I like this – I like it a lot. This is a merino longsleeve baselayer from established cycle brand Endura; it’s simple and it’s sweet. Merino is a great fabric for sport: it keeps you warm, it’s light when wet, it wicks and it smells less after prolonged use.

This baselayer immediately makes me smile. The colour is a nice rich purple and it’s big enough to fit over another layer (it’s medium and I’m a size ten), but small enough to be the first layer next to the skin. It’s not super-tight, so if you wear it under a cycling jersey, then the arms aren’t aero or anything. But if you’re trying to stay warm, which is the object when you don merino gear, then you’ll be happy with this.

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I go out in it on the coldest day of the year – a hard frost coats the North Downs and I feel toasty. There’s a familiar woolly prickle as it heats up, but that passes quickly; it’s mercerised, so that’ll be why and it has flatlock seams, so it doesn’t chafe either. I feel toasty warm, but not sweaty – which you often get with more ‘technical’ fabrics.

I also tested this out running – it’s a good way of working out whether the layer is as breathable as it says. It is. And I like that this can double up as a running jersey – it’s rare to get that with a bit of cycling kit; good value. It’d be a great base layer to take if you were doing a long trip – I tested how long you could go without washing it, and without being explicit, the answer is quite a while.

I really like this base layer and I’d definitely recommend it. It doesn’t boast about how technical it is, it’s not cut too tight and it’s brilliantly warm without being suffocating. At £39.99 and with sizes going up to XXL, it’s a good bet for a durable, reliable, comfortable piece of winter kit. If you don’t care about aero, then this could be a staple of your winter wardrobe!

Price: £37.99, (RRP £39.99) available from Evans Cycles.