Review: Gore C7 Race Jersey
The C7 Race Jersey offers a highly compressive and comfortable fit racers will love on most of their training rides.
Medium
$200
Gore
The C7 Race jersey’s compressive fit eliminates flapping to keep you aero and svelte. It’s comfortable, functional, and stealthy, but it’s also very hot on sunny days.
Basics: Flat-seam sleeves, shaped collar, 3D pockets, full zipper with zipper port
Pros: Highly compressive yet comfortable
Cons: Very hot
Like the C7 Race Bib Shorts+ to which this jersey mates, the C7 Race Jersey looks unassuming in all black. There are a few reflective hits, but otherwise the C7 Race Jersey lives in stealth mode. That means it might be difficult to see the features that make it a jersey you might enjoy on your hardest training rides. And that’s exactly where the C7 Race Jersey excels: tough, fast training rides full of hard efforts and high speeds.
That’s largely due to its highly compressive fit. That eliminates flapping and material-bunching that would otherwise cause distraction or aerodynamic drag. If that conjures images of uber-tight sleeves that pinch at your biceps, fret not: The comfortable sleeves feature flat seams that essentially disappear. They stay in place and the material doesn’t curl up like some laser-cut options often do.
The grip elastic at the waist keeps the jersey solidly in place. The C7 Race jersey has a drop-tail design, so it covers low even when you’re bent over in an aggressive, in-the-drops riding position. The combination makes for a comfortable, planted feel. You won’t notice any shifting or bunching as you move from position to position.
There’s plenty of space in the pockets for your essentials. Gore calls these pockets 3D pockets because they extend away from the body of the jersey to create more storage space. A zippered pocket provides a good place to stash your keys or other things you’d rather not lose on your ride. The pocket layout worked well for me, and all three were easily accessible.
While the jersey hits all the right notes in terms of fit and function, it does have one significant drawback. Since it’s all black, the C7 Race Jersey is very hot. I wore this on sunny days in the middle of the summer and it was among the hottest jerseys I tested. Even in cooler, autumn temperatures, it was clear the jersey holds onto more heat than I prefer. This was actually nice in those cooler temperatures, but it posed a problem during summertime rides. To be fair, Gore does note on its website that the C7 Race Jersey is intended for temperatures between 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit. In that window, the jersey feels mostly comfortable, although at the 75-degree end of that range, you may feel more stifled than is preferable.
The C7 Race jersey makes a lot of sense for cool weather training rides in which you’re likely to put in hard efforts in and out of the saddle. It stays in place, fits comfortably, and eliminates virtually all flapping thanks to its highly compressive fit. Leave it home on hot days, but rely on it just about any other time.
