Swiss perfection

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS A STATEMENT OF THE BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS: ASSOS CLOTHING IS A BIT PRICEY BUT RATHER GOOD.

I've always been a bit wary of the Assos 851 Jacket.  Partly its price, partly its Captain Scarlet styling.

But a little while ago, I cleared out half my cycling wardrobe on e-Bay -- including a Rapha Softshell, and realised too late that I wasn't remotely prepared for winter.  So I spent a substantial portion of the money raised on an Assos 851 -- a (relative) bargain, from an online supplier who seemed to have a job lot of odd colours and sizes.  It was advertised as black, but was bright blue when it arrived - which was luckily the colour I wanted anyway.  

They really are beautifully made -- thick and squidgy, shaped for riding, with lovely stylish touches.

Typically, the cold spell that had me freezing for the previous fortnight in my Prendas bargain winter jersey and arm-warmers disappeared overnight -- to be replaced with balmy, autumnal warmth.

So it wasn't until this week that I was able to properly test the jacket.  It's a winner.  Even when the ground is covered in frost and there's a vicious Northerly wind, I've been warm as toast, with just a Patagonia Capilene polo underneath.  Apparently the superbly-named Fugujack is designed for even colder weather, but it would probably be cheaper just to buy a top-of-the-range turbo and stay in.

I'm still not 100 percent converted to Assos.  It may just be my odd physique, but their jerseys seem to have a habit of riding up at the back, so you end up wearing a lycra bomber jacket -- good for eighties-themed discos, less good on the road.  And the 851 does away with any chance of layering -- the combination of vest, jersey, gilet, arm-warmers etc., that lets you vary your insulation over the course of a long ride.  

But in the right conditions, I think the 851 is probably the finest bit of cycling gear I've ever owned.  Maybe if I took out a second mortgage, I could get the matching tights.