s a nice body-hugging fit and the arms are long enough to ensure you should have no annoying gap between sleeve and glove in freezing conditions.

Bored with black or white? This long-sleeved vest from the British brand comes in a range of colours including dark green, rose, navy and the brown we put to the test. A friend of ours is so smitten with these tops she sleeps in them – and having worn them for a few weeks we can see why. The 100 per cent merino is soft and warm without being bulky.

Rather than being super tight, it’s a more relaxed fit than you get with many rivals but isn’t so baggy that it feels uncomfortable beneath layers. It can be washed at 30C but can’t be tumble dried. As usual with Rapha stuff there’s a little motivational message for you to enjoy on the label – we’re suckers for that sort of thing.

This Manchester-made top is a real bargain. Our tester put it through its paces through some appalling autumn weather – including a sustained downpour so heavy the damp worked its way through his “waterproof” jacket. Although the top got damp the top retained enough warmth to ensure things never got uncomfortable.

We like that taller neck, too – it keeps chills at bay and stops drips from your helmet working their way down your back. A four-way stretch in the synthetic fabric ensures a nice fit with no bagginess. It washes at 30C and although you can’t tumble it, it does dry really quickly.

Although the fabric feels thick enough for winter use, this short-sleeved design is meant for warmer weather – although there’s nothing stopping you from using it on the indoor trainer or out in the cold, especially if you don’t like long sleeves on your base layer. We rode it towards the end of summer in 20C and stayed really comfortable. We also put it through its paces on wet autumn rides – again, it performed faultlessly. 

There are mesh sections on the torso and under the arms that help with ventilation, and the arms and back hem have been cut with a laser to ensure they stay flat under your outer layer. That rear hem is a few centimetres longer than at the front to protect your lower back when riding hunched over the drops of the handlebars. It’s available in both black and white versions and the Dryarn manmade fabric washes at 30C but can’t be tumble dried.

You’ll think you ordered the wrong size when you unpack this one – it looks tiny. However it’s surprisingly stretchy, and when you do pull it on you should find it a perfect fit. The mesh fabric used on the front and back of the torso traps air to keep you warm but also allows moisture to escape, stopping you getting too sweaty. The synthetic polyester mix fabric is easy to care for – you can wash it at 30C with the rest of your kit, but remember to keep it out of the dryer. Check out the rich navy version if you want to avoid standard black.

Another sleeveless offering that’s equally at home on the indoor trainer during the winter or beneath a short-sleeved jersey in the heat of summer. There’s a layer of merino wool on the inside – chosen for its insulating properties – and a polyester outer layer that’s better for wicking away moisture.

Dhb suggests that you wear it inside out on hot days to help you stay cooler. It’s not as soft as a full merino vest but it’s more hard wearing and should give you many months of service either out on the roads or in the gym. The fit is quite tight without being restrictive, and you can wash it at 30C with the rest of your kit.