If you don’t fancy lycra or traditional jerseys for your mountain biking, but want something practical and technical, then trail t-shirts are a versatile piece of kit to go for. 

Essentially a t-shirt made from performance fabrics, they look casual and relaxed while still keeping your temperature regulated, and wicking sweat away from your body.

The bonus element is that off the bike they just look like (stylish!) t-shirts, so if you are off for a weekend riding or a longer trip, and need to minimise what you bring, they’re perfect. They can also double up a short sleeved base-layer for the colder months of the year.

More and more companies are beginning to produce them, including a number of  home-grown businesses.

We’ve had a closer look at four trail t-shirts, made by howies, Trail 42, Whackjob and Broken Riders. Not only are these t-shirts performance wear, but they feature natural fabrics and environmentally friendly production processes.

Howies you may be familiar with, as we’ve featured a number of examples of their beautifully made cycle-specific kit before. Trail 42, Whackjob and Broken Riders are all small independent companies, set up by passionate individuals – if you haven’t come across them before, they’re worth checking out.