Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Back to REVIEWS
review
Gilets
Shutt VR Race Lite gilet Shutt VR Race Lite gilet Shutt VR Race Lite gilet Shutt VR Race Lite gilet Shutt VR Race Lite gilet
Shutt VR Race Lite gilet

Shutt VR Race Lite gilet

8
by Lara Dunn
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Dec 30, 2010

0
£59.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Well-designed and well-made gilet for all sorts of weather
Weight: 
120g
Contact: 
www.shuttvr.com
How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

This review contains links to retailers. Purchases made after clicking on those links may help support road.cc by earning us a commission but all of our reviews are fully independent.

A gilet is one of the most useful and versatile pieces of kit you can own and a well considered one like this is good to find.

The Race Lite gilet isn’t the lightest, the most pared down or the warmest option available but it marks a good balance between usefulness and weight saving. At 120g the Race Lite is light enough to pop into a jersey pocket without worrying, and it packs down plenty small enough to make that easy too.

The breathable polyamide fabric is rugged and soft to the touch, with no annoying rustling, and it is wind and weather resistant. A three-quarter mesh back means it ventilates well without sacrificing the protection of a windproof front and sides, and you get reflective accents for added visibility. The shape of the body and the elasticated hem and arm holes make it a decent and effective shape for women as well as men.

Zips at each side allow for easy access to rear jersey pockets. The gilet does not have any pockets of its own, which is a little tricky if you favour a baselayer rather than a jersey underneath, but a redesign very soon means there will be a small zipped security pocket as well, and a roll-away hood.

It stows down small, weighs very little and does a great job of allowing easy temperature adjustment on the fly. Available in red, blue, or white, sizes small to XL.

Verdict

Well-designed and well-made gilet

road.cc test report

Make and model: Shutt VR Race Lite gilet

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Aimed at all riders, on and off road, for easy temperature adjustment with minimal weight penalty.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, definitely.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 1.65m  Weight: 67kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, general fitness riding, mtb,

 

Shutt VR
Shutt 2011. 2011 clothing
Shutt
Lara Dunn

Lara has been riding bikes for longer than she'd care to admit, and writing about them nearly as long. Since 2009 she has been working as part of the road.cc review team whilst championing women's cycling on the side, most notably via two years as editor of the, sadly now defunct, UK's first and only women's cycling mag, erm, Women's Cycling. 

Believing fervently that cycling will save the world, she wishes that more people would just ride a bike and be pleasant to each other. 

She will ride anything with two wheels, occasionally likes to go fast, definitely likes to go far and is always up for a bit of exploring somewhere new and exciting. 

Latest Comments