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Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket
2021 Madison DTE Women's Hybrid Jacket (credit: road.cc)

Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket

9
by Lara Dunn
Wed, Oct 21, 2020 19:45
0
£89.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Well-designed warm but lightweight jacket ideal for cold days on and off the bike – and great value to boot
Warm
Compact packsize
Light
Weight: 
391g
Contact: 
www.madison.cc
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.

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If you're an out-all-day sort of rider, or heading off on an extended tour, it's nice to take a genuinely warm layer along for breaks, rest stops, energy crashes or the odd unexpected blizzard. The Madison DTE Women's Hybrid Jacket (there's a men's version available too) is light, cosy and packable, and the handy stretchy side panels mean it'll pop over everything.

Although aimed more at mountain bikers than roadies, this insulated jacket has plenty to offer the adventurous road or gravel rider, especially if you're looking to ride all through the coldest weather or tour.

> Find your nearest dealer here

It's constructed from a combination of Thinsulate Platinum synthetic insulation with panels of stretchy, fuzzy-backed Thermal Roubaix fabric at the back, sides and the hood.

2021 Madison DTE Women's Hybrid Jacket - back.jpg

The balance of these panels aims to give warmth and protection where it's needed without allowing the body to overheat when working hard. It also helps reduce the packsize of the jacket, and increases the versatility of fit.

It's contoured without being overly snug, giving plenty of room for layers underneath, yet the Roubaix fabric panels keep it close to the body to enhance its insulation properties, on the bike and off. It's also sufficiently long in the body and sleeves to work perfectly well when riding.

2021 Madison DTE Women's Hybrid Jacket - riding.jpg

It has swiftly become a must-take for any extended day ride where an outdoors coffee stop or break is on the cards. Although it has zipped side and chest pockets, you'll probably still need a saddle bag, but I'd be taking that on a long day out anyway.

2021 Madison DTE Women's Hybrid Jacket - pockets.jpg

It's equally near to the top of my packing list for touring and bikepacking too, as its warmth to weight ratio is just right. Popped on top of damp sweaty layers at a chilly rest stop, it quickly prevents any warmth escaping and makes the whole experience that much more pleasant. When not needed, it packs down small into a bag.

In filthy weather it's kept me toasty warm, and I stayed dry in a half-hour ride in torrential rain (it's not designed to be fully waterproof, just 'water resistant' according to the label). And thanks to its breathability, you don't get soggy from sweat on the inside either.

2021 Madison DTE Women's Hybrid Jacket - inside.jpg

Bike-specific insulated jackets are few and far between, so there's not much to compare the Madison with in terms of value for money. That said, it's cheaper than the £129.99 Endura Women's Hummvee Flipjak, a newer version of the men's Urban FlipJak we tested back in 2015, and significantly cheaper (and less fragile as it's synthetic rather than down) than the £220 Rapha Explore Down Jacket.

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

At this price, it compares favourably with many more walking and outdoor-focused insulated jackets too, while offering the bonus of a bike-tailored fit. Madison's Limited Lifetime Warranty adds value too, covering the garment for expected reasonable use.

> Read more road.cc reviews of women’s cycling kit here

Overall, it's hard to go wrong with this one, it's a super-warm yet light and packable layer that's water resistant and great value for money – it even looks good with jeans.

Verdict

Well-designed warm but lightweight jacket ideal for cold days on and off the bike – and great value to boot

road.cc test report

Make and model: Madison DTE Women's Hybrid Jacket

Size tested: 14

Tell us what the jacket 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?

Sits in the mountain bike category on the Madison website but suitable for all types of biking, and particularly bikepacking, touring and all-day adventure riding.

Madison says, 'When you won't be put off by the cold conditions, the DTE hybrid provides the thermal insulation required to keep you pedalling deep into winter'

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the jacket?

Madison says:

The advanced technology in the Thinsulate Platinum fabric keeps the wind off your chest even on the coldest of days

The stretch Thermal Roubaix fabric covers the remaining panels and hood, allowing plenty of movement in the saddle

Two hand pockets and a chest pocket provide plenty of on-the-fly storage

A fitted ninja hood fits under a helmet to keep the chill off your head, neck and ears

Bound hem and cuffs give a neat and low bulk fit

Limited lifetime warranty

and lists:

Thinsulate Platinum insulation

Stretch Thermal Roubaix panels and hood

Water resistant treatment

Zipped side pockets and zipped chest pocket

Available in sizes 8-16

Rate the jacket for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Well made and good quality components and fabrics.

Rate the jacket for performance:
 
9/10

Spot on for packing for cold days or sudden temperature drops.

Rate the jacket for durability:
 
8/10

Early days, but synthetic insulation is much easier to look after than down and this should wear well for a long time.

Rate the jacket for waterproofing based on the manufacturer's rating:
 
8/10

Labelled as water resistant rather than waterproof. Did the job of keeping me dry very well over the course of a half hour ride in torrential rain.

Rate the jacket for breathability based on the manufacturer's rating:
 
9/10

Very breathable through the Roubaix fabric panels.

Rate the jacket for fit:
 
9/10

Spot on for sizing and a good cut that suits both on and off the bike.

Rate the jacket for sizing:
 
9/10

Sized as expected.

Rate the jacket for weight:
 
10/10

Superbly light for its warmth.

Rate the jacket for comfort:
 
10/10

Cosy, snuggly and comforting to wear.

Rate the jacket for value:
 
8/10

Very good value for money

How easy is the jacket to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Washed well, super-easy to look after.

Tell us how the jacket performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Performed superbly.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the jacket

Cut, warmth, packsize, low weight.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the jacket

Nothing really.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market including ones recently tested on road.cc?

Bike-specific insulated jackets are few and far between, so there's not much to compare the Madison with in terms of value for money. That said, it's £40 less than the £129.99 Endura Women's Hummvee Flipjak, and significantly cheaper than the £220 Rapha Explore Down Jacket. At this price, it compares favourably with many more walking and outdoor-focused insulated jackets too, while offering the bonus of a bike-tailored fit. Madison's Limited Lifetime Warranty adds value too, covering the garment for expected reasonable use.

Did you enjoy using the jacket? Very much.

Would you consider buying the jacket? Definitely

Would you recommend the jacket to a friend? Yes. Particularly one who suffers from the cold.

Use this box to explain your overall score

I think this jacket goes beyond 'very good' and is exceptional: it's light, warm and very packable and it looks good off the bike too. It's versatile, and great value for money. It's not a jacket for wearing during sporty road rides, but for relaxed days in the cold, touring, chilly commutes, walking or casual use, it's spot on.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 48  Height: 1.65m  Weight: 77kg

I usually ride: Liv Invite  My best bike is: Specialized Ruby Elite

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

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

Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket 2020
Madison DTE Women’s Hybrid Jacket
Madison 2020
Madison
Women's Clothing
women's jackets
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. 

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