Obviously the professional racing cyclists wear specialized cycle jerseys to display which team they ride for, and also to advertise their team sponsors. But if you just like to hurtle along normal streets in town, you may be better off wearing a cycling shirt as many of them are made in a vast array of eye-catching and sometimes garish color schemes. This is a good thing if you are riding in busy towns with a lot of traffic on the roads – basically you want to be seen by other road users. So if you are not a racer, think of the bright colors as a safety feature.

A quite separate advantage of wearing cycling shirts is that they are tailored to be longer at the back than the front. You will be leaning over most of the time if you are riding at speed, and will prefer for your shirt not to slide halfway up your back. The front is normally fastened using a long zipper, and obviously you can adjust this to where you want it, to cool down if you’ve been training hard or the weather is very hot.

On the subject of comfort, many cycling shirts these days are made from Hi-Tec fabrics which allow breathability. In other words, like specialized garments that runners wear, the material wicks away moisture from the skin surface of the wearer, and so these shirts help to keep you comfortable and dry.

Cycling jerseys generally have pockets which are on the rear; heavy items can get in the way if the pockets are on the front of the shirt. Some have multiple pockets, some have zips on the pockets, which are the ones I prefer as things don’t fall out of them!

If you are cycling in colder weather you can wear long sleeved cycling shirts, some of which are designed to keep you warm, with elasticated cuffs and waistbands, and the all-important moisure wicking ability.

So the main tips (and reasons)  for getting a cycling shirt are to decide on long or short sleeves; aim to buy a jersey that wicks moisture away from your skin, as it will keep you so much more comfortable during rides which require periods of high and low intensity. And use a cycling shirt that allows you to be highly visible to motorists – bright yellow, green or red are good colors to try.