• Sugoi Wallaroo 170 Long Sleeve baselayer
• £29
• www.sugoi.ca

Merino wool has revolutionised our approach to clothing over the last decade, with a wool base layer now being the first choice for many when getting suited up for a ride.

It’s really remarkable stuff, Merino. Warm, even when wet, breathable, comfortable, soft to the touch, doesn’t smell. It’s an impressive list, and all great properties in a layer designed to sit next to your skin.

Sugoi offers three different grades of Merino for its base layers. The Wallaroo here is made from its 170 grams per square metre grade (GSM) Merino wool. It’s 100% Australian stuff and is really quite fine and thin, making it ideal for current temperature ranges.

The features list runs short: flat seams are used to piece the panels together, there’s a crew neck… But this simplicity is reflected in the price, it’s pretty reasonable for Merino. Sugoi carries short sleeve and sleeveless variants and a couple designed with more features for colder weather riding.

Fit is body hugging but not tight – for best performance the Merino needs to sit next to your skin and in this case Sugoi have got the fit spot on.

Ups and downs

Positives: Merino, good price, comfortable, warm

Negatives: Not that we can think of

Verdict

The Wallaroo doesn’t attempt to do anything strikingly bold. It’s just a simple, well made Merino base layer that is reasonably well priced.

Performance: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Overall: 5/5