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review

Galibier GrandTour Jacket

9
£82.34

VERDICT:

9
10
Great winter jacket, with good looks and an even better price
Excellent comfort
Smart look
Great warmth for winter
Works well with dedicated gilet
Very good price
Slightly small pockets
Weight: 
360g
Contact: 
road.cc Recommends

This product has been selected to feature in road.cc recommends. That means it's not just scored well, but we think it stands out as special. Go to road.cc recommends

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The Galibier GrandTour jacket is an excellent option with a great performance and a quality to rival that from some of the top cycling brands around – and all at a very attractive price. This is a proper winter jacket, which is not only comfortable but also perfect for grim British winter weather, and really deserves a place in our best winter cycling jackets buyer's guide. 

> Buy now: Galibier GrandTour Jacket for £82.34 from Galibier

Galibier has made a conscious decision to design two products together that are intended to work in conjunction with each other to fight off the worst days of a British winter: its GrandTour Jacket and GrandTour Foul Weather Gilet. This review focuses on the GrandTour Jacket, with the gilet's review coming soon.

I tested this combo during some especially foul winter weather – and I've yet to find weather cold and grim enough to outdo the pairing.

Immediately on receiving the jacket I was struck by the quality of the material and the cut – even more so when its modest price is taken into account. I've been blown away by the quality of the jacket, which is up there with those from the likes of Castelli and Rapha, but at a fraction of the price.

2022 Galibier GrandTour Jacket - pockets.jpg

I tend to be pretty warm when I'm riding, but I found I was incredibly warm wearing this – no matter the weather.

Galibier says the jacket 'only requires a thin base layer next to the skin. These are new-generation fabrics, so we need to reconsider how we dress for conditions. This needs no extra layering in wind or rain.'

2022 Galibier GrandTour Jacket - shoulders.jpg

And Galibier is right. I'm someone who has spent a lot of time wearing cheap winter kit, and I'm in the habit of always wearing a thermal baselayer in winter. On my first ride I wore this and the Foul Weather Gilet – and regretted wearing multiple layers straightaway.

The way this jacket keeps the heat in is incredible. If you've never worn a high-quality winter jacket before you'll be blown away, but that's also true if you've used similar jackets from high-end competitors – it's that impressive.

2022 Galibier GrandTour Jacket - hem.jpg

I found I could wear this jacket on its own when it was around 15°C, and with a baselayer and accompanying gilet it's good to below zero, which is perfectly in line with Galibier's own recommendations.

2022 Galibier GrandTour Jacket - rear graphic.jpg

One of the very few criticisms I have of the jacket is the size of the pockets. Yes, I've been able to fit a rolled-up rain jacket or the matching gilet into the middle pocket – but only just. I feel that winter jackets should have slightly larger pockets, to accommodate the extra layers or food you're likely to need on a long winter ride.

2022 Galibier GrandTour Jacket - logo.jpg

That said, I did appreciate the zipped chest pocket. This is handy for your mobile or keys, without the worry that it might fall out of a rear pocket during a hard effort or tackling a technical descent. It has the added bonus of keeping it in the driest area of your body when it's raining.

2022 Galibier GrandTour Jacket - rear reflective.jpg

There's a pleasingly large reflective panel on the rear middle pocket and reflective stitching around the top of the pockets and the large rear logo, which is great for kit designed for the darker months of the year.

2022 Galibier GrandTour Jacket - back.jpg

The tail is slightly dropped to give you extra coverage against road spray and helps to keep your backside as warm as the rest of your body. It's cut close to the body, so doesn't flap around, which can happen with some cheaper jackets.

2022 Galibier GrandTour Jacket - gripper.jpg

This is aided by a silicone gripper.

While Galibier makes no claims about the jacket's water-repellent or water-resistant properties, I found the material does have a slight hydrophobic quality, with water beading on the surface of the material.

This means that during a slight shower, or when there's road spray, the jacket will keep you reasonably dry, another bonus for British riding conditions.

There is a small drawback to this – the slightly hydrophobic material makes it difficult to wipe away sweat, which is an issue I faced when I overdressed.

2022 Galibier GrandTour Jacket - zip detail.jpg

The jacket's overall high quality is backed up with an excellent zip that has a big tab, so even with the thickest winter gloves I was able to operate it easily.

2022 Galibier GrandTour Jacket - collar.jpg

Zipped all the way up, the neck goes reasonably high, but not too high, and as I wear a neck warmer and prefer a slightly lower neckline, this was perfect.

2022 Galibier GrandTour Jacket - cuff.jpg

The cuffs were snug, which kept them in place well, with the long sleeves ensuring excellent coverage.

In my opinion, this is a very stylish jacket, with a snug but not overly tight cut. I like the burgundy colour and, given the number of compliments I had about the quality and look of the jacket, it wasn't only me who was impressed with its appearance.

Value

There's no doubting that Galibier's GrandTour smashes it when it comes to value. The quality is up there with the likes of the Castelli Perfetto Ros 2 Jacket that Liam loved – but the Castelli comes in at a whopping £245.

And you may not be entirely surprised that the Rapha Classic Winter Jacket is even more wallet-emptyingly expensive at £340, but David was impressed, and the Rapha jacket does feature greater water resistance.

The Endura Pro Primaloft Jacket II splits the price difference between the Galibier and those two, coming in at £165, but Steve still found it warm, light, comfortable and packable.

Conclusion

Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed wearing this jacket during some quite nasty winter weather. It kept me warm and comfortable whatever winter could throw at me – which has been quite a lot this time around, as you may remember. I also love the look of the jacket, which has helped to make it a firm favourite.

Verdict

Great winter jacket, with good looks and an even better price

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Galibier GrandTour Jacket

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the jacket 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?

A thermal, aero, foul weather jacket engineered for Winter/Spring training in all weathers.

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

Windproof anti-stick zip.

At least 2 metres of Pressure Weave fabric in each smooth garment.

Articulated, seam free collar to gently wrap around the neck in every cycling position

Rear pockets, with 3M reflective trim to increase visibility and Mesh drainage feature.

Silicone waist band to keep the jacket locked in place.

Double stitching throughout.

Reflective 3M shoulder highlights.

Phone/valuables chest pocket.

Rate the jacket for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Super-high-quality construction, with a great zip and top-notch fabrics.

Rate the jacket for performance:
 
9/10

It has a great cut and the jacket provided excellent winter-proofing on rides in all types of weather conditions.

Rate the jacket for durability:
 
8/10

No issues so far, though I feel that the smallish pockets could potentially become an issue further down the road.

Rate the jacket for waterproofing based on the manufacturer's rating:
 
8/10

Galibier doesn't make any claims about waterproofing, so to have any degree of water resistance is great.

Rate the jacket for breathability based on the manufacturer's rating:
 
7/10

It's very easy to wear too many layers with this – and I found myself too warm on occasions.

Rate the jacket for fit:
 
8/10

A lovely snug fit with a great cut.

Rate the jacket for sizing:
 
8/10

Fits true to Galibier's size guide, with all parts of the jacket in proportion.

Rate the jacket for weight:
 
6/10

As a proper winter jacket it isn't that light, but that doesn't matter when it keeps you warm.

Rate the jacket for comfort:
 
9/10

No tightness anywhere, the fit was excellent, the jacket warm and comfortable. What's not to like?

Rate the jacket for value:
 
8/10

When compared to jackets from most of the big-name brands, the price is great.

How easy is the jacket to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

I have had no issues with washing. It cleans up well and, after washing, it still has its slight water repellency.

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

it performed excellently, it kept me lovely and warm during some very mixed winter rides.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the jacket

I loved the price and what you get for that modest outlay: technical material and excellent comfort.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the jacket

I wish the pockets were slightly bigger.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The price is excellent – it's less than half the price of comparable jackets from Castelli, Rapha and the like.

Did you enjoy using the jacket? Absolutely

Would you consider buying the jacket? Yes

Would you recommend the jacket to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

I loved using this jacket – it helped to make some rides in grim winter weather a lot more tolerable than they might have been.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 22  Height: 174  Weight: 72

I usually ride: Canyon Aeroad   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Semi pro

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, commuting, touring, club rides, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

Add new comment

7 comments

Avatar
Freddy56 | 1 year ago
0 likes

Love it. I have a Galibier Mistral pro for 6 winters now and still looks great.

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ChuckSneed | 1 year ago
0 likes

good god that logo is ugly

Avatar
onyourleftbutin... replied to ChuckSneed | 1 year ago
0 likes

...and from anywhere in the world where vehicles don't overtake on that side of the rider it doesn't even have the justification of reflectiveness. The color is also not to my taste but I do need a new jacket and will (do road.cc a solid and go via their link to) check out other Galibier stuff. 

Avatar
maxdabrit | 1 year ago
0 likes

Warm is good,  but I'd appreciate if someone knows it's breathability when working hard?

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galibiervelo replied to maxdabrit | 1 year ago
1 like

Hello Max,  The breathability of the fabric is 20,000 , It is not a membrane fabric so will breath like a woven material. thanks 

Avatar
galibiervelo replied to maxdabrit | 1 year ago
1 like

This is a review left this week by Paul B which will give you feedback on your question:

"I bought one at the launch in the early Autumn and it doesn't clam up, even when climbing or riding hard with the chaingangs on the last few Sunday spins. The two back panels are made of a lighter fabric, so I'm sure this helps. I would say it is more suited to Spring and Autumn rather than a full Winter jacket needed backed up with a gilet. The chest pocket fits my iphone13 nicely. Really delighted with the purchase"

Avatar
maxdabrit replied to galibiervelo | 1 year ago
0 likes

Thank you. 

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