Jacket advice

Simmo72

Any advice on a low cost jacket purchase
As part of the constant evolution of my equipment I need a new jacket. Somehow I've managed with just a lightweight castelli squadra and thermals underneath, it's ok but not great.

Funds are limited (baby) and whilst a £180 jacket will no doubt be great it's not something I can justify right now for a couple of sleep deprived rides a week.

Any suggestions on what to purchase. I'm not too bad with the cold and have plenty of quality base layers and thermal tops so maybe I can get away with a lightweight jacket still.

A bit of a holy grail but requirements are

Sub £80
All rounder
Good water resistance.
Breathable
Wind blocker

I was thinking of the sportful hotpack but at 6ft 4 with long arms I get the feeling the Italian sizing isn't going to work well, the castelli squadra is xxl and isn't a great fit......what is it with Italians?

Dhb eq2.5 looks good but with purely for vanity with already using dhb tights and gloves I'll feel like a walking add for wiggle!

Cheers

Bobbinogs

Craft do a nifty LS baselayer with a wind blocking front panel and some shoulder protection too. Might be a low cost option when matched with a normal thermal jersey...(Craft Active Extreme WS, only £45 from Chain Reaction at the mo). I haven't tried one but it was on my santa wishlist.

Strith

Pearl izumi elite softshell can be had for ~£80 if you shop around.

scottyboy05

Altura Varium Jacket £39.00 at Leckies of Falkirk.......... Bargain of the year.
Better hurry before they sell out.

eric_draven

this is the guys facebook page for the jackets scottyboy is talking about
https://www.facebook.com/JamesLeckieFalkirk

poppit

Endura Fusion softshell? Mine has been really good this winter.

trooperk

Altura transformer,£42 at cyclestore at mo,had my over a year now and it's the only top I wear what ever the weather.

luv2ride

if you can squeeze to 99 quid you could pick up a Sportful Fiandre No rain softshell jacket from Evans in their current sale. I just tried mine for first time today and very impressed with its warmth and windproofing. It's also a good roadie cut, so nice n tight. if you need a little more room probably best sizing up. It has had some good reviews and the proprietary Sportful No rain nano treatment means rain beads off the material before it gets chance to soak in. got mine in flouro/black and it is VERY visible. Seems a decent all rounder....and reduced from 175 quid a bit of a bargain at the moment 8)

daniel_b

I have a reasonable amount of Mavic kit, and the quality is excellent, one of my favourite items is their waterproof winter jacket, but for your requirements, how about the Sprint H20?


http://www.evanscycles.com/products/mavic/sprint-h2o-jacket-ec053702

If you go for it, bare in mind that the vast majority of resellers list the international size which is one size bigger than the UK size - I wanted a UK small in a cyclone I ordered recently, so ordered a medium.

Couple of reviews here: http://www.competitivecyclist.com/mavic-sprint-h2o-jacket-mens
http://timwiggins.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/review-mavic-sprint-jacket.html#.UsBgBrSBXIU

Anonymous

Gore Phantom 2 is very breathable, wind proof and more or less water proof (fabric is water proof, but not sealed zips).
It has removable arms so is also very versatile.
Fabric feels very nice (not stiff and plasticky) and as I said, very breathable.
You may find a previous years model (nicer colours IMO) for £80 if you are lucky but if not its can be found for under £100 and worth the extra over a lot of its rivals.

Ride hard

This is a good shout http://www.decathlon.co.uk/anorak-7-black-white-blue-id_8282711.html

Had it for a few weeks and its kept me as snug as a bug in a rug in temperatures floating around freezing and/or windy conditions. I'm not sure how waterproof it is though as I haven't been out in a proper downpour in it yet, but its kept me dry in the persistant drizzly stuff.

Simmo72

Cheers all, almost went for the sportful no rain Flandre but in the end went for Daniels favourite, the mavic sprint h20. Looks like the exact balance I'm after.

I font normally buy from Evans but their current sale gas dome great offers.

maddog 2

Simmo72 wrote:

I font normally buy from Evans but their current sale gas dome great offers.

shirley shome mishtake miss moneypenny

let us know how the Mavic pans out. Looks like a good deal.

If you want (another) good lightweight windstopper then the Endura FS260 jetstream is a nice bit of kit

luv2ride

+1 for the Endura FS260 Pro Jetstream (mouthful!). Used it for the first time in a while yesterday. At 6 degrees with a long sleeve compression base I was very comfortable indeed. Have to keep reminding myself not to wear too many layers when it looks grim outside as I warm up very quickly and get sweaty otherwise...