Howies Lahynch Hoody

One of my favourite things about riding on a wet winter's day is the feeling of putting a warm hoody on after the hot post-ride shower. Maybe it's just me, but I find there's something comforting about the extra neck-warming you get. The Lahynch from Howies is a hoody that you can wear on the bike as well as off. It's a classic piece of semi-tech bike clothing from the Welsh masters of the art.

The Lahynch is available in men's and women's sizes and is made from a blend of 72% Sorona, 25% Merino wool and 3% spandex. You're probably familiar with the latter two, but for anyone not au fait with Sorona, it's a Dupont polyester fibre made in part with renewable plant-based material. Dupont say its manufacture produces less greenhouse gas and uses less energy than nylon. The merino wool is used for its warmth and comfort, and the fabric overall feels pretty nice against the skin.

I've been wearing it a lot during the test period and it's great for the cooler evenings of later summer and autumn. What it's not is hugely thick, so while the wool content helps keep your body warmth in, it's a lighter-weight garment than most of the cotton hoodies I own. This, combined with a decent level of breathability, makes it well-suited for cycling in the 7-15 degree temperature range.

The fit is good, a slim cyclist-friendly cut, which works on the bike and looks about as smart as is reasonably possible (with a hood) off it. It's only available in one colour, a dark grey that Howies call phantom, but there's some intelligently positioned reflective details which help get you seen of an evening: the full-length zip on the front has an eye-catching reflective strip built in, as does the single zipped rear pocket.

On the subject of pockets, there are two front pockets accessible from the sides as well as the one round the back. The front pockets are great for keeping your hands warm or stashing things when you're not riding. You could ride with things in there but I tended to chuck my phone in the back for riding where it doesn't swing around. By positioning the vertical openings to the front pockets round to the sides, in line with the seam, you don't see them from the front, which makes for a smarter overall appearance. The pockets extend right round to the front zip so they are basically huge, big enough for an A5 envelope.

There is the standard draw-cord around the hood, and the waist and cuffs are ribbed for your pleasure. Branding is kept minimal, just a small blue Howies tab on the left hand side below the pocket. Zips are all decent-quality locking YKK items.

If you're wondering where the name Lahynch came from, join the club. It may or may not be related to the similarly-named golf resort and surf resort in western Ireland.

During testing I wore this hoody off the bike more than on. There were certainly occasions where it was nice to be able to jump on the bike for an errand without changing, with the fact that all the pockets zip up being the main advantage compared to most similar garments in my wardrobe. It's well-fitted and very comfortable, and styled maturely and discretely, certainly not shouting "CYCLIST" when you walk into the pub wearing it.

List price for the Lahynch is £80. To save you the bother, I've established that Aldi will sell you a "cycling hoody" for £13. Howies probably don't see this as a direct competitor, so I also looked at the range of hoodies available on Wiggle, where the Lahynch (with the current 10% discount) is the 6th most expensive of 83, pipped from the top by a selection from Oakley, Castelli and RaceFace. It is more expensive than all of the 97 hoodies offered on Debenhams' website. So it's a high-end item then, although not as much as Chrome's merino hoody, the Cobra, which is well north of £100, and a lot less than the Meccanica Marl merino jersey that Dave reviewed recently.

Howies is a small company that makes its gear in limited quantities and with an emphasis on sustainable and low-impact manufacturing. A lot of their clothes are made in the EU and this is something they are quite proud of, so it's surprising to see the Made in China label here. That said, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the five more expensive hoodies on Wiggle are likewise made in China. Howies told me that the factories they use in China are audited for their working conditions and quality and that the price reflected their smaller production runs and the use of premium materials like merino wool.

Everyone's budgets are different; my feeling is that the Lahynch is a bit over-priced. I like Howies as a company, I like most of their products and I've previously found their customer care to be unimpeachable. I just wouldn't pay £80 for a hoody, even a really nice one with very deep pockets, like the Lahynch.

Verdict

Smart well-fitted part-merino hoody that you can wear on or off the bike; spendy for a hoody though