Winter jackets 2018

[TonyM]

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.

The fit of the Extreme compared to the Ultimate WS is quite similar (in size M), maybe a little bit tighter to due the material (Polartec).

To me the Extreme is the only jacket I would keep on top of my Assos (which I still prefer over all other). It is really a very well made jacket and it has very good performance. It has also the Hi Vis colour that my wife loves to see when I go for a 5-6 hours ride in a foggy weather with drizzle rain. I can confirm its excellent review of bike radar in the English weather.

[gerryc89]

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.

I'm delighted! So much great information. Especially from TonyM

[TonyM]

You are welcome!

As I moved to Canada 2 years ago I was confronted with a different climate with rain, cold, different type of road and different car driver's habits.
I did end up buying so many jackets, bibs, base layers, leg warmer, etc.. from Assos, Castelli, Sportful, Pearl Izumi, Rapha etc... as the review in the web are unfortunately usually all excellent. And I bought also some clothes because of the Hi-Vis colour that my wife loves when I go riding for a long ride in the fog, drizzle rain etc....

And biking without the right cloth doesn't increase the quality of the ride - especially when it is cold and/or rainy.....

Meanwhile I would put all my clothes in these 3 categories:
A/ the clothes that have an outstanding quality and that I love to use
B/ the clothes that have a good quality but that I don't really need (as I use the one in the category above)
C/ the clothes that I could have avoided to buy as the quality is not as good as the two above categories.

I could have saved the money and the space to store for the categories B/ and C/.

I can also see that some manufacturers have very similar clothes in their range so that it doesn't make it easy to compare and to choose what we should buy. I think here about Castelli and Sportful. On top of that they update their range almost every year like Castelli. That doesn't make the comparison easier

Some manufacturers have also an excellent quality but they don't get many reviews and the cut is usually not mentioned. Here 7mesh for example.

[Rondje]

I agree with the reviews usually not being very helpful, they aren't too critical because else they might lose the manufacturers favor. That is also why Wiggle is normally my last stop before buying. Tons of user reviews there, of course everyone lives in a different climate or is used to certain weather but it gives a nice overall view of the product.

[corky]

Saw some of the new Assos gear for 2018.....there is their take on the Gabba coming.....wet and wind proof jersey, short sleeves that are cut at an angle, has additional panel that covers the heart, theory being that you need this are warmer to feel overall warmer and work more effectively. Developed alongside BMC.

There are also newer versions of the Bonka, Habu and Tiburu that all utilise different materials, they seem to be even lighter but retain the same thermal properties.
There is a new more pack able rain jacket coming...
The rep said the naming conventions will be easier to understand but the biggest change is that they will all be cheaper across the models and quoted the following exampl...... the current Bonka is priced at £330 in the UK the newer version will be £280. I asked him if this was due to increased competition and he replied that it was more to cutting out distributors and dealing directly with Stores. Wether this will be true for all markets remains to be seen.

I came away impressed.......

Back to original topic, my Bonka profblack is the best bit of kit I have ever owned.

[Jhomewood]

TonyM, we must know some of the same people. I live in Whistler and race with Langlois Brown.

Anyway. 7mesh have some outstanding quality. Their Synergy jacket is the bomb. It's a touch heavier than a typical road jacket but it's built for real rain. Goretex active keeps it super breathable. It's a great go-to piece for the wet days. The Mission jersey is an amazing layer for the cooler days, really keeps the warmth in if you have a wind breaker on the top. Their colours and design are modern and they have nicely integrated reflective parts where you need it.