2019-11-01_Bicycling

ICYCLING.COM 19

THE TEST ZONE

NOTES, OPINIONS, USEFUL TIPS, AND THE COOLEST GEAR FROM INSIDE THE WORLD’S MOST RIGOROUS BIKE AND GEAR TEST CENTER

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Tested: Waterproof Jackets

Most rain jackets are made

of waterproof materials,

but whether they keep

us dry is another matter.

Loose-fitting collars,

porous seams, and leaky

pockets are all places water

can seep through, leaving

us soggy despite the fact

that the high-tech fabrics

did their jobs.

So we put three water-

proof cycling jackets to a

real-world test. We picked

the shells by price: the

high-value $75 Aero Tech

Designs Waterproof Jacket,

the mid-tier $225 Pearl

Izumi PRO AmFIB Shell,

and the pricey $349 Assos

Equipe RS rain jacket. To

simulate a sudden down-

pour, I wore each jacket for

five minutes of hard trainer

pedaling while Bicycling

mechanic Joël Nank-

man showered me with a

garden hose. I wore a fresh

gray T-shirt beneath each

jacket; the wet spots on

each shirt show us where

the water got through.

The results: The

Aero Tech jacket had an

impressive three-layer

waterproof-breathable

membrane that kept the

water off my back and

didn’t trap sweat as I rode,

but a loose-fitting collar

let moisture drip down my

chest. The Assos shell had

the same vulnerability with

a loose-fitting collar, and

some moisture slipped

through the taped seams

on my back. The Pearl Izumi

jacket performed best,

shielding me effectively

and allowing just one small

moisture spot on my lower

back near the stitching at

the rear zipper pocket.

—Dan Roe

Aero Tech Designs

Waterproof Jacket / $75

Pearl Izumi PRO

AmFIB Shell / $225

Assos Equipe RS

Rain Jacket / $349

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