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review
£34.99
VERDICT:
Great lightweight jacket for changeable conditions
Weight:
125g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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The B'twin 900 Ultralight Showerproof Cycling Jacket is a lightweight, compact model designed to keep you dry and comfortable in showery weather. I've remained temperate and generally arid for several hours a time on some very showery September saunters and faster-paced blasts.
It's made of a very thin, translucent, 100 per cent polyamide material designed to reveal club colours. The specification is very high, broadly on par with a couple I've used long term and costing almost three times as much. The fabric is claimed waterproof to 3000mm, or roughly three hours' worth of persistent precipitation.
> Find your nearest Decathlon store here
As you might expect, it's windproof too. Taped seams reinforce this assertion and ventilated panels (located discreetly around the armpits and shoulders) theoretically encourage moisture eviction, while keeping wet stuff from being funnelled inside on wet, blustery outings.
Does it all work? It certainly does. Overall performance has been excellent. A muggy though wet September, with temperatures typically climbing into the high teens, has confirmed it delivers in pretty much every respect.
To some extent, factors such as base/mid-layer and rider thermostat will play a part, but wicking is pretty seamless and, aside from some trace mistiness, I've never felt boiled in the bag, even after 40 minutes at full-pelt.
Despite being very thin, it does an excellent job of blocking wind blast. When the mercury slid to single figures, on midnight meanders at a decent tempo, I never felt chill. (And though thin, and a road garment through and through, some singletrack shenanigans on the crosser have failed to tax it.)
It's important to remember that jackets of this sort are designed to resist persistent showery rain, in this instance for around three hours. Provided a garment wicks rapidly, my preference is towards highly water resistant rather than truly impermeable. I've cruised along through intermittent heavy showers for two hours or so quite comfortably in the 900 Ultralight. Heavier rain will make it through the surface but a gentle breeze soon banishes any dampness. (Likewise, following a machine wash it's line dry in around 15-20 minutes.)
> Buyer's Guide: 20 of the best waterproof cycling jackets
Some users have suggested water can sneak in around the collar, which is sensibly proportioned but not fleece lined, so in some situations could permit water to creep inside. I've not experienced any bagginess (it's not me in the photos), which could result in problematic, incremental creep, even when hunkered low on the drops for longer periods, but then again my hair extends beyond the collar, which undoubtedly helps.
I found the overall cut and length of the jacket bang on: loose enough around the shoulders and for a couple of layers underneath, but close enough to minimise flutter. The tail was also just right, offering proper coverage for my lower back without gathering. Elasticated hem and cuffs are similarly reassuring.
he jacket folds into its own pocket, for stowing in your jersey when not required. This pocket makes a decent stash point for energy bars, small bunches of keys and smaller gizmos (it swallowed my super-zoom compact camera and waterproof case without any signs of indigestion, let alone ejection).
As expected, retro-reflective branding is sensibly distributed and just the right side of extrovert.
Zippers can be a weak spot at this price point, but here I've had no problems. The tag is of a decent size, too, easily commanded at speed should you want to regulate air-flow. As with most, it's a little remote in full-finger gloves, but looping a cable-tie through it solved the problem.
Conclusion
The 900 Ultralight does exactly what it promises, and continues the superstore brand's reputation for high-performing, wallet-friendly equipment. I've found it vastly superior to the Boardman men's packable jacket which commands similar cash, although my main problem was with the Boardman's cut/fit.
Verdict
Great lightweight jacket for changeable conditions
road.cc test report
Make and model: B'twin 900 Ultralight Showerproof Cycling Jacket
Size tested: Large
Tell us what the jacket is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
B'twin says: "Designed for frequent cycling in showery weather thanks to it's stretch fabric with a 3000mm hydrostatic head rating.
"Both very light and compact it's a great product for roadies as it folds down easily into its pocket and fits in the back pocket of a jersey and due to it's semi transparent fabric your club colours will be visible.
"It has taped seams & is windproof and, thanks to the stretch fabric, it is quite fitted and worn close to the body. Extra ventilation reduces the build up of condensation."
I'd say it's a lightweight shell that offers decent protection from wind and heavy showers. It performs better than many, especially at this end of the market.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the jacket?
100% polyamide, taped seams, single pocket (folds into)retro-reflective graphics, elasticated sleeves.
Rate the jacket for quality of construction:
8/10
Well made and backed by a two-year warranty.
Rate the jacket for performance:
8/10
Very good overall. Breathes better than others I've used at this price point too.
Rate the jacket for durability:
7/10
Rate the jacket for waterproofing, based on the manufacturer's rating:
8/10
Rate the jacket for breathability, based on the manufacturer's rating:
8/10
Very good by genre standards and the thin material certainly helps.
Rate the jacket for fit:
8/10
Rate the jacket for sizing:
10/10
Bang on for me.
Rate the jacket for weight:
10/10
Rate the jacket for comfort:
7/10
Rate the jacket for value:
8/10
Very good.
How easy is the jacket to care for? How did it respond to being washed?
Very easy to live with. Pop in the machine at 30 degrees, minimal detergent. Line dry in 20 minutes.
Tell us how the jacket performed overall when used for its designed purpose
It resists moderate to heavy rain remarkably well, while offering decent defence against surprisingly chill autumn blasts. Breathability is reasonably good thanks to rear venting and the thin material, and dropping the zipper provides some instantaneous relief in muggier conditions.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the jacket
Meets the design brief handsomely; well made and competitively priced.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the jacket
Nothing, given the design brief and ticket price.
Did you enjoy using the jacket? Yes
Would you consider buying the jacket? Yes
Would you recommend the jacket to a friend? Definitely
Use this box to explain your score
It's a very capable garment that can be stowed in a pocket and flung on should the weather turn bandit; highly water resistant yet breathable, and superior to most I've used.
About the tester
Age: 43
I usually ride: Rough stuff tourer based around 4130 Univega mountain bike frameset My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking
Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)
Latest Comments
- Geordiepeddeler 1 sec ago
Cycling infrastructure does not force drivers to break the law, drivers are the reason they break the law, no one else.
- chrisonabike 12 min 35 sec ago
Ah but taking pictures of things to defy the man (avoid a fine) is righteous. Taking pictures of people to grass on them to the cops (perhaps...
- ktache 2 hours 2 min ago
But getting paid for it is the very definition of professional....
- ktache 2 hours 11 min ago
Never had a Shimano QR fail on me. They just work. And the top end ones look good too....
- Backladder 2 hours 57 min ago
If you're only looking at the guy in front of you then you're going to crash whatever brakes you have, you need to look beyond them to anticipate...
- jaysa 3 hours 22 min ago
As a woman, this works great for me! My chain broke once, and a kind guy stopped with a chain breaker and sorted it all out for me. We stopped at a...
- andystow 4 hours 14 min ago
Same. I also have gone through a bunch of their tyres, and only the extralight disappointed (torn sidewall) but the standards are fantastic....
- chrisonabike 6 hours 11 min ago
Indeed - but it's no more inconsistent than our current road design - very often UK high streets are "for shopping" and also a busy through route....
- mike the bike 7 hours 42 min ago
If you ask the world's leading economic commentators how many people have been rescued from abject poverty by capitalism the average answer would...
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37 comments
If you have to ask then the answer's almost definitely yes, but take heart - whereas the gestapo wore black you will stick out in your bright colours, like some kind of gay nazi - that has got to be some kind of mitigating factor, look on the bright side.
The belief that hi-vis and/or even reflectives work to any significant degree on an individual basis is spurious at best.
Even if dark coloured cars are involved in more crashes numerically it shouldn't in any way instruct us as to what garments to wear. The problem has always being people not looking/seeing and/or driving too fast for the conditions so they can't react quick enough. hence the 'drive at a speed you can stop well within the distance you can see to be clear' wording which should be law not a suggestion in the HC.
if you crash into an animal or fallen tree at night that is unlit, is it the tree or animals fault or yours, the answer is it's your fault.
Expecting anything/everything to be lit up or highlighted just encourages unsafe driving, even riding. The CTC were right back in the 20s, asking for people on bikes to adorn a red rear light just encouraged motorists to drive faster because there was then the expectation that you were being warned of the presence of a vulnerable person from a distance. Now we are being told even by police that some lights aren't bright enough despite the law being a mere 4 candela.
Not that using rear lights and/or reflectives has stopped motorists killing and maiming (any road user) in numbers that we see wiped out in holocausts, wars and disease epidemics in the past.
again, asking those who may potentially be raped/sexually assaulted on the street to wear anti rape garments would be abhorrent, asking all pedestrians to wear hi-vis/reflectives is beyond tolerable/absolute lunacy, (I know some places includeing the UK government do push for it) and is totally the wrong approach.
That we ask people on bikes to wear it when we have already being forced to take actions to absolve those causing the harm of their responsibilities already is simply BS.
The thinking on hi-vis/reflectives like helmets is backward and will never ever solve the problem.
I like the garment, it sounds like a great price for what the reviewer states it offers protection wise.
Thank you for a respectful and constructive contribution.
I would (respectfully) disagree with a few of your points (you needn't care about that, of course).
The evidence on hi-viz/reflectives/contrasting isn't conclusive, I'd agree - but I think it does seem to point towards some conclusions. Of the articles I've read, Peter Walker's gives one of the more sceptical but I don't think even he thinks the evidence is spurious:
www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2013/jan/10/cycling-high-visib...
I don't have all the evidence, of course, so feel free to share well-evidenced alternatives.
I don't believe - and I don't recall anyone here did- that drivers are in any way absolved from the responsibility to look properly. Or that cyclists in any colours are at fault for being hit by those drivers who don't look.
The comparison with rape and assault is incorrect. You can't commit those things accidentally, carelessly or negligently, or even claim to. Those perpetrators deliberately, actively targetvictims. That's not the case in almost all road collisions. Should a driver consciously target a cyclist then colour/reflectives are completely irrelevant (indeed, if anything camouflage might help!)
Finally, I think some of the rancour here is because that by advocating one choice and providing their reasons for it, that pro-hiz viz/reflectives/contrasting colours fans are seeking to limit the choices of others. I don't think that's the case - wear this black jacket if you like. Don't call me a "gay nazi" (you didn't) for wishing I had the option of buying it in a different colour.
Mat black. A shining example of a material you can't se....of.........of....oh hang on, shite...
The talk of black cars being involved in more crashes is very interesting but possibly not relevant to cyclists.
I do know that I rode past my training partner own day. We always ride opposite directions and one of us turns to join the other. He was all in black and riding under some trees. Obviously I was looking for him as I've done every Sunday for years but I didn't see him at all.
He had to chase for ages to catch up.
The next week he had a fluo gilet on over his black kit.
Never missed him since.
How does a car driver approaching a cyclist from the rear see a backdrop of walls and bushes?
They don't. Have you ever driven past a backdrop of walls and bushes? It's impossible to see.
I reckon I only make it safely past such a backdrop 2 or 3 times out of 10, and that's probably because I'm distracted by my phone, making me coincidentally steer along the road. There are a couple of sections near me, where the locals have helpfully painted the tarmac day-glo orange, and the walls and bushes luminous yellow, but occasionally I just hit the odd cyclist there because their mardis gras outfits are perfectly camouflaged.
I can't be expected to actually drive, now, can I?
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