Sportful Fiandre Extreme Neoshell jacket

Iv'e been given a prototype jacket to test from sportful. The pockets are now stitched vertically and the cuffs seem to be more elasticated. These features improve the jacket considerably in my opinion but after around six washes in very cool water my last ride which was only 20 odd miles in torrential rain resulted in me getting utterly soaked through. Windproofing is exellent but the waterproofing is only good for the first five or six rides, after this it looks like it needs re-proofing.

Also those with pigeon chests like me beware, its tight! I have a 40 chest and 32 waist, i can just sqeeze into the a medium. A large might have been better for me, not too much of an issue but still...

I've had the jacket for a few rides now and done about 200 miles in it. I have not had the pockets fall apart with use and I even lightly pulled the pockets divide a little to see if they were going to fall apart. I've not been in a serious downpour yet so I can't say if it will hold on not during the rain. ( the pocket that is)

If there are any problems in the future with the jacket i will mention it here so others who are intrested can know. All in all, very please to get it new for £120 delivered from Germany.

ps. Any know where I can the fiandre bib tights (with the ass flap) medium size new? Seems like theres no stock in the world at the moment

All gone a bit quiet!

I don't know if Road.cc check the comments section but, if so, I wonder if they have any input into this?

Could they get a comment from Sportful and update the article?

Hmmm! Wanted to like this jacket but despite the glowing review I'm sure it's now safe to say it's highly flawed and therefore a worthless jacket. I'm going to send mine back and get a refund. Pretty much pointless hoping for a good one.

noodle man :

I knew the jacket would leak. If you look at the way it's designed it's impossible for it not to. What you will find now if you look at the jacket is that the whole lower half will be soaking wet where the water has wicked along the fabric.

I can assure you and anybody else reading this that it can and will happen in real world conditions. The first time I wore the jacket was in a two hour ride in moderate rain and my lower back was soaked. In fact, if you look at your picture, you can see that water doesn't need to enter the pocket at all as it has already leaked at the round dots that are supposed to seal the joining points of the pocket. These are at the top of the pocket. The fact that water wicks so readily along the fabric means that the dots are, in fact, redundant, as are the outer vertical pocket tapes.

Besides, the jacket is described as fully waterproof and we have both proven that it isn't.

Not sure if my pic has come out until I post, but I tried the same test as you Mark and after two or three minutes water has soaked through to the inside. Disappointing but not sure if this would happen in riding conditions unless the pockets actually filled with rainwater. Even so, kind of casts doubts on the 'waterproof' claims.

I'll  see if mine leaks around the pocket area when i get home. I did ride in the rain and didn't find it was a problem but it wasnt torrential. It seems as though the pocket part of the jacket hasn't been thought through very well. I know the jacket has been tested by the pro peleton but i doubt Berty had pockets full of anything other than a few energy gels, whereas the rest of us like to carry multi tools, co2, phones etc and keep them seperated to make it easy to find stuff when on the move. 

I was originally told by sportful they had only heard of two other cases of the pockets coming apart. Either people aren't complaining when they should be or i'm really, really unlucky.

Mine is the short sleeve version. Can't imagine they used a different method on the long sleeve ones but you never know. I've emailed Sportful and they seem to be working out a solution, which is more than wiggle are doing by continually sending out faulty goods. I gave mine a check over before i wore it and all seemed ok. I'm beginning to think its a heat and moisture issue that possibly softens the adhesive causing it to pull apart.

Jacket number four arrived and failed on the pocket seams after the first ride. Really had enough now. Back to wiggle it goes and exchanged for something that wont fall apart. There must be literally hundreds of these faulty jackets being sent out. 

I've just brought this jacket for 120 from bergfreunde. What do I do now? This is supposed to be my ultimate winter jacket. Should I super glue where the stitches meet fabric near the pocket?? Any advise before it turns out like the posters above? Mine is the version with arm warmers. Any advise welcome

Cheers for that. Wife has been sending them from the post offce.

Hi Mark. It's on bikerader-Road buying advice. Just as an extra kick in the teeth, iv'e now discovered wiggle have dropped the price a further twelve quid, meaning iv'e now spent 12 quid on return postage and lost another 12 by paying extra for a jacket iv'e worn a total of around 6 hours. Not impressed with wiggle for sending out garments with the same faults and even more unimpressed with sportful for producing such a flawed jacket.

I've read people saying how waterproof this jacket is - not my experience at all. The fabric itself is unbelievably waterproof but the weak point is where the rear pocket is joined to the body of the jacket.

The outer vertical seams are taped externally but this taping is redundant as water can easily run down into the pockets and wicks into the jacket along the joining points. I proved this by stretching the jacket over a bucket and allowing water to sit on the fabric. It sat quite happily in a large bead on the fabric itself with no penetration whatsoever - however, once I swilled it near the pocket seams it wicked into the fabric and spread along the lower half of the garment.

Can anybody else with this jacket confirm if the same happens (I can't see how it won't as it's an obvious design flaw)?

Noodle Man - are you allowed to direct me to the forum you mention on here?

I've tried uploading a picture but not sure if it will work....

Quite suprised the tester didn't encounter any of the problems mentioned. Iv'e had three of these jerseys, all with the same pocket issues and one with the stitching bursting on the seams. There are also numerous reports of faulty fiandre extreme's on another internet forum. I have never had such problems with any other cycling specific item of clothing. Not sure this design should have ever reached market with such poor QC.

Got this jacket too. Sent the first one back as it leaked around the seams and joining points on the rear pockets - replacement exactly the same.

Also had the exact same issues as others above - the vertical bonding that divides the rear pockets comes detached from the body of the jacket at the slightest touch.

Jersey replaced because of quality issues. Got a lift into work this morning so i can test the jacket on a long ride home. Reached into the rear pocket to remove my phone and the pockets seam has come unglued before i've even worn it on the bike. Awful quality!

Thanks Noodle Man for the reassuring feedback on cold weather performance.

Surprised to hear about the quality issues as I've always found Sportful to be very well designed and made.   

This jacket is fantastic in cold weather. I run very cold and believe me, if i'm ok in 1 degree temperature then anyone should be. I have however had to send mine back for replacement. The arm warmers have burst stitching after two rides and the rear pocket seams all came unstuck on the first ride. I hope this is a one off as the actual performance of the jacket is amazing in all conditions. 

How's that cold weather update coming along David or anyone else who has one?

I'm keen to hear how it performs at the lower end of its stated range. e.g. below about 6 degrees, especially for someone who runs a tad cold. Obviously it's possible to layer up but how's the insulation - it looks pretty thin?

I've got this and agree with David, breathability is amazing! it's thin enough that you can play about with layering for different temperature which makes it usable most of the year round. It's a 'race fit' so yeah probably won't fit every rider perfectly but if it does then go buy it! PS Angry Egg -  that Fiandre Cap is out in April and yep it's waterproof!