Proviz Reflect360 Elite Men's Cycling Jacket

There's no doubt that the Proviz Reflect360 Elite Men's Cycling Jacket leaves little excuse for a SMIDSY (sorry mate, I didn't see you) and the performance is good in many other ways, but for the price I expected a bit more.

• Pros: Great night-time visibility, good fit and weather resistance
• Cons: Very expensive and, once the sun rises, quite ordinary to look at

There's a whole debate going on around the degree of importance accorded to cyclists making themselves visible compared to the importance of drivers looking where they are going. We won't go into that here, but if you do accept that more visibility equates to better survival chances, the Proviz Reflect360 is one way of achieving a lot of it. It isn't too shabby in performance terms either, with good weather-resistance for a lightweight garment and a well-considered, stretchy fit.

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Let's start with Proviz's central philosophy, which is, as the name suggests, all about visibility. We've already reviewed its subtly differently named but entirely different Men's Reflect 360Plus Cycling Jacket. The Reflect360 Elite is Proviz's way of bringing some of that reflectivity to a slimmer, more performance-orientated jacket. This time, instead of a waterproof fabric, the technology is incorporated into a four-way stretch fabric to give it the kind of fit and flexibility you would expect from a close-fitting race jersey.

The material incorporates glass beads which throw back a tremendous amount of light from car headlights and it's quite an achievement to incorporate this into a material with so much stretch and other good qualities such as wind and rain resistance. This is used to make the one-piece shoulder, upper chest and front upper arm panels and the exterior of the three pockets across the lower back. The design means you are clearly visible from front, side and behind.

However, this is only true so long as you don't need to put anything over the top of the jacket. Even a gilet will obscure most of the reflective material behind and in front. So this raises a question: how often and in what conditions can this jacket be worn on its own – especially at night when it is most effective?

The care label includes the following advice: 'For use in conditions that are neither exceptional nor extreme'. In County Durham in January, 'extreme' is rarely exceptional and so it was with some trepidation that I ventured out only in the Reflect360 and a baselayer (and bibs, of course; think of the children).

That northerly wind was enough to strip flesh from bone and gave me a headache in spite of my thermal cap, but I'm pleased to report that the Reflect360 Elite was a match for it. There was no evidence of any draughts. The reflective stretch material is clearly more windproof than the Hydro Alpine 290 GSM fabric used for the rest of the panels – you can tell just by trying to blow through the two fabrics – so its positioning on the upper chest and arms is ideal.

Having said that, the black fabric was not noticeably draughtier. As the wind blew sleet showers into the mix, both fabrics kept the wet at bay though I wouldn't have wanted to spend all day in those conditions without a waterproof outer.

The zip, a chunky YKK affair, is not provided with a baffle but even so kept the wind out. I would like somewhere to park the puller at the neck, or perhaps offset the zip to one side, as Bontrager has done with its Velocis S1 Softshell.

Proviz claims high breathability for both fabrics (15,000gm/24h). I wore the jacket on the turbo trainer over a short-sleeve base to test this in extreme conditions and found that, while the lightly fleece-lined black panels finished the session feeling humid but tolerable, the reflective panels were sopping. I think this is exacerbated by the lack of internal lining here; there's just the shiny fabric which collects moisture.

Cut and fit were both good for my long frame. While I tested a medium it was still a fair fit on my 6ft 2in, and in particular the massive sleeve length was a boon; I hate cold wrists. The Elite incorporates a bit of slack in the back of the upper arm which means the cuffs don't pull upwards as you lean forward. The cuffs themselves, though of basic design, are broad and incorporate plenty of stretch so they will fit over or under your gloves, as you prefer.

The back pockets are deep, stretchy and secure, and reflective. I did like the two hidden side pockets too, which are genuinely useful for holding small objects or for handwarming duties, though the tiny zip pullers are fiddly for cold or gloved fingers.

I've mentioned that the unlined reflective panels don't feel the most pleasant against the skin and there was another issue with them, where the upper and lower arms join at the elbow. Because the seam is not flatlock stitched it tends to stand up a bit inside the sleeve and is noticeable against the flesh. The problem goes away in combination with a long-sleeved baselayer or jersey (though I found wearing a jersey as well a bit like wearing a jersey under a jersey, because of the nature of the jacket).

> Buyer's Guide: 8 of the best high-visibility winter cycling jackets from £25 to £200

A silicone gripper runs the full length of the waist, which was a good fit and pulled down well over the backside for more warmth.

And so to the price. I don't look at this until I come to write my reviews, so as not to cloud my opinion of the performance. A rude word fell from my lips when I saw how much this jacket is. Yes, it works well, the reflectivity is good – though that's only of value at night (in daylight it reverts to a dove grey) – and in many respects the Proviz is a good-to-very-good but not exceptional jersey-like jacket. For the money, I would really want a bit more.

Verdict

Excellent reflectivity for night owls and good performance, though it's hard to see why the price is quite so high