Soft shell jackets

pottssteve

Hullo!

I'm looking for a soft shell/windproof jacket that I can wear on and off the bike. I want decent performance and good looks. I'd appreciate your opinions and advice.
Cheers,
Steve

GyatsoLa

Gore have a great range of windstopper jackets - I like the fact that they have lots of different designs according to whether you are looking for something racy and minimalist up to looser more casual wear, depends really on what you want it for. The fit and manufacturing quality is usually top class.

I had a look at the training top from Oregon company Showers Pass a few weeks ago - it got a great write up on C+ and its fit and quality was very good - worth a look if you have a dealer near you.

willbevan

Good looks : Rapha Classic Softshell

Not bad looks and still good functionality - Mavic do a good soft shell, hydro jacket. (Been impressed by there recent cloths lines)

Are you looking for something for summer or for winter, as the hydro will be to warm come a month I think

Anonymous

I have a Gore Tool 2 which is great, but I'd rather have the Rapha one...

maddog 2

+ 1 Gore

they have various designs and fits, from the roadie Oxygen SO through to the more general Cosmo. I've got a couple of Oxygens and they are great on the bike but a mate has a Cosmo which is nicer for mtbing I think - more pockets and a more general cut.

APIII

The Rapha softshell is very expensive, but is actually very good value as it is quite versatile. Through the winter it's been great with a l/sleeve base layer and jersey underneath. Probably getting slightly too warm now, but just a base layer underneath could still be an option. I use it occasionally off the bike too, or when I'm just going for a casual pootle to the shops, as no one is going to give you strange looks in Waitrose

bendertherobot

Can I add in the Rapha Winter jersey. A thing of absolute beauty and so comfortable on and off the bike.

TimoH

pottssteve wrote:

I'm looking for a soft shell/windproof jacket that I can wear on and off the bike. I want decent performance and good looks. I'd appreciate your opinions and advice.

I've been highly impressed about my new Gore Phantom II jacket. It is very comfortable and versatile. That's 100 pounds well spent.

99thmonkey

Rapha all the way if you dont mind spending a little! Well alot actually but boy are they good

Garry H

Does it have to be a bike one? Take a look at some mountaineering ones.

dov2711

Endura stealth has been a great buy for me though if you sweat a lot its not probably the best choice. Has pit and side zips though is still quite warm.

I tend to wear it with just an baselayer and its good down to 0 degrees. Wore it with a thermal top in minus 6 and was too warm!!

Bought mine a few months back for £110 but cant seem to find the link. Has been well worth it.

cooper.michael1

Yeah indeed, I use a North Face soft-shell one on the bike, as long as you buy it so its quite close fitting I don't really see much of a difference to the bike specific ones. Plus it doubles as a nipping to tesco, and spring time walking jacket.

Windstopper is great, but it is still a laminate like gore-tex, as therefore prone to condensation, but provides good protection. It is a balance between protection and breathability...because despite what the manufacturers say i dont believe both can co-exist.

Garry H

cooper.michael1 wrote:

Windstopper is great, but it is still a laminate like gore-tex, as therefore prone to condensation, but provides good protection. It is a balance between protection and breathability...because despite what the manufacturers say i dont believe both can co-exist.

+1
After years of searching for the holy grail of mountaineering jackets, I concur that wind/water proof, plus breathability (or permeability, to use the proper term ) does not exist. Anything with a barrier, eg Windstopper, will trap some moisture on the inside. Best softshells are ones made of tightly woven face fabrics with no laminate or barriers. They will breathe better without the need for pit zips. Having said that, I do like my Gore Oxygen SO, but it can still be a bit boil in the bag.

nigelking

I use a Gore Phantom jacket and find it good all year round.
I use it with a base layer in winter and in summer on cold days without the zip off sleeves
I've also used in the wet and as long as its not sustained is fine for rain too.

meanredspider

Garry H wrote:

, I concur that wind/water proof, plus breathability (or permeability, to use the proper term ) does not exist. .

It does - it's called "skin"

But, for man-made fabrics, I'd tend to agree - some are much better than others though. I'm a convert to eVent - it's not perfect but, with a Merino baselayer, it was pretty good and served me down to -9C cycling this winter. The only problem is that it doesn't stretch so needs to be loose and hence not very aero.

Garry H

meanredspider wrote:

Garry H wrote:

, I concur that wind/water proof, plus breathability (or permeability, to use the proper term ) does not exist. .

It does - it's called "skin"

But, for man-made fabrics, I'd tend to agree - some are much better than others though. I'm a convert to eVent - it's not perfect but, with a Merino baselayer, it was pretty good and served me down to -9C cycling this winter. The only problem is that it doesn't stretch so needs to be loose and hence not very aero.

I agree with eVent. Best out there I think (Use the Montane "SuperFly" for mountain escapades, though I've not tried any of their cycling gear). Lots shout about Paramo, but I find it too bulky and can be too warm. Not an ideal combination for road cycling

meanredspider

Garry H wrote:

I agree with eVent. Best out there I think (Use the Montane "SuperFly" for mountain escapades, though I've not tried any of their cycling gear). Lots shout about Paramo, but I find it too bulky and can be too warm. Not an ideal combination for road cycling

Yup - I was so pleased with my Montane "Stormrider" (fluorescent bike-specific) that I bought the "Superfly" for my Munro days - very pleased with it too - such a jump forward from my Lowe Alpine jacket

hugo15

Another vote for the Gore Phantom

bigpikle

I have a Gore Phantom jacket (with zip-off sleeves so does a gilet as well) but it looks like a bike jacket IMHO. Its been a superb winter jacket with just a baselayer underneath but is a little much now though.

I also have a Rapha Lightweight Softshell and it is awesome. I have lived in it on the bike since the worst of winter left us and its very lightweight, completely windproof and pretty breathable. Its cut is much more fitted and it looks more like a well fitted jacket than purely a cycling garment, but its not available any more unless you find a bargain on ebay etc.

I've been so impressed with my lightweight softshell I might grab a standard one for next winter as my Phantom is rather big now after some major weight loss 8)

meanredspider

Bigpikle wrote:

I've been so impressed with my lightweight softshell I might grab a standard one for next winter as my Phantom is rather big now after some major weight loss 8)

Do we have to call you "Mediumpikle" now?

That's the trouble with losing weight - I lost 2.5 stone 3 or 4 years back (to save weight for car racing). Cost me a fortune in new clothes because nothing fitted anymore (coats, suits, trousers, even shoes felt bigger).

Interested to hear how you get on with the standard Rapha. A close-fitting softshell that I don't boil in but has some good degree of rain-proofness is definitely what I need for most of my winter days.

bendertherobot

meanredspider wrote:

Bigpikle wrote:

I've been so impressed with my lightweight softshell I might grab a standard one for next winter as my Phantom is rather big now after some major weight loss 8)

Do we have to call you "Mediumpikle" now?

That's the trouble with losing weight - I lost 2.5 stone 3 or 4 years back (to save weight for car racing). Cost me a fortune in new clothes because nothing fitted anymore (coats, suits, trousers, even shoes felt bigger).

Interested to hear how you get on with the standard Rapha. A close-fitting softshell that I don't boil in but has some good degree of rain-proofness is definitely what I need for most of my winter days.

Try the winter jacket. That's reduced. It's awesome.

Baybash

My Gore Phantom II has been awesome over winter. A great bit of kit for 80 quid

pottssteve

Thanks for the advice, folks.

So, to summarise;

1. Rapha is best, especially if you get at least 5 numbers and the bonus ball.
2. Gore are good value and perform well (Phantom, Tool etc.)

Cheers!

doughty2002

I've recently bought the "Showers Pass" Softshell trainer jacket from Mosquito in London (they are one of a very few importers I believe). The jacket is fantastic.It is extremely well made. The jacket is fully waterproof and has a very soft feel. It is a contoured jacket which simply looks really good. It has zipped vents on the sides of the body (they are placed where you can get at them whilst riding) and an additional one in the rear near the top of the neck. It has three rear pockets and an additional zipped rear pocket. All the seams are taped and all the zips are waterproofed too. Its not cheap (about £160) but I'd say its money really well spent. Cycling Plus gave it a very good review recently and if you google for review of it you'll see other glowing testimonies.

italiafirenze

+1 for Rapha Classic Softshell

Very very windproof and surely the best looking jacket out there.

DaSy

I have both the Rapha Classic Softshell and the Lightweight Softshell (which I bought after finding the classic to be so good).

The Classic is quite a warm jacket, but does have pit zips which make it more versatile. The lightweight is perfect for this time of year as it starts to warm up.

If I could have only one of them it would be the Classic, it has lasted many years now, and seen me through some epic rides with wildly changing weather.

northpole

I have a Rapha classic - the problem I find is that it looks far too good to be splattering with the kak which gets chucked up off the road. Result is that I tend to use it more for shopping than cycling. Cycling tends to involve an Assos 851 jacket with a cheapo showerproof folded into one of the back pockets.

The Rapha fit and finish is amazing though.

Peter