Rapha Men’s Classic Gilet

The Rapha Men's Classic Gilet is a good quality design that offers impressive protection from the elements and fits easily in most pockets.

Testing this in early summer, the gilet provides very effective protection on cold mornings thanks to its windproofing. I often wore it with a pair of arm warmers and felt comfortable enough that I would happily use this for all-day rides in autumn and spring too.

> Buy this online here

The impressive fit also means you don't really feel any wind coming in through the armholes – something that baggier or less-well-fitted gilets can suffer from.

Once the temperatures begin to rise, removing it and shoving it in a jersey pocket is a simple exercise. It rolls up to an easily manageable size, and sat comfortably in various jersey pockets I tried it in.

When you need to wear it, it's easy to pull on, with a high-quality zip that doesn't catch or snag. A nice touch is that the zip is off-centre, so it doesn't interfere with your neck or chin if you have it done right up.

The gilet has a water-resistant coating, and water simply beads off. Okay, you wouldn't want to wear this in a torrential downpour, but in light to moderate rain I found it worked well. The fit also means there isn't any noticeable bunching or folding, which helps the rain to run off without pooling, and it has a longer back which helps protect from road spray. You can also tighten or loosen the bottom with pullcords, making it as weatherproof as possible.

Breathability is good, thanks in part to the mesh strip that runs up the majority of the back and allows any heat build-up to escape quickly. The main material also seems fairly breathable while remaining windproof.

At the back Rapha has included a couple of decent sized pockets, big enough to hold anything that I needed to be close at hand. There's also a small zipped pocket at the front, specifically for keys, which is handy for keeping them secure and not jingling around – and hopefully in an area where you're unlikely to fall on them if you came off.

Rapha has also included high-vis piping down the front and back, and a large reflective logo on the small of the back, to help other road users see you in low light conditions.

At £100, the gilet is at the expensive end of the market. It's the same price as the dhb Aeron Rain Defence that Steve tested recently, but the Endura Pro SL Lite Gilet II that I reviewed last year is £10 less and offers broadly the same quality, though without some of the neat design touches like the off-centre zip and it isn't quite as good on the breathability front.

The Chapeau Club Gilet Stripe that Adam tested in January is also £10 less, but again lacks some of the design flair and innovation offered by the Rapha Classic.

> Buyer’s Guide: 19 of the best cycling gilets

All in all, this is a very good gilet. It's packable, windproof and breathable, and something I was more than happy to be wearing in everything except torrential downpours. It's pricier than some, but aside from that there isn't anything to say against it – as long as you like the colour, as it's the only one available.

Verdict

Dependable, packable, and protective gilet that is perfect for changeable conditions