Club Ride Queen Bee Jersey
Size Tested: Small
Color: Tango
MSRP: $42 (Now on Sale)
Features:
- Lightweight Sheer2Dry breathable, wicking fabric
- Anti-microbial treatment
- Rear zippered storage pocket with media port
- Reflective accents
Club Ride Bandara Jersey
Size Tested: Small
Color: Divine Wine
MSRP: $45 (Now on Sale)
Features:
- Lightweight Sheer2Dry breathable, wicking fabric
- Anti-microbial treatment
- Rear zippered storage pocket with media port
- Reflective accents
Days Tested: 10+ in each jersey
Locations Tested: Grand Targhee, WY; Revelstoke, Canada; Salt Lake City, UT
The Club Ride Queen Bee and Bandara are technical bike jerseys that have a stylish design. Both jerseys are made from a polyester blend to help regulate moisture and breathability, but also look great at the bar or around town after a ride.
Fit and Style
The Queen Bee and Bandara jerseys both fit true to size. At 5’3” and 120lbs, I usually wear a size Small, and the Small jerseys fit me well.
The Bandara has a slightly looser fit, while still maintaining a feminine shape. The chest on the jersey is a little snug on me even though I’m fairly small-chested. If you need a little extra room in the chest, I’d recommend sizing up. The jersey has just enough room to fit a thin insulating layer underneath, and it falls about halfway down my butt.
The Queen Bee has more of a tighter, athletic fit, and falls about an inch and a half longer down my back than the Bandara jersey. The Queen Bee’s slimmer cut doesn’t allow for additional layers underneath.
One of the reasons I was interested in Club Ride is that their technical bike apparel is still pretty stylish, and has some nice accents. I really like the Queen Bee’s slim, feminine cut and small front zipper. The Bandara’s faux-pearl buttons, collar, and shaped sleeves are fashionable improvements over traditional bike jerseys.
While I love the Bandara jersey’s cut, I personally wasn’t a huge fan of the color “Divine Wine.” I would have preferred a solid pattern or a brighter color, and Club Ride does offer a number of different colors for the Bandara jersey.
Fabric and Performance
The Queen Bee is made of a thin, lightweight fabric that has a fairly cotton-like feel. The jersey has thinner material on the side panels to help increase ventilation, and it is a great jersey for hot, dry days in Utah. I found that the Queen Bee jersey dries a little faster than the Bandara.
The Bandara’s fabric has more of a silky feel, and provides a bit more warmth than the Queen Bee jersey. I generally wore the Bandara on some of the cooler, misty days in Revelstoke, and the button-up collar added a little extra warmth, too. The Bandara also has thinner side panels to help improve airflow.
In wet conditions, my merino wool tops provide slightly more warmth than the Queen Bee or Bandara jerseys, but the wool and synthetic layers seem to have pretty comparable breathability on warm, dry days.
Pockets
The Queen Bee jersey has two open pockets on the back panel, which are the perfect size for stashing small, non-bulky items like a bar or a patch kit. Since there is no zipper, I wouldn’t feel comfortable carrying my phone in these pockets. The pockets stick out a little bit on the back of the jersey, and given their small size, I don’t see them as a necessary feature on the Queen Bee.
The Bandara jersey has two rear zippered pockets. In one pocket, I could easily fit my iPhone 5 and a bar. The left rear pocket also has a small hole for a headphone cord, if you like to listen to music while you ride. The pockets are made of a lightweight mesh that did not irritate my skin.
Durability
I have worn the Queen Bee and Bandara jerseys for about ten days each, and haven’t had any tears in the fabric so far. The zippers on the jerseys seem solid, but I did notice a few loose threads on the Queen Bee jersey.
Smell
I usually wear merino wool for skiing and biking, and love that I can wear wool pieces several times before they start to smell and need to be washed. The Queen Bee and Bandara jerseys are made of a polyester blend, and I definitely noticed them smelling sooner than my wool tops. Even though the fabric has an anti-microbial treatment, it still doesn’t prevent smell as well as merino. Over time, though, I have found that synthetic fabrics tend to be more durable and last longer than my wool baselayers.
Bottom Line
The Club Ride Queen Bee and Bandara are technical bike jerseys with a stylish look. Both jerseys are comfortable and breathable while riding, and I was happy to wear them to the bar or dinner afterward.