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Capo Siena HiVis Mid-Weight Jacket Capo Siena HiVis Mid-Weight Jacket Capo Siena HiVis Mid-Weight Jacket Capo Siena HiVis Mid-Weight Jacket
Capo Siena HiVis Mid-Weight Jacket

Capo Siena HiVis Mid-Weight Jacket

9
by Lara Dunn
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Jan 7, 2015

3
£150.00

VERDICT:

9
10
Well-featured and nicely considered winter jacket aimed at performance riders
Weight: 
350g
Contact: 
www.capocycling.com cicla.myshopify.com
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Conceived as a mid-weight jacket (the clue is in the name) for all-season, and particularly cold weather use, the Capo Siena is a fairly lightweight soft-shell that offers versatile options for keeping the body a stable temperature.

The Siena is made from a supple but robust stretch fabric, with weather resistant properties thanks to the manufacturer's P-10 membrane, as well as a soft brushed inner face to the fabric designed to keep you warm.

Many may dislike the idea of a winter jacket in black as not offering the sort of additional low light visibility that contributes to a feeling of greater safety. However, the Siena addresses this with two large panels in the area of the latissimus dorsi muscles of the back, an area easily spotted no matter what the position of the rider. These panels, which also run down the sides of the body are made from a highly reflective fabric, akin to 3M's Scotchlite, which is not only stretchy but also perforated for extra breathability.

The jacket also features reflective accents on the upper arms, a trio of pockets at the rear and gripper tape at the hem. The skin-facing surface of the collar is fleecy backed for comfort.

With a neat, contoured performance fit, it's worth considering going up a size if you're borderline. The size Large I tried was pretty much equivalent to a small UK14 and if I was planning to wear anything other than a fairly low profile base layer underneath, I'd have wanted a little more space.

That said, the jacket was sufficiently warm for a thin baselayer to be a good option under most conditions, particularly if riding hard.

The length of sleeves and torso was good, and the gripper tape at the hem did a good job of keeping everything in place when stretched out. The fabric performed well for its purpose, combining just the right level of warmth with decent breathability, lack of moisture build-up and weather protection; it was very windproof and good for anything less than really persistent rain.

The reflective panels were a nice touch, combining valuable and effective extra visibility with a neat quirky design element, particularly since the membrane the reflective fabric was backed in is the same shocking pink as the trim at collar and cuffs, making for a subtle but attractive effect. Even devout pink haters shouldn't find the styling too odious.

At £150 it's on the pricy side, but not excessive and certainly of a similar price as many performance-led softshell jackets on the market. It's a great piece for racers and faster paced riders, while slower riders may not appreciate enough of its technical features to warrant the price tag. If I had a quibble, I'd have liked a zip pocket somewhere for a door key.

Verdict

Well-featured and nicely considered winter jacket aimed at performance riders

road.cc test report

Make and model: Capo Siena HiVis Mid-Weight Jacket

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Cicla (stockist) say:

Capo's Siena HiVis mid-weight jacket is a fabulous new addition to Capo's winter range of cycling jackets for women. With the time old dilemma of 'do I go for a black jacket, which is more practical during the winter due to the amount of grim on the road, or should I opt for a brightly coloured/luminescent number so I can be spotted during the darker months of the year', Capo have resolved this issue with this jacket. Yes, you can have your cake and eat it, and choose a black jacket in which you will most certainly be spotted with its high vis (reflective) panels on the front, rear and side panels. Happy times 1 and a huge sigh of relief!

By using P-10 Membrane fabric, designed to increase visibility in low light conditions which is 360 deg reflective in two panels which run along the back across and down both shoulder blades to the base of your ribs, then extending down the base of the side panel and up under the arm this jacket offers great reflective potential. Another great quality of this fantastic technical fabric is the simple fact it still offers great all way stretch, so it's a hit on comfort too!

This is a great jacket for those colder riders, when you need some insulation and protection from the wind to keep you warm. Capo have used Protegge® Membrane, a medium weight, dual layer membrane which offers wind and water resistance plus thermal insulation. Combing this with the super lightweight Super Roubaix® fabric which is great for insulation, whilst breathable and stretchy enough to give you great freedom of movement.

I would consider it best suited to faster paced performance driven riders, looking for a sleek fitting and attractive, effective jacket for all but the very foulest winter conditions.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

A combination of lightweight Super Roubaix fabric with a Protegge Membrane for wind and water resistance.

Machine washable at 30 degrees

Zip front with protective flap

3 rear pouch pockets

Gripper tape at hem

Reflective accents on rear pocket and on upper sleeves

Reflective and ventilated panels on upper back and sides

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Excellent quality fabrics and well made.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Very comfortable in use, kept the body a good stable temperature in cold and dry, and even damp conditions. Particularly well-suited to faster paced rides.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

Quite quickly showed some very minor signs of strain at points where hi vis panels and body fabric join, probably due to the perforations in the hi vis fabric. Possibly a point of weakness?

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
10/10

It's hard to find fault with a warm and protective outer garment this light.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10

Very comfortable both next to skin and in general terms.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

If you're a performance driven rider who likes to ride hard all through the winter then this is a great investment.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Performed very well indeed. Comfortable, breathable and kept the body just the right temperature.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Quality of fabrics used, style/design, innovative reflective panels, comfort.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing, apart from lack of small zipped security pocket.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Definitely.

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

It's not especially cheap, but it's spot on for those looking for something a bit special from their winter training jacket.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 1.65m  Weight: 73kg

I usually ride: Boardman Hybrid Fi  My best bike is: Specialized Ruby Elite

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

 

Capo Siena
Capo 2015
Capo
Lara Dunn

Lara has been riding bikes for longer than she'd care to admit, and writing about them nearly as long. Since 2009 she has been working as part of the road.cc review team whilst championing women's cycling on the side, most notably via two years as editor of the, sadly now defunct, UK's first and only women's cycling mag, erm, Women's Cycling. 

Believing fervently that cycling will save the world, she wishes that more people would just ride a bike and be pleasant to each other. 

She will ride anything with two wheels, occasionally likes to go fast, definitely likes to go far and is always up for a bit of exploring somewhere new and exciting. 

Add new comment

3 comments

Avatar
truffy | 9 years ago
0 likes

I agree with wellcoordinated and fenix. Furthermore, wear a backpack and your 'latissimus dorsi' are pretty much hidden. A real HiViz will extend good coverage to the arms and lower back.

Avatar
fenix | 9 years ago
0 likes

Whats with a jacket called HiViz being not Hi Viz ?
A car waiting in a side street is only going to see black on that jersey.

Avatar
wellcoordinated | 9 years ago
0 likes

HiViz - really? From the front it's mostly black. The clue is definitely not in the name.

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