Gilet vs Jacket

macondo01

Had a cold ride on Saturday morning which made me think of buying a gilet (and some thin warm socks, no big toes for 35miles!) for weekend rides and my daily 10 mile commute.

I was thinking of the Gore Wear Function Gilet (or the Pearl Izumi Gilet) or the Gore Wear
Phantom which has detachable sleeves.

Any feedback on these?

Are detachable sleeves dogs dinner or dogs b*****ks!

Thanks

softlad

I don't really buy into the whole 'gilet' thing - mainly because my arms usually get colder than my torso, so a gilet would be a bit pointless for me. A good windproof/breathable jacket would be better...

warm socks will be no use at all if your shoes are vented or of mesh construction, because your feet will still get cold - it will just take a bit longer. Better to get a pair of windproof shoe covers or over-shoes which you can wear through winter...

hodsgod

I agree, arms get colder quicker on me.

robmanic1

The Cannondale Morphis is pretty good, yet to see how it stands up to a full winters riding but looking good so far.

macondo01

Even with arm warmers?

MattC59

I've got a Gore Phantom and it's fantastic !! I can highly recommend it !! It's great even in the depths of winter with just a base layer on underneath. You can use it when the weather starts to get warmer too, just remove the sleeves.

As for Gilets, I've got an Endura Ultralite Gilet, which although a little pricey is also fantastic. http://www.endura.co.uk/Product.aspx?dept_id=111&prod_id=142
They also do a lower cost Gilet, I think it's the Lazer.

I find that the gilet is best for spring/autumn, when there's a chill in teh air, but it's not too cold. throughout the winter, I also find that wind chill on my arms means that I break out the gore a lot more often.

macondo01

MattC59 - would you use your phantom without sleeves as a gilet? Also is good enough for keeping some rain off? And dry quickish?

apreading

Do these gilets all have a large panel of mesh in the back? I am looking for one which is breathable but would also like some shower resistance in the back.

MattC59

Hi Macondo01,
I use the Phantom occasionally with out sleeves, usually when it's a nice sunny spring/autumn day and a chilly start can turn warm quickly.
As for keeping the rain off, it's great !! whilst it's not fully waterproof, it does a bl**dy good impression of being so. It's quick drying too.

apreading,
The rear panel of my Endura Gilet is mainly solid. There is a mesh panel which is abuot 3" deep across the back, just under the shoulder blades. I've been caught in a shower once whilst wearing it and it was pretty good at keeping the water off my front and shoulders for the short time that it rained. That said, it's a windproof gilet, not waterproof, so I'm more than happy with it's performance.

hugo15

I like my gillet, probably one of the bits of kit I use most. It's great for keeping the chill off without overheating. They also fold up pretty small so if it does warm up you can easily stick in in your back pocket.

For the winter the Gore Phantom will be a good buy. My mate has one and he really likes it.

cyclopsbiker

I've got a Gore bike wear jacket with removable sleeves (sorry don't know model as have had it years)....recently started commuting again and love the fact that the sleeves come off. I can be cool but keep the wind off me, and when it's really cold/windy/rainy just stick the arms back on and hey presto I'm warm and dry. the sleeves are just zip on and it only takes a minute to put them on/take them off. I think come next spring/summer I'll need a gilet with mesh back, just so the wind stays off me but I'm not overheating

macondo01

MattC59 whats the sizing like on the phantom - I am 38" chest and thought medium.

Thanks for all the feedback

lastant

Macondo01 wrote:

MattC59 whats the sizing like on the phantom - I am 38" chest and thought medium.

Decided to get ahead of the cold weather this year and bought myself a Gore Phantom for the winter about a month ago.

I'm a 40" chest and would say I'm pretty stocky as a build (best pic I could find, I'm the one with the ball) - went for a Large, but it had far too much room in it.

Have since swapped it for a Medium which is a far better fit - although I do have room to get my finger in between my neck and the collar (not sure if I'm meant to be able to or not!).

macondo01

lastant - thanks thats helpful

By the way - re your photo that's some very purposeful referee striding going on there!

lastant

Ha ha...he was on the other side trying to win the ball off me. Had a good old battle against him for the game.

In my head I subtly Cruyff turn inside and stride out confidently in a Beckenbaur-esque manner - in reality it probably didn't look so nice!

pmannion9

I recently bought the Pearl Izumi Zephrr Vest. Got it for £20 from Evans.
I love it...Wear it a lot with arm warmers underneath to avoid sweating in a rain jacket...
Packs away really small...Got the small size and it really was a small size...I would probably get a size bigger than you normally get...

macondo01

pmannion9 £20 thats an amazing price. They are now £37.99.

cyberil

You need both for MTB'ing and Road. Gilets are good for Spring and Autumn to keep your torso warm especially on descents and open areas. Zip up when descending, undo when not.

For example yesterday I set off at 2pm wearing a gilet on my MTB ride and by 4pm I changed to my full jacket as the colder weather approached.

The gilet is a great piece of clothing and excellent value when it's too warm for a full windproof and/or waterproof.

Flasheart

I went out at 3:15 yesterday as I had been painting all day. The time I got back 2 hrs later I was sooo cold. I was wearing a baselayer and a SSjersey with armwarmers & bibshorts. I think that I'm going to change to winter socks and put my Endura overshoes on next time cos my toes were like ice. Possibly put some duct tape over the sole vents on my shoes too.
Mrs was on the lounge when I got in and she saw how cold I was so I got the okay to get some more cold weather clothes.
I should have put my gilet on too methinks.

Last night I ordered
Bib Tights
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/dhb_Merston_Bib_Tights_2010/5360045075/
&
Jersey
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/dhb_Rogate_Long_Sleeve_Jersey_2010/5360045209/

Mrs was disappointed that the model didn't come with the clothing. :roll:

Anonymous

Flasheart wrote:

I went out at 3:15 yesterday as I had been painting all day. The time I got back 2 hrs later I was sooo cold. I was wearing a baselayer and a SSjersey with armwarmers & bibshorts. I think that I'm going to change to winter socks and put my Endura overshoes on next time cos my toes were like ice. Possibly put some duct tape over the sole vents on my shoes too.
Mrs was on the lounge when I got in and she saw how cold I was so I got the okay to get some more cold weather clothes.
I should have put my gilet on too methinks.

Last night I ordered
Bib Tights
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/dhb_Merston_Bib_Tights_2010/5360045075/
&
Jersey
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/dhb_Rogate_Long_Sleeve_Jersey_2010/5360045209/

Mrs was disappointed that the model didn't come with the clothing. :roll:

It does get boring modelling for wiggle, I don't even get any freebies....

Flasheart

LMAO

Stellite

Check out Prendas. They have some pretty cheap gilets. Ive been using an old Cofidis one for years, its a thickish shell sort of material and shower proof.

Garz

The left photo of the guy looks like he's not happy and could do with a scrap!

MattC59

Macondo01 wrote:

MattC59 whats the sizing like on the phantom - I am 38" chest and thought medium.

Thanks for all the feedback

I'm 6'1" and wear a 42" suit jacket, so having looked at the sizing I went for the XL....... too big ! To be fair, that was partly through choice. The large fitted my torso fine, but the arms were a little short (I'm lanky, I have the same problem with my work shirts !!). I originally bought it for MTBing, so I wasn't overly bothered about a slim fit, but felt that the longer sleeves of the XL would be better (nothing worse than cold wrists !!).

I would have thought that a Medium would be fine with a 38" shest, assuming you've not got gangly arms like me. Best bet, try before you buy, and sit on a bike when you try it, so that you can check the fit in your cycling position.

I'm so pleased with mine that I think I'm going to get another in Large to use on the road bike.

cheers........ M

macondo01

Matt - Thanks for you help. I think I will get one after a try on somewhere.

Some good reviews for the Cannondale Morphis too which I now appreciate has the zip off arms like the Phantom.

Gilet is also on my wish list too!

Flasheart - your wife sounds very understanding -

Flasheart

Macondo01 wrote:

Flasheart - your wife sounds very understanding -

Yeah she has her moments
Mrs is always telling me to make sure I'm warm enough etc. and she wants me to keep cycling. I've lost almost 3 stone since March. The jersey I bought was a large, not an XL as prevous ones so that's good. And it's doing a world of good for my asthma too, except at the moment I have a stinking cold so I'm off the road bike for a couple of days until that clears . I still ride my hybrid the short journey to work every day though.

stevewj

hugo15 wrote:

I like my gillet, probably one of the bits of kit I use most. It's great for keeping the chill off without overheating. They also fold up pretty small so if it does warm up you can easily stick in in your back pocket.

Second that. Last winter apart from about three or four days when it rained, I wore a thick T shirt, club jersay with arm warmers and gillet. Brilliant. Just the right temperature and could take the arm warmers off or the gillet if too hot. I sewed a reflective panel onto the top of the mesh at the back as it was black. It just feels really comfortable and allows for so many combinations to suit conditions. I don't know that the actual make is important as long as it's water resistant to rain from the front in drizzle.

rdt

Flasheart wrote:

Last night I ordered ...
Jersey
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/dhb_Rogate_Long_Sleeve_Jersey_2010/5360045209/

Flasheart, the sizing chart on that looks a bit strange - it has the biggest gap in chest sizes (4") between the Medium and Large, twice the size of the gaps between the lardy sizes. Very odd.

Hows does the jersey size up, and has it got a generous sleeve length (i've got limbs that go on for ever...).

cheers.

Flasheart

I wanted to go for a racing fit (although I don't) so I chanced the large
I just went and tried it on for you rdt. With my arms out the sleeve cuff extends to my last finger joint, The arms gather at the wrist cuff like the image on the black jersey on the model. So I guess you could call that generous.
My chest is 42 1/2" and I have broad shoulders, so I'm no lightweight. It's a good fit across the chest, not too tight but not baggy either. The fabric is a good quality though I've yet to actually ride with it due to the stinking cold I've developed. :evil:
I stuck to the XL bibltights as I have large thighs and the large sizes I've tried in the past really cut in at the leg cuffs

macondo01

Flasheart - that's quite an achievement 3 stone!

Have now ordered the merino wool baselayer trekmates from wiggle for £20 (can wear off bike too justification), and crud racers (keep new bike/e clean justification) and some smart lights (save my skin and spend £5 voucher justification) and yep wiggle got me again and I still need to buy that jacket/gilet! But I know which ones!

Guy at Edinburgh bikes in M/c was incredibly helpful and also recommended the Phantom explaining they couldnt say it was waterproof for x,y and z reasons but it could withstand a height of 20m of water or something which was good enough for me.

Thanks for all the advice and laughs along the way! Cruffy! Model! And Smelly Helly (ugh you reminded me)

Monty Dog

Some of the Gore stuff is quite large - a small should be OK if you're a 38" chest.

I have an unused Gore Phantom, for sale, size small - bought it a few years ago, but it's too big and been hanging up ever since - happy to let it go for £40 plus postage if anyones interested - it was originally £90. Colour is grey / black. PM me if interested.