Recommend me a jacket or jersey

[PaulSecteur]

Hi,

Im on a mision impossible trying to find a jacket or jersey to wear from now till about April. Im looking to spend up to around £100 as I want something thats quality and will last. I could go a little over, but the lower the better and I wont ignor a £30 bargain if anyone knows of one! Im going to be using it for training rides, and my current cheapo setup gets very sweaty due to being cheap and not rally cycling specific so breathability is high on my wishlist. I wont be using it in the rain, but any amount of splash and shower protection would be good.


What Im after is...

1-Very breathable
2-windproof front and front of arms
3-Zippable vents for warmer weather use.

Any ideas?

 

[yello]

In that price range, and not wanting waterproof, I reckon you'll find something. I'll just do a bit of googling...

 

[PaulSecteur]

I'll just do a bit of googling...

Cheers, but I have already googled and just end up in a catch 22 of reading reviews!

I was hoping for personal recommendations.

Parker international isnt too far from me, if they have a shop floor it so I can try on I might get it from them, but sooo much choice and spending £100 I dont wanna buy a dud.

 

[yello]

Sorry, I can't really do a recommendation. I have several items that fit the description but not what you'd be looking for, for one reason or another;

1 - Rapha softshell - too expensive
2 - Shutt winter jersey - not sufficiently windproof (and expensive)
3 - LewisKit softshell - too warm (and no longer available!)
4 - ProRace winter jacket - maybe too warm but the likeliest candidate

I tend to layer rather than rely on any one garment.

Edit: I didn't edit it!!

 

[HLaB]

I find the montane featherlite great to carry on training rides as its just so small and its breath ability is good IMO; its too small and compact for pit vents though. There could be ones out there but I've not come across any summerish jackets that have pit vents its just seems to be heavier commuting jackets.

Another good option for the training ride is to consider a soft shell jacket. The Gore Phantom is great but its a winter weight, you can turn it into a gilet when its too hot but personally I've never used that option its either too hot to wear it or not. I've got a similar Aussie jacket which is a much better weight but I dont think you can buy them in the UK.

 

[yello]

Several of my club mates have mavic stuff, and I've seen it in shops here, and the quality looks good to me. I've certainly made up my mind to consider it when I next want technical kit.

So, with your requirements in mind, I'd look at the Mavic Espoir jacket. It found it at £85 from ChainReaction

 

[gaz]

My personal choice is the Mavic Helium
The only jacket i use. Layers FTW

 

[lanternrouge]

i've got a Gore Bike Wear Jersey bought from Wiggle. unfortunately i don't know the name of it but cost around £65. comes in various colours and i wear this as Jacket with layers underneath. very good quality, loads of pockets and windproof. so i would strongly recommend.

 

[yello]

ActionSports in Germany are doing a pretty good sale at the moment with some heavily discounted Pearl Izumi stuff. This Gavia jacket for instance, reduced from €130 to €60. I've no idea how that might compare to UK prices but I suspect that's going to be difficult to beat.

There's other stuff to, not just Pearl Izumi - Gore, Shimano, Gaerne.... to name but a few. Click on the WSV 2011 to see all the discounted stuff.

 

[carlgorse]

I bought a De Marchi 2010 jacket for £97 reduced from £174.99 from High on Bikes and its the best jacket ive bought to date

 

[jethro10]

My personal choice is the Mavic Helium
The only jacket i use. Layers FTW

As long as you don't talk with a high pitched voice when wearing it

J