This looks basic in style but closer inspection reveals nice extra touches for a £35 price point, such as a two-way zip, drawcord hem and logo-tape trim on the zip flap. It’s made from a combination of water resistant and windproof fabric on the front and mesh on the back. There’s enough protection on the front to keep the cold off and the mesh allows heat to escape.
We hadn’t thought of demanding a two-way zip in a gilet, but we found ourselves using it to vent more than pulling the top zip down. The two back pockets are larger than we’d expect and feature lots of reflective trim, plus a tab to hold a blinky rear light, making this a more practical commuting choice than just plain black.
The fit isn’t too skinny – there’s room for a more substantial layer underneath than just a summer top and we just tweaked the drawcord hem in to suit according to the base we were wearing. Worn over an insulating long sleeve jersey for fast singletrack pedaling action in the cool of early autumn we found it hard to fault for the price.
