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Hoy Vulpine Men's Fortress Jersey and Arm Warmers

8
£140.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Windproof and water resistant jersey in an excellent fit, with added arm warmers and now at an excellent price
Weight: 
294g
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.

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The Hoy Vulpine Fortress is a really good windproof and water-resistant jersey in an excellent cut, and the arm warmers, which use the same fabric, are equally impressive performers.

I love the cut of the Fortress jersey. It's slim without any bagginess. If you're a chunkier build than me and you're concerned that this might mean it's a tight fit, you probably don't need to worry because the polyester/polyurethane fabric is super-stretchy across its width. That's one of the beauties of this jersey (and, to be fair, of many other jerseys of a similar ilk from other brands) – you get protection from the weather in a sporty, aero cut.

> Buy this online here

The dropped tail is excellent too. It's long enough to keep your bum covered and silicone print on the inside of the gripper meant it always stayed properly in place throughout testing, whether I was sitting in the saddle or standing up. It's the most successful tail design of any jersey of this kind that I've tried.

HOY Vulpine Mens Fortress Jersey and Arm Warmers - tail.jpg

Grippers inside the sleeves are similarly effective whether working against your skin or the top of the arm warmers.

HOY Vulpine Mens Fortress Jersey and Arm Warmers - shoulder.jpg

The neck is tall and close fitting. I have the medium sized jersey and the collar has a 14 inch (35.6cm) circumference (if you wanted to check that against one of your existing jerseys). It's lined with a microfleece fabric so it feels comfortable.

HOY Vulpine Mens Fortress Jersey and Arm Warmers - collar.jpg

Although it's lightweight, the Fortress is considerably warmer than a standard jersey in dry weather by dint of being windproof, but it's in wet conditions that it really scores. The fabric keeps out spray from the road and can deal with anything up to quite hard showers as long as they don't go on for too long. As with other foul weather jerseys, water can get in through the untaped seams over a period of time, but sometimes that's a better option than carrying and sticking on a flappy and perhaps less breathable waterproof jacket.

HOY Vulpine Mens Fortress Jersey and Arm Warmers - riding.jpg

Speaking of breathability, sweat vapour is able to escape through the fabric, although I've used other jerseys that are more capable in this regard. Hoy Vulpine has perforated the reflective panels on top of the shoulders and on the tail so as not to compromise the performance there.

HOY Vulpine Mens Fortress Jersey and Arm Warmers - logo.jpg

In terms of temperature range, I'd say the Fortress is suitable for about 8°C up to 15°C or so.

> Buyer's Guide: The best winter cycling jerseys

The three rear cargo pockets have elasticated tops to help keep the contents in place, and there's a zipped outer pocket for your valuables back there too.

HOY Vulpine Mens Fortress Jersey and Arm Warmers - pockets.jpg

The leading sections of the arm warmers are made from the same water resistant fabric, while the panel along the underside is a brushed back Roubaix. They use the same grippers as the jersey and stay in place perfectly.

HOY Vulpine Mens Fortress Jersey and Arm Warmers - arm warmer.jpg

When looking at value we rate a product according to its RRP, and at £140, although not cheap, the Fortress set is good value. It's nearly £100 cheaper now – and a steal. Don't dither, though – the medium in mandarin is already sold out...

Verdict

Windproof and water resistant jersey in an excellent fit, with added arm warmers and now at an excellent price

road.cc test report

Make and model: HOY Vulpine Mens Fortress Jersey and Arm Warmers

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product 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?

Hoy Vulpine describes this as: "Weather resistant racing cycling jersey & arm warmers, for fast riding in bad weather.

"Extremely comfortable aero rain and wind resistant jersey, provided with complimentary arm warmers. Large perforated reflective patches, a long tail and high neck provide superb detailing. Spring & autumn high tempo riding made simpler."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Hoy Vulpine lists these qualities:

THERMAL

Super soft, fleece lined softshell fabric keeps the wind and cold out.

WATER RESISTANT

Highly water resistant fabric outer shell beads rain off, keeping you dry and warm.

REFLECTIVITY

Large shoulder & rear reflective panels, perforated for breathability. Reflective logos.

[It's only the collar lining that you could call fleece lined]

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Both the jersey and the arm warmers are well made, the zips are from YKK and the grippers are good.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
9/10
Rate the product for sizing:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

At £140 this package was good value. Get it at (currently) £49 and it's exceptional.

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Simple. These go into the machine on a cool wash.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It's very good at keeping wind and water out.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The fabric's ability to keep water out and the fit.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

There's nothing grating about the performance.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

At its RRP of £140 this jersey and arm warmers set scores an 8; at its current sale price of £49 I'd be tempted to give it a 10.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 43  Height: 190cm  Weight: 75kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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1 comments

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The _Kaner | 7 years ago
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Just be aware of the pockets and their ability to hold anything of very little size/weight.

The first jersey I had ripped/holed at the bartack/stitching and the material became striated/damaged.

This was after 2 uses and about 5 hours in total riding.

The "suggestion" from Vulpine was that the pockets were overloaded.

4 gels in the left pocket, a Lezyne wallet containing a smart phone and a pouched multi tool in the middle and an Altura Copton wind jacket in the right pocket... all of these items are carried comfortably in any other jersey (even those with smaller dimension pockets than this jersey).

It was replaced with a new jersey and arm warmers (sans the green musette that I also sent back)

But, replacement took an absolute age to get sorted out. I appreciate they are a small(ish) company with limited resources/headcount and do not have any real issue with that.

The rest of the jersey/warmers as regards performance in the cold/wet and certainly the visibility touches could not be faulted. Maybe I was just unlucky with my initial experience of the garment.

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