The Galibier GrandTour Pro Jacket is a very good three-season top, offering great windproofing, good breathability and even adding moderate rain protection to the mix. It fits well and I found it comfortable on long rides, though I’d have preferred a colour that didn’t show sweat so easily. And as is always the case with Galibier, the GrandTour Pro is great value.
> Buy now: Galibier GrandTour Pro Jacket for £79 from Galibier
The Galibier GrandTour Pro is designed to be a three-season jacket, ideal for spring and autumn on its own and to be used as part of a layering setup come winter.
Wind and rain protection
The jacket’s ‘Pressure Block’ fabric is windproof – and I found this windproofing worked well, keeping out some cold northerly winds that kept me company on some of my rides.
And while the jacket isn’t designed to be waterproof, I did get caught in a few heavy rain showers. It held up for about 20-30 minutes in moderate rain, but once it got heavy I was pretty saturated, mainly on the arms. It did dry out later in the ride, well, at least until it rained heavily again
The material on the arms feels a little lighter than the body. This is common on some of the premium jackets I have tested, and I find it helps to prevent overheating.
The dropped tail helps to keep road spray at bay, which is kept in place with a silicone gripper that did a great job.
Materials
Galibier recommends wearing the jacket for temperatures between 6°C and 16°C, though I’d probably shift that down a few degrees. On a ride when temperatures were around 14-15°C, I was getting pretty warm, even though it was a fairly relaxed spin.
The soft shell-style jacket’s materials and panelling are well considered. The inside of the jacket isn’t fleece-lined, which gives it a good balance between warmth and breathability and is suitable for a wide range of conditions.
The back panels’ mesh-like ‘Zero’ fabric is designed to help regulate your temperature, and it worked well, helping to keep me cool on some warmer days.
The GrandTour Pro isn’t packable, which makes it best suited to rides where you’re not expecting it to warm up significantly. On a day towards the upper end of the recommended temperature range, I’d probably go for a long-sleeve jersey and gilet so I can easily remove a layer if it gets too warm.
The jacket has very good green credentials, using recycled materials throughout.
Fit
The jacket has a snug fit, but it’s still better suited for endurance riding than racing or very hard efforts.
The fit across the chest and shoulders is close but not restrictive, and I found it comfortable on rides of up to four hours.
There’s room to fit a layer or two underneath for when it gets really cold, but in spite of this it’s not so loose that it flaps around on descents.
The sleeves are long, with cuffs that are nice close fit on the wrists, which prevents any wind from getting inside the jacket.
The fit around the neck is also good: snug and comfortable.
Size
The jersey comes in a wide range of seven sizes, from XS-3XL. I’m 178cm tall and weigh 76kg, and the size guide recommends a large for me. Having tried both the medium and large, I’d say the medium would have been better if looking for a closer race fit and the large a more relaxed fit.
There are the usual rear three pockets, with the two outer pockets a good size and easily big enough for a rain jacket. However, the middle pocket is a little narrower, so I had to be more strategic about where I put my essentials on longer rides. They are positioned at the right height, though, and are easy to access on the move.
My Google Pixel phone fitted in the zipped chest pocket, though I tended to use it for my garage key or bank card.
There is a zip garage at the top to prevent neck irritation. There’s also a funky-coloured patterned inner strip that protects your jersey or shorts from the zip.
The YKK zipper runs smoothly and its big tab made it easy to unzip even when I was wearing bulky winter gloves.
The overall quality of the jacket is excellent, and even after a few months of regular use and frequent washing, there are no signs of wear and it still looks like new.
The jacket only comes in this light brown colour, which shows sweat very easily, particularly on the back. I’d have preferred the jacket in a colour where the sweat wasn’t so obvious, especially as I tend to sweat quite a lot.
There’s a large reflective panel on the rear middle pocket and reflective stitching on the pockets, which I really appreciate. Having dipped my toe more into night riding this autumn, it gives me more confidence that I’ll be seen on the lanes.
Value
At £79, GrandTour Pro jacket is excellent value, providing similar quality to tops I’ve worn that come in at more than twice the price.
We’ve actually reviewed very few jackets around this price that offer anything like the Galibier GrandTour Pro’s quality – and most of those are also from Galibier! This includes its £82 Liberté Insulated Packable Jacket and the standard GrandTour that costs £76.
The Castelli Espresso Air jacket received an excellent review but is significantly more expensive at £225.
We also liked the Scott RC Pro Warm Gore-Tex Windstopper but that comes in at a pretty salty £209.99.
If you’re looking for a simple windproof and don’t want to spend so much, the Boardman Men’s Windproof jacket is yours for just £35.
Our best winter cycling jackets buyer’s guide offers more options, with our best winter jerseys guide adding more winter warmer alternatives.
Conclusion
The Galibier GrandTour Pro is a very good three-season jacket that offers a strong balance of wind protection, breathability and comfort, with the ability to hold off light to moderate rain. The fit is great, I found it comfortable on rides of any duration, and the large reflectives are a real bonus in autumn and winter conditions. About my only criticism is that I’d prefer a colour that didn’t show the sweat so easily, which loses it a mark, but at least it comes up like new after washing – and you can’t argue with the price.
> Buy now: Galibier GrandTour Pro Jacket for £79 from Galibier
Verdict
Very good three-season top with great windproofing and at Galibier’s usual wallet-friendly price
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Galibier GrandTour Pro Jacket
Size tested: Medium
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?
Galibier says:
“A thermal, sustainable performance jacket, engineered for Spring and Autumn training or as an effective mid layer for Winter.
Three season, high performance cycling jacket.
Designed for temperatures: 6 to 16 degrees Celsius, with layering options for colder conditions. Utilising recycled fabrics throughout.”
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the jacket?
Galibier says:
RECYCLED Pressure Weave fabric in each smooth garment.
Articulated, seam free collar to gently wrap around the neck in every cycling position
Rear pockets, with 3M reflective trim to increase visibility and Mesh drainage feature.
Silicone waist band to keep the jacket locked in place.
YKK zip with reflective tab
Reflective 3M shoulder highlights.
Phone/valuables chest pocket
Still looks good after frequent use and numerous washes.
Light waterproofing – but then again it’s not designed to be fully waterproof
In line with size guide.
Less expensive than rivals of a similar quality.
How easy is the jacket to care for? How did it respond to being washed?
I washed it at the usual 30°C with no issues, and it looked great even after frequent washes.
Tell us how the jacket performed overall when used for its designed purpose
It was great for days when it wasn’t going to warm up too much. It protected well against the wind and it did a good job of holding off light rain.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the jacket
The fit was great.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the jacket
It showed sweat easily.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market including ones recently tested on road.cc?
The GrandTour Pro is excellent value and cheaper than most jackets we’ve reviewed – except other jackets in Galibier’s range.
The Castelli Espresso Air jacket received an excellent review but is significantly more expensive at £225. And the same is true of Scott’s RC Pro Warm Gore-tex Windstopper, which at £209.99 is only a little cheaper than the Castelli.
If you are looking to spend less then the Boardman Mens Windproof jacket is only £35.
Did you enjoy using the jacket? Yes
Would you consider buying the jacket? Yes – though I wish there was a different colour option.
Would you recommend the jacket to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
Overall, this is a very good jacket at an accessible price, with a great balance of warmth and breathability. Easy to layer, a great fit, and comfortable on rides of any length.
About the tester
Age: 35 Height: 178cm Weight: 73kg
I usually ride: Specialized Roubaix My best bike is: Cervelo S3
I’ve been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, touring, club rides, general fitness riding, Indoor
1 thought on “Galibier GrandTour Pro Jacket”
The standard Purple version
The standard Purple version is my go to thermal for the last 2 years. Looks like new still. I use an Assos base layer for coldest days with it. Get one!