No, that jacket's not twisted – Mavic uses offset zips throughout its jacket line. Offset zips are regarded by some as a design affectation, but done properly they deflect windchill and stop you snagging your chin, without unbalancing the jacket when undone.
Mavic gets it just right. It's not so far over that the jacket is stupidly unbalanced when unzipped, but just enough off-centre so that when you're on the bike all you get against your chin is comfortable fabric.
That's just one of the features that makes it feel like the Stratos H2O has had its design finessed by people who actually ride bikes. The cut is so good that the jacket just settles into place the moment that you put it on. It feels like there's no more or no less than there actually needs to be.
The fit of the jacket is just right and we like the generous vents and offset zip
The cut is impeccable and delivers a jacket that doesn’t move around. The fabric does rustle but it has a durable handle, without being heavy. The generous and well-placed vents proved very effective and we especially like being able to vent down the length of the front zip, which gives great airflow when climbing without having to undo the whole jacket as we usually would on warm but wet days.
There is one final dab of icing on the cake: the two vertical zips that extend from the shoulders. They're so discreet we nearly missed them, but they unlock extra room for fitting a pack underneath, and allow you to pull the jacket on without having to remove your pack. This rounds off the list of features that makes this our top enduro choice.
This article is based on reviews originally published in What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK magazines.
