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review

Galibier Trail Wind Jacket

8
£63.22

VERDICT:

8
10
Great performance and fit, looks good on and off the bike – and an excellent price to round it off
Windproof and decent breathability
Great arm length
Looks good off the bike
Good price
Initial sticky zip issue
Weight: 
357g
Contact: 

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Galibier Trail Wind Jacket is a lightweight windproof with neat design cues that work well when you're riding without it screaming 'I'm a cyclist' when your bike is nowhere in sight. With good windproofing and a small amount of shower resistance it's the ideal jacket to grab for those changeable weather conditions.

> Buy now: Galibier Trail Wind Jacket for £63.22 from Galibier 

Made from a recycled polyester mix (85% nylon, 15% Lycra) this jacket has a bit of a rustling sound to it when you move about, but on the whole the fabric is soft and pleasant against your skin. It's been ideal for this time of the year, when I've been throwing the Galibier top on over a short-sleeve jersey for early morning rides.

2024 Galibier Trail Wind Jacket - shoulder logo.jpg

Primarily it's a windblocker, a job it does very well indeed as it kept those chilly gusts at bay during the early part of the testing. As things have warmed up it has worked its magic, taking the chill off and showing decent breathability, though if I start getting too warm and the weather is dry, I'd just unzip it anyway. There aren't any pit zips for extra ventilation, but I never really felt like I needed them.

2024 Galibier Trail Wind Jacket - collar.jpg

Galibier makes no mention of any water resistance, but there does seem to be something that makes water bead off it. I've used it on drizzly or foggy days and it'll keep the moisture out, but if anything resembling real rain falls it will come through pretty quickly. But as I said, Galibier makes no claims of waterproofing, so that's fair enough.

2024 Galibier Trail Wind Jacket - hood side.jpg

The lengthy arms and shaped cuffs are effective at stopping chills running up your wrists and are narrow enough that they'll fit inside the cuffs of your gloves on colder rides.

2024 Galibier Trail Wind Jacket - cuff.jpg

The neck is mid-height, so I didn't find the lack of a zip garage caused any neck irritation and it's tall enough to minimise draughts running down your back.

The hood provides plenty of coverage and is also thin enough to fit comfortably underneath your helmet.

2024 Galibier Trail Wind Jacket - hood.jpg

As a trail jacket its more relaxed fit is ideal for mountain biking and the gravel riding that I mostly used it for. The sizing is pretty much spot on and the cut is tailored so I didn't find it too baggy for riding on the road.

2024 Galibier Trail Wind Jacket - drawstring.jpg

If you have an urban commute and tend to wear standard clothing the Galibier looks just at home with a pair of jeans as it does with Lycra.

The tail is dropped a little to provide a touch of cover when you are in a racy riding position and as I said, the arm length still keeps you covered when you're riding in the drops.

2024 Galibier Trail Wind Jacket - tail.jpg

The fabric seems robust too. I've snagged a few brambles with no issues and constantly wearing a rucksack over the top hasn't seen any wear and tear showing up on the shoulders.

2024 Galibier Trail Wind Jacket - back.jpg

In fact, the quality of the garment throughout is very good. The only issue I had was that the full zip didn't run smoothly in a couple of places when I first started using it. After a week or so of using it daily it sorted itself and now runs smoothly from top to bottom – smooth enough that you can do it single-handedly when riding.

2024 Galibier Trail Wind Jacket - hem.jpg

Galibier has included a bit of storage with a zipped rear pocket, which is big enough for a phone and some snacks, and you get a small, zipped chest pocket for essentials like keys or your cash/cards.

2024 Galibier Trail Wind Jacket - chest pocket.jpg

Value

At £63.22 – I love Galibier's quirky policy of not rounding-up its prices – you're getting a lot of jacket for your money.

Altura's Airstream Windproof jacket is now a fiver more expensive than we tested it last year at £65. It's a more road-focused jacket so it has a closer fit than the Galibier and doesn't have a hood, which may or may not be important to you. It's packable too, something the Galibier doesn't claim to be.

Specialized offers its Trail Wind Jacket, which is a polyester shell with an integrated hood. The main difference is that it doesn't have a full-length zip, so you pull it on over your head. The price? Well, at £100 it's a fair chunk more expensive. Specialized offers it in both men's and women's designs, which is the one that Suvi reviewed for us.

You can find more choices in our best cycling jackets buyer's guide.

Conclusion

Other than the initial slightly sticky zip the Galibier has been faultless, and it's been the jacket I grab for every gravel ride whether I'm wearing it or I have it stuffed in my frame bag. I think it performs well, fits great and looks good.

The fact that it does all of this for such a decent price means that it is a very good jacket overall.

Verdict

Great performance and fit, good looks on and off the bike – and an excellent price

road.cc test report

Make and model: Galibier Trail Wind Jacket

Size tested: Large

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?

Galibier says: "A hooded, wind-protective jacket made for cool starts and late finishes, featuring a tailored design that works on and off the bike."

I found it a very good four-season jacket for all kinds of riding.

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

Product material:

85% nylon +15% Lycra

200 GSM

Features:

Light weight jacket for 4 season layering

Windproof Fabric

Front pocket

Hidden back pocket

Reflective drawcords on the hood

Exposed YKK Vision zip with lock

Rate the jacket for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the jacket for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the jacket for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the jacket for fit:
 
9/10
Rate the jacket for sizing:
 
9/10

The sizing was spot on.

Rate the jacket for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the jacket for comfort:
 
8/10
Rate the jacket for value:
 
7/10

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

The early part of the review period was wet so the Galibier saw a lot of spray from the trails or roads – but it came up like new after each cycle through the washer.

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

Good windproofing and a comfortable fit.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the jacket

Relaxed fit works on and off the bike.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the jacket

This one had a sticky zip to start with, though it did rectify itself over time.

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

It's a lot cheaper than Specialized's offering, and while similar in price to the Altura, that one is more road specific and lacks the the Galibier's versatility.

Did you enjoy using the jacket? Yes

Would you consider buying the jacket? Yes

Would you recommend the jacket to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

The Galibier is well made, and it has a good fit for life both on and off the bike. And in line with a lot of Galibier's kit, it's a bit of a bargain too.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 44  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

Since writing his first bike review for road.cc back in early 2009 senior product reviewer Stu has tested more than a thousand pieces of kit, and hundreds of bikes.

With an HND in mechanical engineering and previous roles as a CNC programmer/machinist, draughtsman and development engineer (working in new product design) Stu understands what it takes to bring a product to market. A mix of that knowledge combined with his love of road and gravel cycling puts him in the ideal position to put the latest kit through its paces.

He first made the switch to road cycling in 1999, primarily for fitness, but it didn’t take long for his competitive side to take over which led to around ten years as a time triallist and some pretty decent results. These days though riding is more about escapism, keeping the weight off and just enjoying the fact that he gets to ride the latest technology as part of his day job.

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3 comments

Avatar
RoubaixCube | 5 months ago
3 likes

Maybe Im a little strange but why would you want to hood up with your helmet on at the same time and restrict your vision to only whats in front of you?

It seems more of a health hazard than riding with headphones. At least headphones dont restrict my ability to shoulder check.

Avatar
Simon E replied to RoubaixCube | 5 months ago
0 likes
Quote:

its more relaxed fit is ideal for mountain biking and the gravel riding that I mostly used it for.

The clue is in the name, methinks.

Better for looking cool at trailhead car parks, not so good for riding at road speeds. And dark blue is possibly the worst colours for visibility, especially in dull conditions.

Avatar
RoubaixCube replied to Simon E | 4 months ago
0 likes

That maybe true but a lot of people will still buy it to wear while out on the brompton or while commuting on the gravel bike.

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