Sportful Fiandre W Light Jacket

As with the men's version of this jacket Sportful have, with the Fiandre W Light, attempted to produce a garment genuinely fit to tackle the typical weather conditions encountered by the average northern European cyclist. True to its name (Fiandre is Italian for Flanders), it's a jacket aimed at protection from all manner of weather, protecting from wind, cold and even rain, but remaining breathable and dry on the inside too.

Similarly featured to the men's version, this jacket has two generous rear pockets, as well as a sort of hip pouch pocket too. As with the women's long sleeve jersey, I'd have liked to have seen some sort of zipped security pocket really. Underarm panels are more breathable than the main body of super lightweight Windstopper LightStretch softshell fabric and give extra stretch for riding comfort, particularly when stretched forward and the back is shaped to maximize protection from wheel spray. There are reflective stripes under the pockets at the back too.

The cut of this jacket is superb. On the neat side, those on the cusp may want to go up a size, but it's designed to fit sleekly over whatever layers you choose to wear under it. And this is where it's particularly versatile, as depending on the temperature and conditions it's possible to wear anything from a lightweight short sleeved jersey through to a heavy duty thermal long sleeve under this and still feel the benefit. No matter how fickle the weather, I stayed a good stable temperature, didn't feel any windchill and even stayed dry in a good dump of rain, although I'd probably not want to risk setting out for a long, wet ride in this. Moisture was moved swiftly away from the skin, leaving a pleasant, dry, warm result.

If I had one personal quibble it would just be the colour. For a jacket orientated towards spring, autumn and winter use, black isn't the most visible, particularly when the sun is riding low in the sky. Nonetheless it looks smart and many will appreciate the ninja stealth cyclist chic. The company's website features images of a bright blue version which would seem preferable, but I couldn't find it actually for sale anywhere. At £160 it's a good buy, as you'll be wearing it in all but the vey warmest, driest conditions. At a squeeze it'll even fit into a jersey pocket 'just in case'.

Verdict

Well-shaped, well-considered and extremely versatile jacket for three-season northern European riding