Winter jackets 2018

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jekyll man
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by jekyll man

A vote here for the Rapha proteam softshell.
Waterproof and warm enough with a baselayer and maybe a shirt underneath if its sub zero.
No need for an extra jacket/gilet.
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kode54
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by kode54

jekyll man wrote:
Thu Jan 18, 2018 4:27 pm
A vote here for the Rapha proteam softshell.
Waterproof and warm enough with a baselayer and maybe a shirt underneath if its sub zero.
No need for an extra jacket/gilet.

i have a Rapha Pro Team Softshell. not quite as warm or windproof as the Assos Habu or Bonka. ridden in all...and depends on the temps, i typically reach for the Assos jackets.
maybe because my old age is kicking in, but i get cold regardless and wimp out when the temp starts out at 25F.
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TonyM
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by TonyM

Rapha is by far not as good as Assos in terms of quality. Rapha is like the Rosso Corsa serie of Castelli.

But their marketing is very good! I also have to reckon that they have managed to create a specific style/ attitude which is different to the current brands; Castelli being Italian and Assos almost Germanic in terms of design. In terms of design I personally prefer the ProfBlack series of Assos and the Rosso Corsa series of Castelli over the design of Rapha which is to me too feminine. The attitude of Rapha is much too arrogant (see the interviews of their Management). Very much like the attitude of the team Sky/ UK.

We will see now how they will evolve since they have been sold to Walmart (actually to two grand sons of the owner of Walmart).

spartan
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by spartan

castelli all the way. assos material tech/cut not good enough.

Castelli Alpha ROS
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2023 Tarmac SL7 Di2 9270
ex 2019 S-works SL6
ex 2018 Trek Madone SLR Disc
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ico
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by ico

spartan wrote:
Sat Jan 20, 2018 3:24 am
castelli all the way. assos material tech/cut not good enough.

Castelli Alpha ROS
Which Assos jacket you have tried and wasn't good enough?

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TonyM
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by TonyM

spartan wrote:
Sat Jan 20, 2018 3:24 am
castelli all the way. assos material tech/cut not good enough.

Castelli Alpha ROS
First time I hear such a feedback about quality and cut of Assos... :shock:

Which jacket of Assos do you have?
And which cut do you prefer? (Assos has a "race" cut and a "relaxed" cut)

gwilliams
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by gwilliams

I have used the Termica Jacket by Q36.5 for the last two winters, and it’s now the only jacket I use through the winter season.

It’s highly water resistant, wind resistant, breathable and hardwearing. Depending on temperatures, I wear either their Baselayer 4, or the new Intimo Longsleeve Teddy Berry baselayer (the Teddy Berry Base is really warm)

If it’s really cold, I use the Q36.5 Vest L1 Essential over the Termica.

I have used most of the Q36.5 winter and summer collections, and find their products to be extremely good.

There is a review of the Termica Jacket in www.pedalnorth.com (within Kit Reviews Kit you wear) and quite a lot of info in www.stillbiking.com

My Instagram feed also shows a lot of Q36.5 kit in use grant.williams1973

spartan
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by spartan

i tried the IJ.BONKA.6 CENTO mehhh. prefer castelli fit/styling.
only issue with castelli is the so-so quality control. imho there materials/cut is superior to assos. they use the latest fabrics for gore/polartec.

assos best designer left the company to form 36.5. i hope Assos can update there design motif to match Rapha/Castelli/Sportful.
the new BMC kit is not a good step. one of the worst pro-tour designs this year.
Current Rides:

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ex 2019 S-works SL6
ex 2018 Trek Madone SLR Disc
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TonyM
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by TonyM

spartan wrote:
Sun Jan 21, 2018 10:01 pm
i tried the IJ.BONKA.6 CENTO mehhh. prefer castelli fit/styling.
only issue with castelli is the so-so quality control. imho there materials/cut is superior to assos. they use the latest fabrics for gore/polartec.

assos best designer left the company to form 36.5. i hope Assos can update there design motif to match Rapha/Castelli/Sportful.
the new BMC kit is not a good step. one of the worst pro-tour designs this year.
Did you use the Bonka on the roads? Ot just tried at home/ shop?

As for the design, I am personally happy that Assos will change their design as they were not my taste (I like the design of the Castelli Rosso Corsa line).

I however really love the concept of the ProfBlack series where you don't have any logo not distinctive pattern. This is something which annoy me to have all these big red Castelli logos on my Castelli nothing or these distinctive Rapha pattern on my Rapha clothing. But this is what most of the people want to be seen wearing Rapha etc....

Rondje
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by Rondje

I've been testing the Sportful Fiandre Ultimate WS jacket https://www.sportful.com/Root/Cycling/J ... 110180217A . Got a nice tight fit and does perform very well on waterproofing and wind stopping. Not to sure on the temperatures as I currently lack a good base layer (My X-bionic seem to die of old age). But I've worn it around 0c with an X-bionic long sleeve base layer and a lightweight jersey beneath.

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TonyM
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by TonyM

I have the same and it is a good jacket indeed.

However much better is the Sportful Fiandre Extreme jacket if the temperatures are lower and in terms of performance. I have it in Hi-Vis for the days with fog, drizzle rain etc...Not cheap (but less than Assos) but really worth it!

On last Saturday I used it on a 6 hours solo ride with 4 hours drizzle rain and temperature between 2.5C and 5.5C. It was just perfect! I just had a Castelli Merino base layer under it.

https://www.sportful.com/Root/Cycling/J ... 110180017A

Image

Good review:
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/cate ... iew-51676/



Rondje
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by Rondje

Interesting! Can you tell me the difference between the two? As I like the Sportful fit I was checking their collection for other winter jackets as I'm thinking the one I currently test might not be warm enough for me. But I can't really find any logic in their collection, 3/4 jackets all seem to look the same and get nearly the same scores on windproofing, waterproofing, isolation and breathability.

kode54
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by kode54

spartan wrote:
Sun Jan 21, 2018 10:01 pm
i tried the IJ.BONKA.6 CENTO mehhh. prefer castelli fit/styling.
only issue with castelli is the so-so quality control. imho there materials/cut is superior to assos. they use the latest fabrics for gore/polartec.

assos best designer left the company to form 36.5. i hope Assos can update there design motif to match Rapha/Castelli/Sportful.
the new BMC kit is not a good step. one of the worst pro-tour designs this year.
the previous Bonka and Habu jackets aren't as nice or technical as the latest offerings. i recently bought a few of the Assos profBlack series earlier in the year and was surprised to find that the current generation is so much better than previous ones. i think the problem/perception of not being as good as others in the current market is that...if you haven't tried the latest versions, there's no comparison. when its cold out and less than 32F, i always reach for the Assos gear. above that, it doesn't matter much to me as i can layer up or wear a good base layer with LS jersey and shell if need be. i had an older version of the Bonka and Fugu lines...not great. bulky and the fit wasn't great. the newer Bonka fits as well if not better than the Rapha winter stuff. windproof and water resistant. not as bulky either with a waffle weave insides.
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TonyM
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by TonyM

Rondje wrote:
Tue Jan 23, 2018 12:22 pm
Interesting! Can you tell me the difference between the two? As I like the Sportful fit I was checking their collection for other winter jackets as I'm thinking the one I currently test might not be warm enough for me. But I can't really find any logic in their collection, 3/4 jackets all seem to look the same and get nearly the same scores on windproofing, waterproofing, isolation and breathability.

Hoi Rondje!

Happy to help you (after our "heated" discussion in Team Sunweb/ Giant/ Barguil in the last Vuelta a Espana) :wink:

Here the 4 jackets that I have from Sportful Fiandre:

From the left to the right:
- Sportful Fiandre Norain jacket
- Sportful Fiandre Extreme jacket
- Sportful Fiandre Ultimate WS jacket
- Sportful Fiandre light WS jacket

Image

]Image


I would review as follows:

- Weight and also thickness of the textile:
Sportful Fiandre Norain jacket >> Sportful Fiandre Extreme jacket > Sportful Fiandre Ultimate WS jacket > Sportful Fiandre light WS jacket

- Insulation:
Sportful Fiandre Norain jacket >> Sportful Fiandre Extreme jacket >> Sportful Fiandre Ultimate WS jacket > Sportful Fiandre light WS jacket

- Windproofing:
no significant difference

- Waterproofing/ water repellent:
Sportful Fiandre Norain jacket = Sportful Fiandre Extreme jacket > Sportful Fiandre Ultimate WS jacket = Sportful Fiandre light WS jacket

- Breathability:
Sportful Fiandre Extreme jacket = Sportful Fiandre Ultimate WS jacket >> Sportful Fiandre Norain jacket = Sportful Fiandre light WS jacket

So specifically between the Sportful Fiandre Extreme jacket and the Sportful Fiandre Ultimate WS jacket, I would say that the main difference is that the Extreme is much better in terms of insulation. The Sportful Fiandre Ultimate WS jacket feels a little bit lighter. So depending in the temperature where you bike you may take the Extreme or the Ultimate. Or both.

As you asked also in terms of temperature, I personally use the Sportful Fiandre Extreme jacket up to +2C +3C with drizzle rain (or the Assos Habu jacket). If less than +2C and drizzle rain then I take the Sportful Fiandre Norain jacket (or the Assos Bonka jacket).

I personally prefer by far the Assos jackets (Bonka and Habu) as the fit/ cut is more "racy" than the Sportful and they feel lighter.
However my wife is very happy when I wear the Hi-Vis Fiandre jackets in terms of safety.

Rondje
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by Rondje

Haha, I had already forgotten about the Barguil discussion, I'm not the type to hold grudges over a nice internet discussion, it's always nice to have one every now and then :)

Thanks for the extended review, very helpful and that's a nice collection of jackets you got there! According to your review the Extreme is the overall winner which leaves me with 1 more question, how does the fit compare to the Ultimate WS? I love the fit of the Ultimate WS and if I read the description of the Extreme it sounds like it's a tighter/more race fit?

Once again thanks for the review, and sorry gerry if I hijack your thread, but maybe the info is useful for you as well.

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