For many in the UK, base layers are the way to keep warm and not wear too many layers.
A good base layer is extremely versatile, whether it’s on you or in your pack as a back up layer, you can’t really go wrong.
Pete has been testing five different base layers to see which one comes out on top. The best base layers should help manage your temperature, be comfortable, wicking and not stink after a sweaty ride, as well as lasting well. Price and value also factor here.
And yep, the weather might be scorching right now in the UK… but a base layer works well for summer and winter. As you climb up a mountain, the temperature drops by 1° for every 100m up, so a warm day can quickly turn chilly. Run a baselayer solo on a hot day and then layer up as you climb high into the mountains. If the weather is dry, they’re a very light weight alternative to a jacket that will pack down tiny.
Our five base layers are Morvelo Kuler, Alpinestars MTB Tech Top, Altura Thermocool, Alpkit Koulin, and Pearl Izumi Transfer.
It’s worth saying: This isn’t an exhaustive list of all base layers on the market right now, it’s just what we’ve been able to test. If brands want to send us their base layers, we’ll happily include them when we re-run this feature. Get in touch here.
Morvelo Kuler.
Buy Morvelo Kuler online for £50 a Chain Reaction Cycles
Buy direct from Morvelo at Morvelo.com
Key features:
- Multi-filament polyester mesh
- Hydrophilic treatment to increase the breathability
- Elastane to create a high stretch that adapts to your body
- Carry / storage pouch
- Heat seal label
- Flatlock seams
- Body mapped for a superior fit
- Handmade in Europe
- £50.00 RRP
- Morvelo.com
Being the only short-sleeve base layer on this test, you might think that Morvelo’s eye-catching Kuler base layer might lose out. There’s an awful lot going for the Kuler though that meant it had to be included in this test.
Fit is snug and comfortable with no seams to bother you. The XSmall/Small size fits me perfectly at 5′ 3″ with a 34″ chest. Despite the snug fit, I forgot I was even wearing it on some rides.
Even after some long, sweaty days in the hills, the Kuler didn’t stink or leave me dripping with sweat, nor did it see me overheat. At height, it did a cracking job of keeping me warm enough too and I was never thinking about taking it off.
The jazzy red and black design means on more than one occasion, I’v worn the Kuler as an outer layer with nothing on top with a thin waterproof in my pack as a back up.
A longer tail to cover the small of your back when you’re seated would be a nice feature that would make the Kuler really pretty spectacular. The Kuler is also as expensive as the long sleeve options in this test.
This is a cracking summer option though.
Alpinestars MTB Tech Top.
Buy Alpinestars MTB Tech Top online at CycleStore for £58.49
Find your local Alpinestars dealer here at ZyroFisher
Key features:
- Ultra-lightweight
- Anatomically optimised to be worn under outer garments.
- Comfortable moisture-wicking fiber
- Fully body-mapped
- Strategically positioned open mesh inserts.
- Seamless tubular construction
- Flat-lock ergonomic seams
- £65.00 RRP
- Alpinestars.com
As soon as you sling the Alpinestars base layer on, three things stand out. One is the immediate feeling of comfort, the next is that it is better suited for those colder days under a waterproof and that the arms are quite long.
The fit other than the arm length is spot on though for me in a size small and has been comfortable throughout the test, even with the wrists bunching up.
As mentioned above, the Alpinestars number definitely was the pick of the bunch when it came to longer, colder days in the saddle. The thicker material doing a better job than the others of keeping the core temperature higher on the winter sorties. The downside of the extra warmth is it’s likely to not be quite as comfortable when the temperature starts to rise.
That said, the material stayed stink free throughout and there were no issues with the construction.
At £65 it’s easily the most expensive base layer on test, thrice that of the Alpkit offering, and potentially less versatile than the rest too. I’d like to see a longer dropped tail like on the Pearl offering too. That said, this would be a great winter baselayer.
Altura Thermocool.
Buy Altura Thermocool online at Tredz for £44.99
Find your local Altura dealer with ZyroFisher
Key features:
- Technical base layer
- Temperature regulating ThermoCool yarns
- Body mapping technology.
- Intelligent yarn engineered for thermoregulation
- Altura Dry™ technology
- Performance Fit
- £49.99 RRP
- Altura.co.uk
Altura’s Thermocool base layer sits somewhere between the Alpinestars and Pearl Izumi offering in terms of thickness, while being designed to work in higher temperatures thanks to the Thermocool construction.
Fit is spot on, even on my short arms, with a nice, figure-hugging elasticated feel to it.
Temperature management, unsurprisingly was excellent, with the Thermocool doing a cracking job of keeping you warm when the temperature dropped and cool when the sun gained its height, all without being itchy or sweaty.
I haven’t spotted any issues with the construction or performance despite seeing some serious days out into the mountains, including a 7 Munro day.
Again, a dropped tail would be a nice feature, but otherwise, a pretty cracking garment.
Alpkit Koulin.
Key features:
- Â 3 Year Alpine Bond
- Â Polygiene ™ odour eliminating technology
- Â Long zip neck for venting
- Â Body-mapped mesh panels maximise breathability
- Â Flatlocked seams for comfort
- Â Moisture-wicking and durable
- £21.00 RRP
- Alpkit.com
Alpkit are known for their technical wear that come in at silly low prices, like their Faro shorts we reviewed in our shorts test. The Koulin base layer keeps that tradition alive, coming in at less than a third of the price of the Alpinestars base layer.
Being cheap is only one part of the equation though, and the Koulin offers a very different fit to the rest of the base layers on test. Rather than being a figure-hugging, elasticated number like the competition, the Koulin acts more as a technical tee for want of a better description.
Fit is loose, with the size small being quite large on me, so much so, it would stick out from underneath some of the shorter waterproof jackets.
That said, the Koulin didn’t seem to be any less capable in the wicking and temperature management departments, it just approaches that task from the other side of the coin.
For me though, the Koulin seems more of a general, rather than a cycling base layer, which is great if you plan to use it for running or climbing as well as cycling, or as a back up layer.
Pearl Izumi Transfer.
Buy Pearl Izumi Transfer online for £49.99 at ProBikeKit
Find your local Pearl Izumi Dealer at PearlIzumi.co.uk
Key features:
- P.R.O. Transfer Dry fabric powered by Minerale
- Optimal moisture transfer, dry time and odour absorption
- All-season versatility
- Form Fit
- £44.99 RRP
- PearlIzumi.com
Back to the form-fitting base layers and arguably the most versatile and well thought out base layer here.
Fit is fantastic, with the base layer not riding up, bunching or pinching where it shouldn’t. Essentially a similar thickness to the Morvelo Kuler but in a long sleeve layout, the Transfer is the one that gets thrown in my pack or on me the most.
The Transfer is also the only base layer with a dropped tail, making it great for long days on the mountain bike, cooler commutes or some rainy road miles. There’s certainly not going to be any wind getting where it shouldn’t with the Transfer on.
Being slightly thinner than the Altura and Alpinestars offerings, but still doing a cracking job of temperature management and wicking, the Transfer doesn’t seem to be lacking in warmth or cooling ability.
Being the second cheapest on test also makes it a winner.
And our favourite is…?
The Pearl Izumi Transfer.
While it’s worth noting that there were no real losers on this test, more a case of picking the one that shone a little brighter than the rest, and the Pearl Izumi Transfer did just that.
The inclusion of a dropped tail might give some hint to Pearl’s road/XC background but it seems mad to not include it on a cycling base layer, and it was really that, the low price and the construction weight that did it.
The fit was also super snug and comfortable throughout testing, without ever being itchy, sweaty or smelly.
Just a quick heads up. We’ve included links in this article to online retailers that, at the time of publishing, offered the best prices that we could find on each item. We’ve also provided links to dealer locators so that you can find your local stockist and support proper, high street bike shops.
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