Sportful Bodyfit Pro Jacket

The Sportful Bodyfit Pro Jacket has become one of my favourite pieces of clothing to wear on the bike. Not only is it incredibly warm and breathable, it is really comfortable and impressively lightweight. The quality also goes a long way to justifying the price; the only thing I would prefer is solid pockets.

• Pros: Great comfort; impressive windproofing; race fit
• Cons: I'm not a fan of the mesh pockets

The Bodyfit Pro is a three-layer windproof jacket with the outer taking care of stopping the wind, the middle working as thermal insulation, and the inner layer a comfortable mesh that sits nicely against your body. The whole thing is really lightweight and feels almost like a top-end sleeping bag in its construction.

With a summer baselayer on underneath, the Sportful worked well from about 13°C down to about 7°C before I started to notice the freshness from outside, but pair it with a slightly thicker long-sleeve winter baselayer and it'll easily deal with sub-zero temperatures. Freezing fog and -3°C was the lowest I got down to, and you could really feel the way it was blocking the icy northerly wind compared to my tights.

Even with its close race fit, because of the material it feels slightly roomier than it really is and that is what seems to let the air move about. I always felt warm in it even when stopped to fix a mechanical or wait for others.

The breathability is very good too. The only time I got sweaty was when the temperature had warmed up a fair bit and I could have done with a lighter baselayer on below. The perspiration soon evaporated, though, and I never felt cold.

As I've said, the Bodyfit Pro has a close cut and it flatters on the bike, although compared with many brands it does come up on the small side. I'm a medium in pretty much all the kit I wear but if I was buying this for myself, I'd definitely go for the large and a little more wiggle room.

Sportful's size guide is useful, though; I found it to be pretty spot on for all of the company's kit.

The neck is tall to stop draughts although there is a little bit of a gap, so if it was really cold I'd stick a snood or Buff on just to stop the wind getting through.

The full zip finishes at the neck beneath a flap of material to stop any irritation of the skin, something that I'd expect to see on a jacket of this price but doesn't always happen.

The sleeves have plenty of length for a race position and elasticated cuffs keep them place and the wind out. They are very thin so easily sit inside your gloves.

The back is dropped plenty low enough to cover your lower back when in the drops, and is held in place by a silicone strip.

Storage is taken care of with three mesh pockets, and this was the only thing I wasn't really enamoured by.

They look a bit delicate and the mesh is very fine, but in use they are actually quite strong and supportive. My main criticism is that having their contents fully visible spoils the appearance and lines of what I think is a good-looking jacket.

Quality is top notch throughout and that, paired with the performance, is why I'd happily pay the £165 asking price.

Mike was very impressed with the Assos Mille GT jacket, especially when it comes to its thermal regulation. Something that I have mentioned the Sportful also does very well.

The Assos is the same price as the Sportful but does get waterproofing, as does the Lusso Aqua Pro Extreme jacket which is also £165, so the Bodyfit Pro is on the back foot there.

> Buyer's Guide: 29 of the best waterproof cycling jackets

When it is dry, though, I'd take the comfort, breathability and light weight of the Sportful every time. And it is £10 cheaper than the 7Mesh Cypress that Mike also tested, which also doesn't have any waterproofing – or insulation – though it is a slightly different beast.

> Buyer's Guide: 29 of the best winter cycling jackets

Overall, even though it lacks that water resistance of many other softshell type jackets out there, this Sportful is designed to deliver the ultimate thermal experience, something it does absolutely brilliantly.

Verdict

One of the warmest, most breathable and most comfortable jackets I've had the pleasure to wear