MAAP’s New Jersey Is Faster (If You Are)
MAAP launches a new Pro Aero jersey claiming to save 6-8 watts. It's a performance shift for the style-focused brand, but the gains only kick in at 40 kph.
I’ve always filed MAAP in a specific folder in my brain. They’re the "aesthetic" brand. The one you wear when you care as much about the post-ride coffee shop photo as you do the ride itself. Their kits are collaborations, artistic statements that happen to be made of technical fabric. And I respect that; looking good and feeling good on the bike isn't trivial.
So when I saw they released a new "Pro Aero" jersey, it made me sit up a little.
This wasn't just a new seasonal colorway. This came with numbers. MAAP claims this new jersey, used by the Jayco AlUla pro teams, will save you 6 to 8 watts. They even quantify it: that's equivalent to as much as 60 seconds over a 100km distance.
This is a different language for MAAP, moving from the subjective world of design to the objective world of wattage spreadsheets and wind tunnels. The gains apparently come from a new fabric called "Aatero Flyte" with woven ribs in the sleeves, designed to trip the boundary layer of air and reduce drag.
It's a serious claim, but it comes with a serious caveat. All of these aero gains are realized at speeds over 40 kph (that's about 28 mph).
Let's be honest: that 40 kph threshold is a serious one. That’s fast. It's a speed many of us amateurs only touch on descents or in the final kick of a town-line sprint. It’s not a speed I, or most riders, are holding for the duration of a 100km ride. This is an optimization for the very sharp end of the peloton, where races are won and lost by those exact 60 seconds.
This isn't a criticism, just an observation. It’s interesting to see a brand so heavily invested in its style identity now making a full-throated push into quantifiable performance. It’s like they’re blending their two identities. You can still have the impeccable design, but now it comes with pro-level, race-proven aerodynamics.
Of course, this combination of high style and high-speed tech comes at a price. At $265, it’s a significant investment. It puts the jersey squarely in the "marginal gains" category for most of us, but for the racers and speed-demons who live at 28+ mph, it might be the best-looking free speed they can buy.
