I was contacted by a media company who asked if I would like to try out a cycling jersey from a brand new company called Staark. Now I’ll be honest with you I get quite a few emails or DMs via social media asking if I’d like to try this or that, thats not a boast by the way, I’m just trying to convey the fact that I have to filter a lot of these requests out. Many times it’s for stuff completely unrelated to cycling such as jewelry for pets (“from our extensive research you’d be the ideal ambassador for our product”) or female specific running shoes etc etc, you get the idea. So it was with a pinch Of salt I looked into Staark to see if it was legit. I’d also been repeatedly told that Staark was a “B-Corp Certified Company”. Well, to be honest I had no idea what this meant so them making a big thing of it didn’t make me want the jersey more, or less for that matter.
By the way being B-Corp certified means that the company meets the standard of verified performance, acountability and transparency on factors from employeed benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practice and input materials.
After checking our their website and a chat to the media company via email I agreed to try out the Founders jersey. As always witht he caviat that It’d be an honest review looking at performance and value for money. basically If I thought it was great I’d say so but also if I thought it was rubbish I’d let my readers know that too.
Enough of the corporate business stuff though, can they make a decent jersey?
Lets get down to basics, the jersey is a limited production run and as such just comes in one colour, black with a contrast blue zip, the inside of the collar is also blue. It has a very soft front, rear and sleeve material with quite a bit of stretch. The side panels have a mesh like material to aid breathability. there are three rear pockets and one pocket has a zip closure. The front zip is full length and has a “beard garage”
I was sent the jersey at the end of February and given that it’s definately a warm weather top It’s been difficult to test it how it was intended to be worn. For a lot of the wears it’s been used as a second base layer with a thin layer underneath and a flannel or gilet over the top. I Can tell you though that it was very comfortable. All the seams are flat and so nothing dug into my skin. The last month or so we’ve experienced the strange phenomena that is “warm , dry weather”….. you may have heard of it. It’s a freak occurance that happens only so often in the life time of a UK rider. So I’ve been able to try it how it was designed to be used.
Using the jersey as a outer layer with a very thin base underneath has brought to the fore how comfortable it is. Fit wise I’d say it’s semi-aero. It doesn’t make you look like an over stuffed sausage skin but it is in no way flappy. the sleeves come to a few centimetres above the elbow and the whole soft stretch feel of the top make it very easy to wear. The full length zip has come in handy for venting duties when the temperature has got high enough that the mesh side panels need a little help (so thats maybe once then!) the pockets are easy to access but are not very deep. the average smart phone (pixel 7 here) will stick out of the top but nothing has ever jarred loose even over rough ground.
Sizing is pretty standard, I’m an XL in most jerseys and I’m XL in this. Length is perfect too. I’d say if you do want the stuffed sausage aero look go one size smaller but you’d run the risk of it looking like a crop top.
Now if you were buying this jersey from one of the well know big brands, those with a big pedigree or those that have a great marketing department and a logo with lots of fashinable kudos (you probably know who I mean) then you’d be paying a premium for this jersey, upwards of £200 in some cases which is frankly ridiculus! The staark jersey is a limited edition yes, it’s a great jersey, again yes but when I was sent the top it cost £159 direct from Starrk’s website. I’ve looked today and the price is £129 so moving in the right direction.
Currently (and has been since I first checked them out back in the winter) the jersey is only avaliable in male sizing, a womens version is “coming soon”
bearing in mind the ethos of B-Corp, and feeling the need to embrace the performance, acountability and transparency can I whole heartedly get behind this jersey and say go out and buy one as it does things no other jersey can do? Hmmm, there are lots of jerseys out there that perform a similar function at less cost to your bank balance. Do I think it’s a great jersey? yes I do, it’s made from premium italian fabrics, the fit is great as is the performance. at £129 it just about justifies the expenditure but I worry as a start up Staark may have out priced themselves from the market. At £129 the average rider on a budget will look elsewhere and equally the rider with deep pockets who wants the label and the look will see the Staark logo and dismiss it. Which is a great shame because at the very basic level it’s a jersey worth having.
you can find out more about the staark founders Jersey at their website www.staark.cc
UK GRAVEL COLLECTIVE 