Primal Wear

Passport and Haven Men’s Jerseys ($80 MSRP)

Especially for urban and/or off-road adventures, people have been turning to mountain bike jerseys as an alternative to the tight-fitting traditional road cycling jersey.

While unarguably functional, mountain bike jerseys oftentimes feature a very specific form of styling, favored by the extreme mountain bike crowd (the type who wear their “snapback” caps with the brims kept perfectly straight). So, unless you’re in your late teens/early 20s and/or you can backflip a canyon gap, you risk looking a bit silly.

Fortunately Primal Wear answered the call with their Passport and Haven jerseys, part of their “Lifestyle Apparel” line. Despite the casual looks, these jerseys offer much higher performance than a t-shirt, thanks to high-tech fabrics, a bike-friendly fit, a few reflective accents and a handy, zippered stash pocket for your money and keys.

If you’re scanning the photos and thinking that they look like the same shirt, don’t worry, we wondered that too. The difference is that the Haven features a “mechanically brushed polyester fabric with 4-way mechanical stretch and moisture wicking properties.” The Passport offers a “mélange polyblend knit fabric with MicroMesh backing.”

In other words, both offer high-tech fabrics that keep you dry and comfortable. But the Passport has the look and feel of cotton while the Haven has more of a “tech tee” look and feel. We’ve ridden in both and they seem equally comfortable (plus they cost the same). So it really comes down to personal preference. Whichever you choose, it will mate up beautifully to Primal Wear’s Modenza shorts.

Purchase Information:

Passport
http://shop.primalwear.com/Passport-Mens-Jersey-Heather-Grey--P740.aspx#productFeature=tab1

Haven

http://shop.primalwear.com/Haven-Mens-Jersey-Cool-Grey--P741.aspx#productFeature=tab1

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