"Hang on, Daniel, just ten more seconds!" Our human test dummy pulls himself together and remains in the racing bike position for a moment, although his whole body is already trembling as if he is about to plunge down the Timmelsjoch in the rain wearing a summer jersey. Then, finally: it's back into the adjoining room of the cold chamber, where a fresh five degrees Celsius awaits our two-man test crew. At least 25 degrees more than in the cold chamber, where Daniel spends what is probably the coldest summer day of his life for our insulation test of 14 softshell jackets.
The purpose of these cold shocks is to take thermographic images of our test jackets with a special camera in order to document the heat flow from the body to the outer skin under laboratory conditions. The more body heat is released into the environment through the insulation layers over a certain period of time, the colder it feels for the cyclist and the sooner the body cools down - which in practice could mean an early end to the winter ride.
Searching for the ideal jacket
In addition to the insulation capacity of a winter jacket, the fit and cut, rain protection and features also play a key role. Sensibly placed reflective material increases visibility in traffic in dim winter light - an important contribution to your own safety. The pockets should be easily accessible and protected against moisture, and should keep rain gloves or a helmet cap dry and within easy reach. Pockets and compartments with zips for keys or wallets are valuable extras. Sleeves that can be adjusted with Velcro or zip fasteners are practical.
14 providers have sent what they consider to be the best model into this competition. The test results of these models can be found below as a PDF download:
- Castelli Espresso 3 Jacket (TOUR tip: best fit)
- De Marchi Thermo Racing Jacket
- Endura Equipe Thermo Jacket
- Etxeondo Lerro Performance WS Jacket
- Gonso Free
- Gore Bike Wear Oxygen WS SO Jacket
- Löffler Men's Bike Zip-Off Jacket WS
- Mavic Cosmic Wind Jacket (TOUR tip: the lightest jacket)
- Pearl Izumi Elite Softshell Jacket
- Rapha Classic Softshell
- Scott Jacket AS Plus Premium
- Sportful Fiandre Norain Jacket
- Storck Gear Winter Jacket
- Vaude Me Kuro Softshell Jacket II
Downloads:
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