The Scott RC Pro Warm Windstopper is a jersey-cum-jacket designed to be worn in dry and windy conditions. Its Gore-Tex fabrics combine wind resistance and breathability, but while I found it to have a great fit, handy pockets and some well-considered features, it left me wanting something extra to keep me a little warmer.
> Buy now: Scott RC Pro Warm Windstopper for £98.98 from Alpinetrek
If you ride regularly in the UK's changeable conditions, you'll often need a versatile jersey-cum-jacket that's breathable but still keeps you warm – and I'd be prepared to pay good money for a jacket like that.
A jacket with a combination of warmth, windproofing, breathability and a race fit is right up my street – and I immediately liked both the look and fit of the Scott Jacket in its sulphur yellow. And while I'll use the term 'jacket' in this review, as with Castelli's Gabba it actually sits in the middle ground between jacket and jersey.
The medium proved a very good fit for my 181cm, 71kg frame. It has a low collar, a two-way zip and I found the torso and arms exactly the right length, while its supple, stretchy fabric achieved a tight but not restrictive race fit.
It has three rear pockets and a zipped pocket on the right-hand side that's large enough for your keys or cash.
The main pockets were stretchy enough to hold my typical spares, phone, keys, bars and gels without any noticeable sagging. I was particularly impressed by the way the pockets are constructed separately from the lower part of the jacket, so that your back receives some ventilation.
This is one part of your body that can warm up quickly and which doesn't need windproofing the same way the front does, so it's a neat piece of design.
Given the 'Warm' part of the jacket's name, I was expecting it to be able to deal with cold conditions. But I'd say it's a jacket designed for the sort of temperatures you're likely to find in spring and autumn, days when it's likely to be 10°C or so.
I rode on a windy day when it was around 5°C and wore a long-sleeve layer underneath it – and I felt colder than I would have expected after riding for an hour. During other rides on similarly chilly days I resorted to wearing a couple of layers underneath it or a thermal gilet on top.
I was able to compare it with the Castelli Perfetto Jacket that I own, and which I found significantly warmer. To be fair, Scott is pretty non-committal in marketing this top, only describing it as windproof rather than publishing an exact temperature range, which a lot of manufactures do. It might just be that I'm a little soft – but I wouldn't personally describe this as a 'warm' jacket.
The Gore-Tex Infinium fabric does offer some splash-proofing and I found it dealt with short, light showers reasonably well. Our yellow jacket would be handy for the darker months and it's helped further by a reflective stripe on the mid-back that is pretty effective.
The flip side of the jacket's light colour is that mud does show up on winter rides, and after a few dirty rides and several times through the washing machine, the yellow wasn't looking quite as bright.
You've also got the choice of winter green or black, and I'd probably go for the black for its greater longevity – and it still has the effective rear reflective.
Value
There are a few options made from similar windproof and breathable fabrics.
I think the Castelli Perfetto is probably the market leader, and it comes in a number of different versions ranging between warm and light. The closest one to the Scott retails at £245, and Liam rated it very highly when he tested it a couple of years ago, and it's in our best winter jackets buyer's guide.
More recently Josh reviewed the Santini Pure Wind Jacket that comes in £60 cheaper, but he scored it highly for its warmth.
The Velocio Alpha Merino Air is billed as a jersey for cold and dry condition, and VecchioJo scored it 9/10 and praised it for its all-day warmth.
Conclusion
It's a bit of a game of two halves for the Scott RC Pro Windstopper. It's very well constructed from high-quality materials and has a good race fit, well-designed pockets and an effective rear reflective. But I think there are better, less expensive options out there, and if I was parting with more than £200 I'd want something a bit warmer.
Verdict
Good race-fit windproof top with some great features – but it does need to be warmer!
Make and model: Scott RC Pro Warm Gore-Tex Windstopper Men's Jacket
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?
The Scott RC Pro Warm Gore-Tex Windstopper is a Jersey/Jacket designed to be worn in dry conditions, offering a mix of warmth and breathablility in a race fit.
Scott says:
The RC Pro Warm Windstopper jacket is a fully windproof jacket with great breathability thanks to the GORE-TEX INFINIUM™ garments with WINDSTOPPER® product technology. It offers high-performance in drier weather conditions, and still light rain will bead up and run off the jacket thanks to the GORE® membrane. Designed with a race fit for maximum performance on the bike and stretch panels under the arms for great freedom of movement this jacket will be your favorite essential in windy conditions.
I'd agree with Scott's wind-stopping claims, and Gore-Tex Infinium is a tried-and-tested fabric. However, I'd say the 'Warm' part of the product name is a bit misleading.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Features:
Fit: Slim
3 back pockets and 1 water-repellent back pocket
Race fit for maximum performance on the bike
Silicone bottom hem gripper
Stretch panels at side and under arms for maximum freedom of movement
Elasticated cuffs
Full windstopper
For dry, windy conditions
Keeps light rain out
Stretch panels for extra movement
Gore-tex Infinium™ Windstopper®
Specifications:
Shell: 92% Polyester, 8% Elastane
Insert: 57% Polyamide, 28% Polyester, 15% Elastane
Rate the product for quality of construction:
9/10
Honestly, really good. The construction and design of the pockets is particularly impressive and the quality of the seams and zips is faultless
Rate the product for performance:
7/10
Windproof? Yes. Breathable? Yes. Warm? no. As Meat Loaf sang, two out of three ain't bad...
Rate the product for durability:
7/10
I've found this fabric to be really durable in other jackets. However, the yellow is showing signs of dirt after a few muddy rides and several washes.
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
7/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
8/10
I found the fabrics comfortable, though I always rode with an under layer beneath it.
Rate the product for value:
4/10
The RRP of the jersey is £210 – and for that sort of money I'd want it to be close to perfect. The jersey is reasonably versatile but I'd need it to be warmer if I was shelling out north of 200 quid...
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
It performed well in two out of three areas: it was windproof and breathable, but I didn't find it particularly warm.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The fit is really good, the jacket's stretchy fabric has the right balance of being tight without being restrictive and the pockets are perfect.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
It just isn't warm enough. I needed to wear additional layers beneath it or on top of it to make this suitable for my riding on colder days.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
Cycling jackets can come in well above the £210 price tag of this Scott. However, I'd expect it to be extremely good at this price point. Some other jackets we've reviewed manage the same or better features at a lower cost. For example, the Santini Pure Dye Wind Jacket comes in at just £150, while the Velocio Alpha Merino Air Jacket is a little less at £191 – and both scored very highly indeed.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? No
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
This one could be really subjective, as the jacket had lots of great features. But for me, a jacket needs to offer more warmth. I'd describe this one more as a windproof jersey for dry cool, dry days rather than one for the near-freezing days of winter. But even with that proviso, it's hard to argue that this isn't a quality piece of kit.
Age: 32 Height: 182cm Weight: 69kg
I usually ride: S-Works Tarmac My best bike is:
I've been riding for: Under 5 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, cyclo cross, club rides, Gravel on a CX bike
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