It’s never a chore to pull on a softshell jacket with this much snuggle factor – and while there are many styles you can wear next to your skin, the Helium is exceptionally soft on the inside. We used it as a heavyweight jersey as much as we used it as a jacket. Considering we’ve pushed the limits of how warm it can be to still be riding in a jacket like this, we’ve been impressed.
The Windstopper fabric performs impeccably – keeping the wind chill off as well as all but the most sustained downpour. It also wicks and regulates temperature well. With a little unzipping at the neck on long climbs we found it very versatile even when the sun came out.
The cut is particularly suited to mountain biking – roomy through the body without being boxy or creating cold spots – there is a drawcord at the hem if you need to tweak it into your snake-like hips. We’re big fans of the rear pocket access - there is one zipped key pocket, but otherwise just an envelope that allows you to get into a jersey pocket underneath.
