Madison Zenith Thermal Jersey - Review

Jan 19, 2015

by Paul Aston

Madison Zenith Jersey

Madison Clothing is the clothing sponsor of the mighty World Championship winning Madison/Saracen team and the Madison/Genesis road race team. Claimed to be a "great three season jersey for any British mountain biker," the Madison Zenith jersey is constructed from a brush-backed wicking fabric is used for the entire jersey, with mesh panels in place to keep your underarms fresh. The front zip runs to just below your sternum, and a soft zip guard stops it biting in to your neck when it's fully closed. The cuff and rear hem are elasticated, and the hem is also silicone-backed to avoid any unwanted high-riding and cold-air invitations in season four. There are two zipped pockets, one on the chest which is suitably smartphone sized and another towards rear of the right-hand hip. A lifetime warranty against manufacturers defects is included in the £49.99 price tag (approx $76 USD) There are 5 sizes to choose from S-XXL and 3 colours; Royal Blue, Fern Green and Black. Madison Zenith.

The Madison Zenith jersey is a great all-rounder for any condition below 18 degrees

Pinkbike's Take:

The super stretchy fabric gives a great fit either on its own or sandwiched between other items of clothing, and there is zero restriction in any plane of movement. I'm always a fan of long sleeves for some basic skin protection, and bombing through British brambles caused very few fabric pulls compared to what I expected from the soft material. Wearing the jersey on its own in temperatures between 10-18 degrees Celsius, it kept me at a constant temperature with little overheating. The jersey also has a strong wicking effect if you start to sweat. Below 10 degrees I needed a base-layer, and lower than that I found it under a softshell or waterproof.

This has become my go-to riding jersey for most conditions over the last few months, it just always fits in to the puzzle of riding attire, especially during the winter, and works well on its own, over a base layer or under a waterproof jacket. To the logo lovers out there, 49.99GBP may seem steep for a plain jersey, but the Zenith covers all bases. The only flaw I could find was that there is no reflective material to improve road safety. - Paul Aston

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astonmtb
Member since Aug 23, 2009
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21 Comments

20 0

chyu (Jan 19, 2015 at 21:47)

A proper pocket to fit a proper size sandwich.

Zimmer68 (Jan 19, 2015 at 21:57)

Proper comment.

13 1

DeepInTheForest (Jan 19, 2015 at 22:43)

Sammich puket.

TreyDownhill (Jan 20, 2015 at 13:10)

mmmmm, Sandwich!!!

rickaybobbay (Jan 19, 2015 at 22:06)

76 bucks. YOU ARE LISTENING PINKBIKE... maybe not to everything, BUT SOME TIMES YOU LISTEN

richierocket (Jan 20, 2015 at 2:29)

Too loose for a base layer IMO.

paulhaysom (Jan 20, 2015 at 2:36)

It's not a base layer, think mid-layer/mild autumn weather top.

richierocket (Jan 20, 2015 at 2:39)

Got cha, thanks.

mountwasington (Jan 19, 2015 at 21:05)

That's one high tech pen pocket!

bsedola (Jan 20, 2015 at 13:06)

One of these days a North American clothing company is going to figure out how to make some proper waterproof shorts like these guys make. Britain has a number of manufacturers that do so. Only ones I've found are garbage bag, elasticized wasted overpriced junk.
Seems like the only place that has inclement weather is Britain?

Dixon75 (Jan 20, 2015 at 12:42)

Anyone know if it just has one pocket on the rear. They only mention one, but can't figure out if the sloping seam is actually hiding other pockets?

astonmtb (Jan 20, 2015 at 15:21)

There is just one pocket to the rear. That seam did have me searching for other pockets in the beginning!

jedrzeja (Jan 20, 2015 at 3:04)

Definitely too loose. Nobody wants anything, except for a map, in a front pocket like this when crashing.

jimo746 (Jan 20, 2015 at 3:18)

Or a sandwich.... Edible body armour anyone?

jedrzeja (Jan 20, 2015 at 3:27)

All I would want from a jersey like this, is adjustable armpit vents, so I could close and open them with one hand, a tight, but comfortable neck and cuffs, sophisticated fabric. The fabric should be comfartable, termoactive and abrasion resistant. Add a great amount of colours to choose from, elegant layout, nice logo, sweet price and you can present it again.

smike (Jan 20, 2015 at 8:30)

That's it? That's all you want?

jedrzeja (Jan 20, 2015 at 20:46)

Yes, that would be all, but you can add some beer as a bonus pack to the price. Thank you!

lalena (Jan 20, 2015 at 6:46)

Do they make sizes for women? Men's small are too big for me.

SaracenBikes (Jan 20, 2015 at 6:52)

The Zena is the sister range to the Zenith: www.madison.cc/p/zena-women-s-long-sleeve-thermal-jersey/cl77302

lalena (Jan 20, 2015 at 8:48)

Thanks @SaracenBikes Glad to see the support for women.

lalena (Jan 20, 2015 at 8:52)

Ok, I just went to your website, you have some solid clothing for women. Please come to Canada and sell us your stuff.