Eurosport Men’s GC Road Jacket

Fancy looking like you work for the self-proclaimed 'home of cycling'? If so, then Eurosport's GC Jacket could well be for you. Don't be thinking it's all branding and no substance, either: there's real competency here as a showerproof and breathable jacket.

• Pros: Great value, showerproof, half-decent breathability
• Cons: Not fully waterproof, that branding...

No, before you ask, everyone's favourite cycling pay channel hasn't diversified into designing and manufacturing its own kit. However, it has lent its branding to Tenn Outdoors, a UK-based company with a history of creating good value technical outdoor sportswear, which has stepped up to create this jacket (among a series of other pieces) for the broadcaster.

This is nothing new in cycling – for every brand that 'makes' its own kit, half of them simply buy in the expertise from manufacturing players, and even more simply design kit and buy in fabrics from specialists like Gore and Polartec.

These arrangements can produce fantastic bits of kit though – Castelli's use of Gore fabrics, anyone? – and the bottom line here is that the Eurosport GC jacket is a very competent piece of kit and (unlike the likes of Castelli and Gore, for example) not heavy on the wallet either.

Your £60 for the GC jacket will be money very well spent. It's claimed to be waterproof and windproof, but the reality is that at this price something has to give in the waterproof/windproof/breathability stakes, and it's the waterproofness in really heavy weather that falls shy of the best out there.

In showers, water beads well and runs off nicely, but when things get heavy and prolonged the GC jacket can become overwhelmed slightly and start to wet out. Still, when you keep that price in mind it's still remarkably good at protecting you, with high quality (if not visibly taped) seams keeping water from sneaking in.

Again, considering the price, breathability is decent too. Sure, when hammering along I'd have preferred to be in Gore's C5 Shakedry jacket for maximum breathability (and all-day waterproofness) but that jacket is getting on for a colossal £200 more than this value alternative. I got damp when giving it the beans and felt a little overheated – slightly boil in the bag, if I'm honest – but at steady pacing at around zone 2-3 effort it copes very well in cool autumnal conditions, keeping wind off effectively in the process.

The flanks are designed to aid breathability (and readily absorb water unfortunately), and they do help with the fit and stretchiness of the jacket in an area that, arguably, isn't as exposed to rain as others. Nonetheless, this firmly positions it as a jacket for showery weather for me, and I'll stick with a more expensive and techy alternative for the really grim stuff.

> Buyer's Guide: 20 of the best waterproof cycling jackets

The jacket does tick the boxes for secondary features, though: there's a dropped tail flap to protect your rear from road spray, with a silicone gripper around the natural waistline to fix it into place, and three roomy pockets for carrying ride essentials.

Additionally, the hems at the cuffs and tail feature reflective strips, while the Eurosport branding is reflective too.

The collar is decently high to help keep out draughts and water (I found it a touch tight to zip all the way up, but I do have quite a thick neck) and the full-length YKK zip is easy to work, with a zip garage to reduce the chances of irritation if you do like to/can zip up fully. And, all this comes in a package that is just about packable if you really wrap it away tidily and don't mind having part of it sticking out the top of your jersey pocket.

While Tenn Outdoors doesn't define exactly what fabric is used, aside to say that it's 'technical', I was sure to take care of it, washing it using Nikwax Techwash after a couple of uses to see how it fared. Happily, the fabric's DWR treatment remained strong and functional – up to 'as new' specs – as you'd hope. As ever with this kind of garment, you get the best performance when you take care of it.

And, that performance is substantial given the relatively paltry £60 asking price, it really is. It's almost half the price of the Kalf Lightweight jacket, and around £12 cheaper than Galibier's excellent value Mistral, although that arguably has more waterproof capability on its side.

I'm pleasantly surprised by the Eurosport GC jacket. It offers commendable performance in changeable weather without breaking the bank. Yes, it can't hold a candle to the big players and premium weatherproof garments around, but then it really doesn't need to.

Verdict

If you can live without top tier performance, the Eurosport GC jacket is a great-value alternative