Cycling through the winter is essential to build or maintain fitness for your next season, but the key to truly enjoying it lies in choosing the right gear. A crucial component of your winter cycling ensemble is choosing the best winter cycling jacket. Designed to keep you warm, dry, and comfortable in the face of chilly winds and unpredictable weather. In this guide, we’ll delve into the top cycling winter jackets, focusing on top-notch offerings from renowned brands like Rapha, Castelli, and Assos. For a comprehensive guide of everything you need to stay comfortable in the cold months check our guide.
Traits of the best winter cycling jacket
Effective insulation is paramount for warmth during winter rides. Jackets with advanced insulation technologies such as synthetic insulation or down filling provides efficient heat retention. Wind-resistant materials or technologies like Gore-Tex and Windstopper are often incorporated to ensure protection against biting winds. While not all winter jackets need to be fully waterproof, a water-resistant or water-repellent outer layer is crucial to keep you dry in case of spray from wet roads, rain and snow.
To prevent overheating during intense rides, a cycling winter jacket should be breathable. Look for features like ventilation zippers, breathable fabrics, or strategically placed vents that allow moisture and excess heat to escape while keeping you warm.
A well-fitting jacket enhances comfort and performance. There’s nothing worse than a big jacket acting like a sail that catches every gust of wind and slows you down to a walking pace. Even though dressing for low temperatures is not as aerodynamic as your race kit, let’s not make things worse than they need to be.
With shorter daylight hours during winter, visibility is crucial. Reflective features in the right areas ensures you’re easily seen by other road users.
The best winter cycling jacket
Our winner as the best winter cycling jacket is the Castelli Perfetto RoS 2 Jacket. Its visibility, rain protection and versatile options to adjust breathability while riding makes it the best overall jacket. And it’s certainly the one you can use on most rides during winter.
If you are in a region with less downpour, the Rapha jacket might be a consideration, simply due to the looks of it. But in terms of usability – the Castelli takes the price and provide best value for money.
Full review
Rapha Pro Team Winter Jacket
The cycling winter jacket offers comprehensive protection with its dense-knit fabric on the front panels, ensuring warmth and effective wind protection against the winter chill. Its dual-material design incorporates an open, breathable fabric on the back, facilitating effective temperature regulation and preventing overheating during intense periods. This is a brilliant feature for dry rides, but the it’s not perfect for wet rides. You will need a rain jacket as a top layer.
The thoughtful design allows for versatile use as both a mid and outer layer, adapting to the outside temperature and the level of effort exerted during your ride. In terms of practicality, the jacket features three rear pockets for convenient storage of essentials and an additional zip chest pocket dedicated to securing valuables, providing a well-rounded solution for cyclists tackling winter conditions. Recommended temperature range is to be worn in cold to cool conditions (1-8°C / 34-46°F).
In terms of visibility, the jacket could be better. But it fits nicely with Rapha’s usual styling.
Castelli Perfetto RoS 2 Jacket
The Castelli Perfetto RoS 2 Jacket, equipped with Castelli-exclusive GORE-TEX water-resistant fabric on its front-facing surfaces, sets a high standard for winter cycling jackets. In terms of construction, the taped shoulder seams add an extra layer of rain protection. This dense-knit material not only provides exceptional warmth but also acts as a formidable barrier against biting winds. Complementing this, the rear-facing surfaces feature GORE-TEX Stretch fabric. This offers superior stretch and breathability, ensuring optimal comfort during dynamic rides.
The top- and bottom-opening zipper and vents on the side of the chest adds versatility. It allows for further temperature regulation to prevent overheating.
Functionality meets convenience with the provision of three rear pockets, offering ample storage space for essentials. The zip chest pocket further enhances practicality, providing a secure spot for valuables during your cycling adventures. Additionally, safety is prioritized with the reflective panel at the bottom of the pockets, enhancing visibility and ensuring a safer riding experience, especially during low-light conditions.
In essence, the Castelli Perfetto RoS 2 Jacket stands out as a top-tier winter cycling jacket. It delivers a harmonious blend of protection, breathability and practical features. All catering to the needs of discerning cyclists riding through challenging winter conditions.
Assos Mille GT Winter Jacket Evo
The Assos Mille GT winter jacket lives up to Assos’ highly regarded quality. It provides good insulation while being 100% wind-resistant. The rearwards facing material has less insulation, which provides good breathability, while the jacket remains waterproof.
I am not that fond of the design of the jacket. The way they are changing the colors looks confusing at best. Specially seen from behind on the neck and sleeves. However, that’s a matter of personal preference. I will say though, that the reflective material on the back is quite sparse. Two vertical stripes doesn’t provide enough visibility for cars, and it doesn’t signal “this is a cyclist”.