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Advice on autum / winter / spring road bike jacket

fozworthfozworth Posts: 142
edited October 2018 in Road buying advice
I’m pretty new to road cycling after years of mtbing and have had to buy a complete new kit setup . I’ve been looking at getting a decent (not silly expensive ) wind/waterproof breathable jacket . I’ve looked at so many reviews that tbh I’m pretty confused on what to go for . If I’m honest I’m not going to be riding out on a mega wet day ,although living in the UK that’s not to say you won’t get caught ina few downpours . So am I best off getting a shake dry ightweight packable jacket or a more technical complete jacket that I just wear a add layer underneath ? I know these fitted to be as waterproof but as previously said it’s more for showers and the odd downpour should I get caught .
Cheees
Ja
At the end of the day, it's night.

Posts

  • mrb123mrb123 Posts: 2,439
    Get something like a Castelli Alpha ROS jersey. Good for 95% of UK rides during the colder months. You'll get so much more use out of it then a full waterproof.
  • mrfpbmrfpb Posts: 4,420
    On a budget, I highly recommend the dhb Aeron range


    The Roubaix jersey is my most used cold weather item. I combine it with one of their gilets for a little extra wind protection on hilly rides.


    I use their Full Protection Softshell for the really cold and wet winter days

    Look at censored review thread for comparisons between the Aeron range and the more pricey Rapha, Castelli and other brands


    viewtopic.php?f=40013&t=13039887
  • fozworthfozworth Posts: 142
    Cheers ,for the reply . My budget is about £120 but I hope to get a sale item that would of been nearer £200
    At the end of the day, it's night.
  • Bottom briquettesBottom briquettes Posts: 198
    Altura night vision jackets are pretty good, in my experience. If you want to spend a lot more, Assos soft shells are nice.
  • mrfpbmrfpb Posts: 4,420
    fozworth wrote:
    Cheers ,for the reply . My budget is about £120 but I hope to get a sale item that would have been nearer £200
    Then keep an eye on this thread:

    viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12670609

    But I have to warn you, you may end up spending money on lots of stuff you didn't realise you wanted/needed.
  • keef66keef66 Posts: 13,286
    mrfpb wrote:
    fozworth wrote:
    Cheers ,for the reply . My budget is about £120 but I hope to get a sale item that would have been nearer £200
    Then keep an eye on this thread:

    viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12670609

    But I have to warn you, you may end up spending money on lots of stuff you didn't realise you wanted/needed.

    ^True dat. Both cost and saved me a small fortune. You have to be disciplined and only buy the things you actually need, or that you've considered but discounted because of the cost.

    My Castelli Alpha ROS jacket was a good example; I really wanted one but couldn't justify spending £230 on a jacket, but when Westbrooks were selling off the outgoing winter kit in the spring I could suddenly get one for half price. Boom.
  • londoncommuterlondoncommuter Posts: 1,545
    If you're small this is a bargain (apologies for the cheeky bump):

    viewtopic.php?f=40091&t=13095922
  • fozworthfozworth Posts: 142
    mrb123 wrote:
    Get something like a Castelli Alpha ROS jersey. Good for 95% of UK rides during the colder months. You'll get so much more use out of it then a full waterproof.
    Hi ,do you mean the jersey or the jacket as Castelli do a Alpha jacket and jersey ?
    At the end of the day, it's night.
  • fozworthfozworth Posts: 142
    Sadly I’m a 39” chest and although medium in altura I suspect I’m a large in Castelli
    At the end of the day, it's night.
  • matt_n-2matt_n-2 Posts: 581
    This would probably serve you well through the worst of the seasons.

    Scale up or down your base layer to increase / decrease warmth.

    https://www.tweekscycles.com/uk/castell ... t-1471292/
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  • N0bodyOfTheGoatN0bodyOfTheGoat Posts: 4,119
    I got an Altura Peleton Transformer last year in sales for ~£35 from Merlin IIRC, works well in the approx 0-13C range depending on the ride power in the dry, not sure if it has been rained on at all yet (not that it is sld as a waterproof).

    I', planning to go and have a look at https://www.aldi.co.uk/men%27s-converti ... 1242288501 , but I don't expect it to be a race-fit design like the Altura.
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  • keef66keef66 Posts: 13,286
    fozworth wrote:
    mrb123 wrote:
    Get something like a Castelli Alpha ROS jersey. Good for 95% of UK rides during the colder months. You'll get so much more use out of it then a full waterproof.
    Hi ,do you mean the jersey or the jacket as Castelli do a Alpha jacket and jersey ?

    If you had to choose just one I'd say the jersey is the more usable for UK temps / weather. Jacket will be too warm a lot of the time.
  • bobonesbobones Posts: 1,026
    I find the Alpha jersey a bit cold in the arms and use the Alpha jacket much more during winter. When it's not quite so cold, I'll use a Castelli Transition, Transparente, Perfetto or Alpha jersey and carry an Idro packable waterproof in case of downpours. A packable waterproof jacket with a windproof softshell is a much more flexible option than a full waterproof hardshell that you'd wear at the start of a ride IMO. The Idro is probably the best bit of kit I have bought in the last couple of years.
  • fozworthfozworth Posts: 142
    Matt_N wrote:
    This would probably serve you well through the worst of the seasons.

    Scale up or down your base layer to increase / decrease warmth.

    https://www.tweekscycles.com/uk/castell ... t-1471292/
    Hi mate I saw those last night however I wasn’t sure if it was going to be waterproof enough in event of getting caught in rain ? They say it’s the alpha jacket which is a little misleading as it’s the alpha jersey .
    What do you think ?
    At the end of the day, it's night.
  • mrb123mrb123 Posts: 2,439
    keef66 wrote:
    fozworth wrote:
    mrb123 wrote:
    Get something like a Castelli Alpha ROS jersey. Good for 95% of UK rides during the colder months. You'll get so much more use out of it then a full waterproof.
    Hi ,do you mean the jersey or the jacket as Castelli do a Alpha jacket and jersey ?

    If you had to choose just one I'd say the jersey is the more usable for UK temps / weather. Jacket will be too warm a lot of the time.

    Yeah, go for the jersey. Far more versatile across a range of temperatures. So long as you've got a reasonable range of base layers you'll be covered for all but the coldest days. They call it a jersey but it's really a light softshell jacket with a internal insulating layer on the front.


    I've also just got one of these which seems a decent bargain and should work for lower temperatures than the Alpha jersey can handle...
    https://lusso.bike/product/aqua-extreme-repel-jacket/
  • mrb123mrb123 Posts: 2,439
    I should add that I'm also 39" chest and the large Alpha is spot on.

    The Alphas will keep off a reasonable shower and even if they start to get wet you should stay pretty warm with a decent merino baselayer.

    I can't say that I will usually venture out if it's really nasty, and in the case of being caught in a proper cloudburst when I'm out I'll usually seek shelter from the nearest convenient tree/bus shelter/café.

    If you expect to be riding in sustained rain then obviously you need to be looking at hardshells.
  • bobonesbobones Posts: 1,026
    mrb123 wrote:
    If you expect to be riding in sustained rain then obviously you need to be looking at hardshells.
    The days when you'd start a ride with a hard shell are much fewer than you'd think, so you'll get much more use and value from a packable that can double as a hardshell IMO. I had this debate with myself last year and opted for the Idro, which has been a revelation. I'd previously used Endura FS260 race capes, and had a Mavic H2O hardshell, but the shake-dry fabric is in a different league to these. I carry it in case of mid-ride downpour or just wear it over a softshell if it's particularly nasty at the start of a ride.
  • fozworthfozworth Posts: 142
    mrb123 wrote:
    I should add that I'm also 39" chest and the large Alpha is spot on.

    The Alphas will keep off a reasonable shower and even if they start to get wet you should stay pretty warm with a decent merino baselayer.

    I can't say that I will usually venture out if it's really nasty, and in the case of being caught in a proper cloudburst when I'm out I'll usually seek shelter from the nearest convenient tree/bus shelter/café.

    If you expect to be riding in sustained rain then obviously you need to be looking at hardshells.
    Cheers ,I think that the Alpha looks a good option and like you I won’t be riding in very wet conditions ,I did think I could invest in one of those shake dry lightweight packable waterproof shells so if in a cloud burst I could stick that on top which should do the trick and they seem to be only around £40 even for a Castelli or similar brand .
    Could I fit a regular short sleeve jersey under the alpha or are the very fitted ?
    At the end of the day, it's night.
  • keef66keef66 Posts: 13,286
    fozworth wrote:
    Matt_N wrote:
    This would probably serve you well through the worst of the seasons.

    Scale up or down your base layer to increase / decrease warmth.

    https://www.tweekscycles.com/uk/castell ... t-1471292/
    Hi mate I saw those last night however I wasn’t sure if it was going to be waterproof enough in event of getting caught in rain ? They say it’s the alpha jacket which is a little misleading as it’s the alpha jersey .
    What do you think ?

    Correct. Light Jacket = jersey. Castelli themselves are responsible for the ever changing name confusion. No breast pocket is the obvious visual difference.

    It will keep you dry enough in light rain, and damp but warm in heavier rain. In either case it will be more comfortable than a full-on waterproof
  • keef66keef66 Posts: 13,286
    The Alphas are a fitted cut, but you only need a baselayer.
  • fozworthfozworth Posts: 142
    keef66 wrote:
    fozworth wrote:
    Matt_N wrote:
    This would probably serve you well through the worst of the seasons.

    Scale up or down your base layer to increase / decrease warmth.

    https://www.tweekscycles.com/uk/castell ... t-1471292/
    Hi mate I saw those last night however I wasn’t sure if it was going to be waterproof enough in event of getting caught in rain ? They say it’s the alpha jacket which is a little misleading as it’s the alpha jersey .
    What do you think ?

    Correct. Light Jacket = jersey. Castelli themselves are responsible for the ever changing name confusion. No breast pocket is the obvious visual difference.

    It will keep you dry enough in light rain, and damp but warm in heavier rain. In either case it will be more comfortable than a full-on waterproof
    Cheers have ordered L and xL and will keep the best fitting
    At the end of the day, it's night.
  • JeemyWJeemyW Posts: 61
    Hi,

    New to the forum and half searching for +1s at the moment.

    But have you looked at Arcteryx? Its expensive gear but absolutely superb.

    I use their thermal underwear for long shifts, even overnights, at the workshop in the Scottish winters and it beats out anything from the tool-wear guys.

    I buy the jackets from the US - for a £600 full-spec mountaineering jacket you'll pay $550 which is a big saving.

    I have an Arcteryx shell jacket that cost me maybe $200-300. Its eminently waterproof, fully sealed so no ingress to neck/sleeves, comes in bright road-safe colours and folds to nothing.

    Only downside I could presume is it might be a bit airtight for cycling but I don't think that it is.

    J
  • JeemyWJeemyW Posts: 61
    I should say, I've owned the big full-spec for 15 years and it looks brand new. I've brushed between two vans and covered it in grease/oil and it washes back off even after a few days. Only thing is, if you work in a smokey environment the padding does tend to soak up smells. I went to an outdoor BBQ and it smelt of woodsmoke for several years....

    The shell jacket gets folded and rolled for flights and long journeys all the time, and it unrolls flat. Its all proper Goretex etc.
  • cougiecougie Posts: 22,512
    The dhb aeron full protection shell is grey for really cold winter but their aeron hybrid works for a much wider range of temperatures.
  • fozworthfozworth Posts: 142
    Cheers to all that replied ,as said I've ordered the alpha jersey and will report back once I've tried it out .Just need a light weight packable emergency rain jacket now unless the alpha is good enough in which case I won't bother
    At the end of the day, it's night.
  • combatclaretcombatclaret Posts: 23
    Did my winter shopping this summer for all the end of range stuff.

    For wet days the Altura Podium Night Vision has served me well so far this year for a 30min commute in pretty heavy rain. £50 from Merlin, light, can just about stow it in a jersey/jacket. Drys out very quickly.
    Cold days just wearing a BTWIN 500 warm jacket for £25, really like it. Will add the merino wool layers once the temps drop really low.
  • bendipbendip Posts: 86
    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/endura-pro-sl-t ... of-jacket/

    The red is £67.49..try the fit at home..free returns etc..it's well made and warm.. re waterproofness ..i don't remember mine letting me down in showers but i think a foul day might be a step too far for it
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  • andydr2wheelsandydr2wheels Posts: 24
    Can,t believe no one mentioned the mistrial foul weather jacket from Galibi er. Fantastic quality at way less than competitors. I wore mine right through last winter -- in a 'll weather's. I thought I'd need something warmer for the real freezing days but it was more than enough in the end. And i s waterproof enough for 5 h r club rides in solid rain. Can't recommend it enough
    https://galibier.cc/product/mistral-fou ... er-jacket/
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