Madison Flux Men's Short Sleeve Jersey review - certainly a great price, but is it good value?

Man in a red cycling jersey riding up a hill in Spain.

Snowdrops are in bloom, the sun has some warmth to it finally and thoughts turn to rides that don’t involve getting dressed up for an Arctic expedition. A wardrobe update is a good way for some extra spring motivation but with many brands asking £100 or more for a new short-sleeved jersey, perhaps there is another season left in your old jersey after all you decide.

Impressions were initially good (Image credit: Kim Russon)

Madison’s cycling clothing range is pretty comprehensive and very reasonably priced, with their Flux Men's Short Sleeve Jersey costing less than £40 - so maybe a new jersey is justifiable after all? Flux-named products and components are fast and light according to Madison, so although they cover road and off-road users, the common theme is one of performance, as opposed to other categories such as Roam for versatility or Stellar for hi-viz urban riding.

The Flux Men's Short Sleeve Jersey is aimed squarely at the road rider and is available in red and black for men (S-XXL) or red and magenta pink for women (UK8-UK16).

Construction

The Flux jersey is made from a slightly heavier fabric than many summer jerseys are, which is no bad thing for the UK climate. The material is uniform throughout the garment, with long, modern-looking raw-cut sleeves that have a printed silicone grip, and a full-length tonal zip with a zip guard to protect the chin.

Features include a zipped security pocket and reflective patch (Image credit: Kim Russon)

There are the usual three rear pockets, and it’s nice to see a zipped, valuables pocket at this lower-end price point. A couple of small reflective details on the left sleeve and beneath the pockets might help alert other road users to your presence and the black elasticated strip across the rear hem has more silicone print to keep it in place.

The stitching is all very neat and overall construction is impressive. There is nothing that screams budget or cheap.

The ride

Prancing around in front of the bedroom mirror in the Flux, things looked good. It was maybe a ¼ of a size bigger than I would expect from a medium, but the length was decent, the fabric felt nice and I had high hopes that forty quid was all you needed to spend for a decent jersey.

Red and black are the only colour options for men (Image credit: Kim Russon)

Unfortunately, once on the bike, the story was a little less rosy. Leaning forward in the riding position caused the rear hem to ride up as the elastic and silicone gripper didn’t keep the jersey in place. A bit like the issue I had with the Madison’s DTE Men’s Isoler Thermal Long Sleeve Jacket, the elastic simply wasn’t under enough tension to do its job, but I don’t think it was a size issue - a size small would not have fitted me, and at 74kg and 186cm I should not be a small anyway. Further, there was an excess of fabric across the chest and around the shoulders when riding, so there was lots of material rucked up behind my neck that flapped in the wind; it felt like I spent half the ride tugging the jersey back down again. Of course, my size and shape may be the issue, but this is the first jersey I have experienced anything like this with.

There was a lot of excess fabric around the neck, chest and shoulder area in the riding position (Image credit: Kim Russon)

There were some good points - the pockets were nice and deep with the slightly heavier fabric supporting the contents well and the material was ideal for the mid-to-high-teens Spanish spring temperatures that I wore it in. The relatively high collar was also good for cooler weather compared with lighter, racier jerseys.

It would be nice if there was more of a colour choice though, or at least, some more modern colours - black, red and pink feel a bit basic.

Value and conclusion

I really wanted to like the Madison Flux Men's Short Sleeve Jersey. In a world of £100+ jerseys, the idea of a decent £40 option appeals a lot, but the execution is lacking. It’s hard to recommend a jersey that fits better stood upright than it does when riding a bike. I understand that at the price, there need to be certain cost-cutting exercises such as the limited colour choice or perhaps the materials used, but cutting the cloth more appropriately shouldn’t trouble the accountants.

Fabric weight was good for temperatures in the mid-to-high teens (Image credit: Kim Russon)

If it does fit you well, or you are happy to accept the compromised cut, then there are some good points; modern style, decent pockets including one with a zip, a nice weight of fabric and of course, the excellent price.