Cafe Du Cycliste Maya Unisex Insulated Packable Cycling Gilet

The Cafe du Cycliste Maya unisex insulated cycling gilet is perfect for cold mornings, night rides and long-distance routes, when the temperature threatens to plummet and then spike over the course of the day. It's a versatile piece of kit that will pack down into a saddle bag and can even be stuffed into a rear pocket on your cycling jersey – a deep pocket, perhaps, where the money for the gilet was hiding...

Ignoring the price for the moment, the Maya is designed to keep you warm, and offers a snug fit and insulated baffles of ethically sourced down at the chest and across the back to keep you cosy. Stretch panels at either side help to deliver a streamlined fit and excellent comfort.

> Buy now: Cafe du Cycliste Maya for £196 from Cafe du Cycliste

You can buy it in this rather vibrant orange or a dashing 'Neon Pink', and both models feature reflective detailing to improve visibility at night.

The label inside makes it clear that this is aimed squarely at the audax market. It comes with a dictionary definition of what makes an audax rider that even those with limited French will be able to translate: 'hardi, intrépide, aventureux, déterminé, courageux...'

This is a garment that flatters you out of the door. It positively goads you onto your bike to take on some of the most challenging routes in the UK. And so it was, I found myself boarding the 8.44am to Worcester on a chilly winter's morning, for a two-hour saunter around the Malvern Hills.

Creative composure

We were riding on a trio of folding bicycles – mine a rusty old Brompton. Stepping out of the train, I zipped the gilet up as high as it would go, pulled my hat down and hoiked my Buff over my nose. There's a soft fabric at the collar that makes this very comfortable and keeps the YKK zip well away from your chin. We were heading north on the Elgar Trail on the coldest day of the year.

If you'd been riding here in the early 1900s, you may well have come across a bowler hatted cyclist on a Royal Sunbeam bicycle. And if he was humming to himself, then it may well have been the composer Edward Elgar, who wrote many of his most famous pieces of music riding around the Malvern Hills.

The large Maya gilet I was testing came up tighter than expected. The Cafe du Cycliste website has a size guide that puts me at the upper limit for a large, but my ride companions assured me it was a good-looking 'race fit'. You might want to consider opting for a size up if you sit between sizes.

It quickly proved to be exceptionally comfortable. The stretch panels at the side and elastic gripper at the base of the gilet ensure that it never rides up your back. Tucked low or out of the saddle when climbing, the gilet stays in place and the scooped rear ensures that your lower back is kept snug at all times.

Pub-ready

We'd opted for cycling civvies, and a 'no Lycra' three-line whip. For me that meant a pair of cycling trousers, a Specialized/Fjallraven bike-specific shirt and merino baselayer. The Maya gilet topped this off perfectly and delivered impressive warmth on an icy first hour in the saddle.

We popped into the Elgar museum to pay our respects and then headed to Great Malvern for a lunchtime pub stop. And despite feeling like I was cosplaying as a rail-track engineer worker, the gilet was sufficiently 'casual' to blend in as we ordered our pasties.

We came back into Worcester that evening as the light was starting to fade and the reflective detailing came into its own as we navigated the heavy traffic, tipped our cycling caps towards the city's Elgar statue and headed back to the station.

Audacious insulation

This is really meant for bigger and more ambitious rides, though, and so it accompanied me on a 200k audax. It stayed in my saddle bag for the first half, but I could feel myself shivering as we left an overly long lunchtime stop so I unpacked it and zipped it up.

It was just what I needed. The shivers vanished immediately and I could feel a warm glow seeping through my body. This performs brilliantly and its windstopping credentials are genuinely excellent.

> How should you dress for winter cycling? Here are our best tips for layering up

For this ride I was on my fixed gear bike and some of the climbs were generating a huge amount of internal heat. The Maya features a two-way zip that is easy to operate with one hand and means you can fine-tune the mix of insulation and ventilation as you need it. You can ride with those zips meeting in the middle to give you total ventilation, without having to stop or try to re-zip while you cycle no-handed.

I've previously relied on outdoor gilets and duvet jackets that don't have this kind of flexibility. And they have a tendency to really soak out. So when we got to the final control at the 165k mark, I was impressed to find this top just slightly damp. And after a 20-minute break it was bone dry once again.

"That's a nice looking gillet... Very orange!" remarked one of my fellow riders as we switched lights on for a final group ride back to the arrivée. The reflective detailing was clearly showing up well as I sat in the middle of our wind-battered peloton.

The only small design quibble I have is that as I tried to retrieve a pair of gloves from the rear pocket, I could feel it turning inside out. It is anchored in the middle but not in each corner. With a set of keys stashed there as well I decided to leave the gloves where they were for the final few kilometres of the ride. I think a small stitch in each corner would be a good way to ensure valuables don't spill onto the road mid-ride.

And for the price, I'd also like to see a waterproof stuff sack that can be compressed to make sure that you make the most of available packing space when you do store this in a saddle pack.

Value for money

Talking of price... I have loved wearing this gilet. It is a really excellent piece of kit that vastly outperforms all the non-cycling insulated gilets that I have used. But then it is almost £200.

Is it worth it? I'm not sure I could justify it – but then I am a notorious skinflint. But I have used it for two months and it's accompanied me on almost daily commutes and utility rides, as well as more arduous outings. It often stays on as I head into the office and it's become a permanent layer of insulation in my very draughty home. It has proved to be durable, well designed and easy to wash and look after.

Also, the down is responsibly sourced; there is a huge issue around live plucked down and the Responsible Down Standard here ensures that down (90% of the filing) and feathers (the remaining 10%) are ethically sourced. Those credentials are further enhanced by the fact that the gilet uses recycled fabrics.

However, Alpkit's Filoment Vest also uses 100% recycled fabric and Recycled Claim Standard-certified fill (RCS100 recycled down) and costs £119.99. And Halti's Evolve Lite Down Vest Men's also uses recycled fabrics and down, and is just over £160 (€189,00).

Neither has the cycling-specific elements or fit of the Maya gilet, though. I have a number of general down gilets and they are pretty unsatisfactory bits of kit on the bike.

It is cheaper than the Pas Normal Studios Men's Escapism Down Vest that Dave tested in 2022; that was £255, though it's no longer available, and Dave was not impressed. You can certainly pay more for a down gilet – PHD's Minimus Down Vest: K Series is £404, but that's serious mountaineering kit. I'd love that for a wild camp, but wouldn't ride with it on.

If you're happier going for synthetic insulation, you can find significantly cheaper options. Dave tested the Galibier Izoard Quilted Gilet and reckoned it performed well in the wet, although it was better suited to lower-paced rides. It does come in at an just under £54, though.

The Vulpine Ultralight Quilted Gilet is £100 (though currently £35) and this synthetic fill jacket scored four stars when Steve reviewed it, although he pointed out it was best suited for commuting and casual use.

Perhaps the best rival in terms of racing fit and the ability for it to pack up small is Endura's Pro Primaloft Road Gilet, again with synthetic insulation. Mike reviewed this in 2020 and he reckoned it was a solid choice for longer rides. He was particularly impressed with the array of pockets on offer. An audax friend of mine uses one on long, multi-day rides and gives it a big thumbs up although warns that the insulating material can bunch up. Some online reviews suggest that some people have had issues with the zip. It costs £120.

Conclusion

Forget the price tag, focus on the performance, and this is a genuinely excellent piece of kit. It is brilliantly windproof, keeps your core exceptionally warm, offers a sleek and efficient race fit and can be stashed in a rear pocket. It is audaciously good. The price, however, 'est tres coûteuse'.

Verdict

Impressive windstopping performance, great insulation and comfort on the bike in a sleek, race fit design