Alé PRR Bering Jacket

Alé’s PRR Bering Jacket is designed for those who still want performance race kit for when things get chilly. The jacket keeps the fit and aerodynamics found on Alé’s summer jersey, but with added windproofing for battling the elements, and it does an excellent job.

To be fair, Alé hasn't just bunged a windproof layer on a Bering jersey here, the tweaks go a little deeper than that, but in essence the Bering Jacket is still the type of kit you could race in. Winter leagues or cyclo-cross, for instance, where a bit of aerodynamics is just as important as keeping warm.

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As you'd expect from a jacket in Alé's PRR Performance range, the fit is close, and you get a distinct dropped tail with a raised front so it sits in the perfect position while you're in a racing tuck, without the slightest bit of bunching or rucking. The hem is held in place with a silicone gripper and Alé's own J-Stability System, which incorporates a double-layer, highly elastic fabric that stops the jacket from riding up – even when you stand up in the saddle.

The cuffs are cut at an angle, with the top of the wrist longer than the bottom to reflect the angle your arm is in while riding, giving you a straight edge. The elasticated cuff material is plenty thin enough to sit under a pair of winter gloves, so you certainly don't have to put up with any draughts.

The fabric used on the front panels of the jacket is called Windfront, a lightweight laminated material that's shiny to the touch. It does an excellent job of keeping out any windchill, plus – even though Alé doesn't claim any water resistance properties – it will keep light showers at bay.

The fleece-backed fabric used for the inner retains warmth and offers decent breathability up to about 10°C (for me anyway) with just a baselayer underneath. If you need a little more ventilation you'll find some zips under the arms.

Another neat touch is on the inside upper back. The Bering uses the same fleece-lined polyester/elastane fabric found on the long-sleeve jersey (review coming soon), but Alé has added a piece of thin material attached only on one side, just below the collar. This sits against your back, just taking the edge off the windchill as it passes over your shoulders and back when you're crouched low on the bar.

>> Check out our guide to the best winter cycling clothing here

At the rear you find three deep pockets, deep enough that you never have to worry about anything coming out while descending in the drops, with a fourth zipped one for keys or other valuables.

The full zip has small fabric garages top and bottom to stop anything digging into your chin or catching on your bibtights when you're in the saddle.

Cost wise it isn't cheap, but neither is it overpriced. It feels very well made and the stitching seems robust. The material feels like it'll deal with a few knocks too.

Overall, the Alé PRR Bering Jacket is an excellent addition to the year-round rider's wardrobe. Barring wet weather, as long as you layer it up sensibly it'll happily work from high single figure temperatures right down to sub-zero, making it a pretty useful piece of kit.

Verdict

Toasty winter jacket that offers all the performance of your summer race kit