Fluffy, soft, warm, wind and water repellent. These are all properties that make softshell clothing ideal for use in winter. To check whether the test candidates fulfil their promises, they were put through an extensive test cycle. We determined the fit and wearing comfort on numerous kilometres of off-road riding. In the laboratory, the jackets and trousers then had to prove their suitability for bad weather in the so-called spray test.
However, in order to obtain reliable values on the insulation properties, we went to the cold chamber of outdoor equipment manufacturer Vaude. There, each suit was tested at a constant temperature of minus five degrees. To ensure that all products were ridden at the same level of performance, we monitored the tests with a Powertap hub on the rear wheel. Two fans provided the necessary airflow. The test candidates were then assessed with the help of thermographic images. Blue or dark areas indicate well-insulated areas. Red to yellow areas show the weak points of the candidates and areas where body heat is lost.
The complete test with the results of these test samples can be found below as a PDF download:
Jacket / trousers
- Bontrager RXL 360 Softshell / RXL Softshell Bib Tight
- Craft PB Storm Jacket / PB Storm Tights
- Endura Night Vision Jacket / Night Vision LITE Biblong
- Gore Bike Wear Alp-X 2.0 SO Zip-Off / Alp-X 2.0 SO Bibtights+
- Löffler Bike Zip-Off Jacket WS / Bike Bib Tights WS Mavic
- Mavic Inferno Jacket / Inferno Bib Tight
- Pearl Izumi Elite Softshell Jacket / Elite Thermal Barrier
- Storck Winter Jacket / Tight Winter Pro
- Vaude Posta Jacket / Pro Warm Pants
- X-Bionic SphereWind Winter Jacket / WindSkin Bib Tight
BIKE is available here as a digital edition.
Here you can see all the candidates for comparison:
Downloads:
Stefan Frey
Editor
