Pearl Izumi Versa Softshell Hoodie

One key essential to cold-weather cycling is keeping your core warm. The Pearl Izumi Versa Softshell Hoodie offers warmth and water-resistance while being an impenetrable fortress to the winter winds. You’ll be able to hear the wind. See evidence of the wind. But you won’t feel the wind. For the commuter cyclist, it has reflective elements strategically placed on the sleeves, chest pocket and rear drop-tail for good visibility. Storage capacity is outstanding. It has a zippered wide rear pocket across the lower back that can hold a bike tool, wallet, phone, iPod, gloves, balaclava, etc. It’s also amazingly versatile. We’ve used it for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and trail running in addition to cycling. At taprooms and coffeeshop stops its relaxed fit, longer cut and drop-tail doesn’t scream bike tool. Pearlizumi.com | $175

Abus Urban-I 3.0 Signal Helmet

While the Abus Urban-I 3.0 Signal helmet won’t keep your head warm, it’s an essential that it will keep it fully illuminated to cars on those dark commutes. I love this helmet for winter commuting for so many reasons: It’s comfortable, it has exceptional head coverage, it’s adjustable on the fly and it looks rather cool on my head. But most of all, I love the integrated LED tail light that offers two settings: Solid and blink—all easily set while wearing the helmet. Mobil.abus.com |

Icebreaker Oasis Balaclava

Another key essential to cold-weather cycling is keeping your head warm. The Icebreaker Oasis Balaclava provides full-head warmth on cold rides. It fits very well under helmets and is super breathable. Thanks to its merino wool construction, you can literally get several weeks of wearing this balaclava before it needs to get washed. That’s the beauty of merino wool. I also love that on very cold days, when the wind is blowing, I can pull it up to just under my eyes. Icebreaker.com | $35

reTyre Ice Racer Tires

In the winter, when the roads and paths are icy, it’s essential to stay upright. Winter cyclists often confront the dilemma of needed to swap between studded and slick tires. After storms, when roads and bike paths are cleared, they find themselves riding studs on dry pavement. The reTyre Ice Racer is a zip-on, zip-off modular tire that eliminates the need to alternate bikes or change tires. You can attach the studded skin and in a matter of minutes be back to slicks. The skins also roll up nicely and can be stored in your pannier or backpack. Retyre.co | $191

GORE C5 Windstopper Thermo Overshoes

The GORE C5 Windstopper Thermo Overshoes are essentially insulated soft shell jackets for your feet. Insulation is outstanding. If your budget doesn’t allow you to spring for a pair of winter cycling boots in the $200 – $400 range, the GORE C5 Windstopper Thermo Overshoes are our choice. They are water and windproof and, when paired with wool socks, work really well in temperatures down in the high twenties. Sizing is spot on for length but if your cycling shoe is on the bulkier side, consider ordering the next size up. Gorewear.com | $80

Kora Shola Tarn Gaiter

The Kora Shola Tarn Gaiter is made of 100% Yak wool. According to Shora, it is “40% warmer weight for weight, 66% more breathable and is 17% better at transporting water vapor away from the skin” than Merino wool. I couldn’t validate that the neck warmer is “40 percent” warmer than comparable Merino wool neck warmer but it makes sense, all things considered. Yaks live at high elevation (up to 19,000 feet above sea level). Snow, wind, sleet, hail, rain, yaks are unfazed by Mother Nature’s wrath. They’ve adapted to their surroundings by growing a soft wool under their shaggy outer coats to keep them warm and comfortable all year. Merino sheep, on the other hand, generally live at 3,200 feet above sea level. It makes sense that the animal that lives high in the Himalayas is going to produce warmer wool than the Merino sheep that gets to enjoy the temperate climates at a reasonable elevation.

What I can validate is that the Kora Shola Neck Warmer keeps my core warm by sealing off any air gaps from my neck and no matter how much bike commuting I did outside in temperatures that hovered between five and twenty-five degrees, I never felt drowning in perspiration. kora.net | $50

Outdoor Research Stormbound Mitts

Because hands are usually not moving when you ride, they tend to be the first appendage that gets cold. Unfortunately, I’ve never met a pair of cycling-specific winter gloves that offer enough warmth for winter cycling. Hence the reason I love the Outdoor Research Stormbound Mitts. They are insulated with 800-fill down to keep fingers optimally warm and have a water-resistant outer shell to keep the snowflakes from penetrating. They provide just enough dexterity to manipulate shifters and brakes and they can be used for any winter activity beyond cycling. Outdoorresearch.com |$99

The post 7 Essentials for Cold-weather Cycling appeared first on gritandgearonline.com.

What I Loved

Effective at Blocking Wind

There’s really not much else to say here. It’s winter in Minneapolis. Winter brings chilly, frigid winds from the north (and south, east and west). Its full softshell fabric is an impenetrable fortress to the winter winds. I can hear the wind. I can see evidence of the wind. But the only way I feel the wind is when its blasting the part of my face that isn’t covered by a balaclava.

Very warm

The Pearl Izumi Versa Softshell has a soft, brushed lining for insulation and its burly softshell exterior impressively blocks the cold wind. Wrist gussets do a great job of also keeping out any wind. Pearl Izumi states on their website that the Versa Softshell Hoodie is “best suited for the temperature range of forty-five to fifty-five degrees”. I found it excruciatingly warm when I wore it in those temps, even with a lightweight long-sleeved Merino wool baselayer. I had to unzip the zipper to quell the sweat. Temps in the mid-twenties with a 200g weight Smartwool baselayer—and only the baselayer—is the sweet spot for me. I wasn’t too hot and I wasn’t the slightest bit cold. Keep in mind I was comfortable because I was riding a bike at a good clip. So Pearl Izumi is a little self-deprecating in their rating. The Versa Softshell Hoodie will keep you warm in much colder temps than forty-five to fifty-five degrees.

Breathable

As it should be, since it’s a cycling jacket. It’s right up there with the better breathable softshells in terms of combining warmth and breathability. I have worn it with 150g and 200g wool baselayers—and once with a mid-layer for snowshoeing. I’ve worn it on commuting rides in temps as low as nineteen degrees and fatbiking in temperatures as high as forty degrees. The forty degree ride was the overheating sweatfest. Still, it kept the sweating and clamminess to a manageable level.

Versatile

During my testing period I also used it for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and trail running in addition to cycling. At taprooms and coffeeshop stops its relaxed fit, longer cut and drop-tail doesn’t scream bike tool. The Pearl Izumi Versa Softshell Hoodie is bikestyle at its best and in an era where the price of quality gear is climbing, it’s important to invest dollars wisely. When a $175 cycling jacket can be used beyond its intended purpose, it helps to ease the pain of higher price tag.

Loaded with Thoughtful Extras

For the commuter cyclist, it has reflective elements strategically placed on the sleeves, chest pocket and rear drop-tail for good visibility. Storage capacity is outstanding. It has a zippered wide rear pocket across the lower back that can hold a bike tool, wallet, phone, iPod, gloves, balaclava, etc. On the front, it has four pockets—two hand pockets and two secured pockets with zippers. The hood is generous, but not useful for cycling since it isn’t helmet compatible. But if you’re standing around after a ride drinking beer, it works brilliantly!

Relaxed Cut Allows Layering

Sizing is accurate. I normally wear a size small in jackets and the Versa Softshell Hoodie size small is the correct size for me. It is not a fitted jacket so it allows for a wide range of options in layering. The bulkiest layering it endured was when I was snowshoeing in twenty-one degrees. I wore a 200g weight Smartwool baselayer and an Icebreaker merino wool vest and it didn’t feel cocoonish or tight. I also wore it with a Kora Shola crew and a Pearl Izumi Pro Merino Thermal jersey and had the same results. So go forth and be creative!

What Could be Better

The Hood

It’s superfluous for cycling because it isn’t helmet compatible. The hood strings are long and ungainly (but reflective) and I have to be tuck deep inside the jacket to quell my fear of dangling strings on a bike. But if you plan to use it for any other activity, like snowshoeing or hiking, then it is just fine.

Final Thoughts

There’s so much to love and nothing to hate about the Pearl Izumi Versa Softshell Hoodie. It’s a jacket designed to be worn on and off the bike. Its style is classic and timeless. For the cyclist, it has the right amount of reflective elements and pockets in all the right places. For all other cold-weather active pursuits it blends the right degree of warmth, wind- and weather-resistance and breathability. For the bike-and-beer crowd, it doesn’t scream ‘bike tool!’ For all, it allows for a wide range of layering and versatility.

The post Pearl Izumi Versa Softshell Hoodie Review appeared first on gritandgearonline.com.