Huez* Softshell Sweat Hood

There's a strongly worded letter being penned and it's addressed to the Oxford English Dictionary. It tackles the important issue of the lack of a word in common parlance to describe the hoodie-jacket hybrid that's becoming increasingly common in active outerwear. It's part hoodie, part jacket – a 'hooket' if you like. The latest 'hooket' to land at road.cc towers is the Softshell Sweat Hood from Huez*.

The Softshell Sweat Hood is part of the 2015 range of urban gear from London-based Huez*. The brand is known for smart and stylish apparel, aimed for fashion conscious cyclists that want to look good on and off the bike. The Softshell Sweat Hood doesn't just look the part, it's also integrated with performance technologies that make it stand apart in an increasingly crowded market. Huez* say: "We visualize a world where modern sportswear is so enriched with technology, that people are able to live in style and be more healthy than ever before". Sounds great doesn't it?

Buy Huez* Softshell Sw​eat Hood

The Softshell Sweat Hood is specifically designed with the about town commuter in mind, to be worn either with civvies or more relaxed cycling gear. The kind of jacket you can grab to ride to the shops or the pub and not feel out of place when you arrive. It's got a blend of style and underlying performance that work together nicely.

The Softshell is largely made of a nylon/polyester mix with a bit of elastane thrown in for flexibility on the bike. It's water-repellant to a pretty decent level. It'll withstand light to medium showers with the water droplets visibly beading and running down the surface. The protection against the wind is good and it's got a fairly good level of breathability, although it's not the first thing I'd grab if knew I was going to be getting warm in the saddle. The soft fleece-like lining is really comfortable but does tend to warm up quickly, although it does provide a nice bit of insulation in nippier weather.

The fit of the jacket is fairly relaxed, the arms are long enough that your wrists stay covered when reaching for the bars. The cuffs and the hem have wide elasticated bands that keep them fitting snugly, but a little too tightly in the case of the waist. The waistband seems disproportionately tight compared to the rest of the jacket. It pulls in very slim when off the bike and on the bike it starts to ride up with the pedalling motion. Every time you stop at a red light you have pull it back down; pretty annoying.

The jacket is fairly minimal in terms of features. There's a zip running down the length of the front, it has a double zip allowing it to undo from the bottom for extra ventilation if desired. There are two front zipped pockets and a reflective Huez* asterisk on the sleeve. All the zips on the jacket are Aquaguard YKK zips, designed to keep out the elements, and the pocket linings are made for ultra-light and tough ripstop material.

The Softshell Sweat also has a hood, handy off the bike and on the bike if you ride without a helmet. If you're riding with a helmet it becomes fairly redundant, as it's too bulky to wear under a helmet and won't stretch over the top of one. A strip down the back of the hood and the drawstrings feature Huez* Darklight technology, a material that appears black in daylight but becomes highly reflective in low light. That's a really nice feature as it's totally inconspicuous when off the bike but lights up up like a Christmas tree at night.

Generally the jacket performs well on and off the bike, it really looks the part and can withstand the elements, but the fit around the waist is its main downfall. Another minor niggle is the size of the label, a common feature across the Huez* range. It's just too big, long enough that it can flap out from under the jacket and look quite unsightly. It just seems strange for such a considered garment to have such a clumsy answer for a label. The Softshell would definitely find the most use in the spring/autumn conditions, it's just a bit too warm for summer riding conditions.

It's available in the just the one colour option and is available in sizes XS - XXL, 34in to 44in chest sizes. The jacket retails at £185, not surprising really Huez* are a premium brand and that comes with premium prices. It's a solidly performing and well made jacket, but the fit around the waist is a sticking point. If you're forking out this much for a piece of kit you want it to be as near to perfect as possible and the cut is a fundamental flaw here.

Verdict

Good jacket with some interesting features, let down by the cut and a high price tag