Rapha Brevet Windblock Jersey

An extremely comfortable jersey with great wind-resistance and enough breathability to cope with a wide range of temperatures, the Rapha Brevet Windblock Jersey offers the added bonus of large reflective stripes, which all combines to make it ideal for early morning or late evening training rides, murky commutes, bikepacking or Audaxes.

Since escaping the big smoke and moving out to the countryside, I've embraced high-visibility and reflective clothing like never before, and I've become a fan of Rapha's Brevet range. Why? It manages to combine style with high-visibility in a way that few other clothing brands have managed yet. What started out as a jersey when some Rapha employees wanted to take part in the 1,200km Paris-Brest-Paris Audax a few years ago, the Brevet range has since expanded to a complete range alongside Rapha's Classic and Pro Team offerings.

>> Read more: Original Rapha Long Sleeve Brevet jersey

To create this versatile garment, Rapha has taken a lightweight merino jersey and added a windproof panel to the front, using the same fabric as its Brevet Gilet. It's as simple as that, but it's a design that works well in a wide range of conditions. The merino provides good insulation on colder rides and the natural anti-odour properties make it ideal for daily riding, whether it is regular commuting or a multi-day adventure race or cycle touring.

Buy Rapha Brevet Windblock Jersey

The addition of the windproof front panel negates the need to carry a gilet. That's ideal for those rides when you want to travel light, or don't want to carry spare clothing and sacrifice pocket space for other essentials like food. Talking of pockets, you get five of them, plenty of cargo capacity for all the stuff you might want to carry on a long or multi-day ride. That's three regular sized pockets and two zipped pockets. One of them located on the front is ideal for a small essential you want easily to hand; I mainly used it for my house keys.

Read more: The best winter cycling jerseys — buyer's guide + 11 great choices

While the front panel stops the wind, the exposed merino wool on the arms and back provides enough breathability to prevent overheating. It's a slightly lighter weight merino wool than the original Brevet jersey, which means the jersey works at higher temperatures: I tested the jersey up to about 15 degrees and it was okay, but then I do run cold. Above that temp, it started getting a bit moist. Keep it in low double figures, and preferably in the single digits, though, and it's right at home. The layering you opt for underneath the jersey makes a difference, of course, as does the pace at which you are riding. The lightweight fabric also ensures the jersey dries quickly during and between rides.

A pair of bands, one high-visibility and the other made from a reflective material, loops around the front and back. Together they provide a huge amount of visibility, both during the daytime when it's overcast or when you're riding in the dark. There are some small reflective details, on the collar, sleeve edges and zipper. Combine with a good set of lights and you really are going to stand out on a dark ride, though the amount of forward rotation in the saddle does impact the effectiveness of the rear stripes to an extent.

The jersey was tested and developed during the 2015 TransContinental race, the ideal place for such a versatile piece of clothing that is able to cope with any sort of weather you might encounter, as well as helping you to stand out on the road. If you're planning a bikepacking adventure or a traditional cycle tour, choosing clothing can be tricky because you need kit that can adapt to rapidly changing weather, be light and comfortable, resist bad smells after several days in the saddle, and offer some visibility.

The Rapha Brevet Windblock Jersey meets these requirements extremely well. And even if you're not going adventuring, it's ideal for the daily commute, evening training rides, the club run or chillier weekend rides. This is one of those garments that, wet weather aside, works well in a vast range of situations, making a pretty good investment if you want one jersey covers most of the bases.

Verdict

Windproof, insulating and highly visible jersey ideal for commuting, touring and bikepacking