Santini Vega Absolute Men’s Winter Jacket

As its name suggests, the Santini Vega Absolute Winter Jacket is aimed at dealing with the worst the weather can throw at you. It's not as waterproof as some, but it still works very well, with a great fit that keeps you always feeling snug.

The Vega Absolute makes use of Polartec's Power Shield Pro fabric and though it's not as waterproof as some fabrics, it offers plenty of warmth while still being impressively breathable.

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The test period has seen a large range of weather conditions, from the mild temperatures between Christmas and New Year, to the recent cold snap with the thermometer reading -2°C on some of my morning rides. The Vega has coped throughout.

I'd say around 12°C is the upper limit for me, with just a baselayer underneath, before I found things getting a bit damp when keeping a high pace going, and with a merino winter baselayer I was fine to just below freezing.

Alongside the breathability the Vega also delivers on windproofing. On cold, icy mornings where I've noticed the cutting northerly wind on my legs or face, this jacket does an excellent job of blocking it out, keeping you toasty warm.

You also get extra windproof panels on the chest, neck and pockets – the bright yellow bits – which also have a durable water repellent (DWR) coating.

The Polartec fabric also comes with its own water resistance too. It's not amazing, rated at just 5,000mm (for wet weather riding I wouldn't consider anything less than 10,000mm, personally), but it held up to light and moderately heavy rain or showers surprisingly well. There wasn't any noticeable seepage through the seams either.

I'd say the all-round performance of the Vega Absolute is well suited to the UK climate and conditions.

Style-wise, the slim, race-style fit is quite close to the body but does still allow enough room for layering up should you want to wear a jersey beneath it. I never found much need, though, especially if the weather conditions were going to remain the same throughout the ride, as the Vega comes with traditionally laid out pockets on the rear (and a zipped one on the chest).

In fact, the Absolute, being a softshell design, feels almost more like a winter jersey than a jacket, albeit a slightly thicker one. This means that it moves nicely with you on the bike, it makes no noise in the wind, and with plenty of length in the neck and sleeves there will be no exposed skin to catch a draught.

I would like to see a zip garage on such a tall collar, though, as it can irritate slightly. I found it would rub my neck if I was spending long sections riding low on the drops or hoods, and could be more noticeable if you ride in an aero style position.

The extended cuffs are cut at an angle, allowing the upper part to cover the top of your wrist when riding while the shorter lower part doesn't get in between your palm and the handlebar. It offers no water resistance at all, though, so it's best to make sure the cuffs are well tucked inside your gloves.

The rear of the Vega also has a nicely dropped tail for full coverage, and silicone gripper to hold it in place. It's not as pronounced as some but does the job. The bottom of the jacket is also elasticated.

Other details include a zipped chest pocket and some discreet reflective detailing here and there.

I like the colour. The dark blue looks classy, and the yellow sections make you visible without trying too hard to look like a high-vis jacket.

The Vega Absolute is designed and manufactured in Italy, and sizing-wise it's typical Italian – meaning it comes up a little smaller than UK brands.

I'm a medium in most, and while I could comfortably wear this medium, if I was buying it I'd probably nudge that up to the large. Santini does have a good size guide, and if you follow that you should be fine.

The Absolute was initially priced at £239 on Santini's UK website, but that has since dropped to £189. Okay, it's still not cheap, but that does bring its bang for buck rating to a much more favourable position, and similar to others on the market.

As you'd hope for that kind of money, the overall quality is absolutely excellent. To me, the stitching and layout of the panels is flawless, and after being snagged on brambles and branches on some gravel routes, the material has shrugged everything off.

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For comparison, Monton's Pro Joes's 3-1 thermal jacket offers a decent performance, but not quite as good as the Vega Absolute. It does come with a thermal gilet that sits underneath, upping the warmth on really cold days. It has a full price of £200 but has been discounted to £120 for quite a while now.

Rapha's Pro Team Winter Jacket is £180 and offers, according to Robin, plenty of warmth and breathability, with water resistance provided by a DWR coating.

Conclusion

The build quality is excellent throughout, and the Polartec fabric works really well in all kinds of weather conditions. It's not the cheapest solution on the market, but is worth the outlay, I'd say.

Verdict

Impressive performance and build quality, especially if you want a race style fit from your jacket