Pas Normal Studios Men’s Mechanism Shell Jacket

The Pas Normal Studios Mechanism Shell Jacket is a very good, high-quality waterproof and breathable winter jacket designed for deep winter days. Unsurprisingly, it comes with a premium price tag to match.

The Pas Normal Studios (PNS from here on) Mechanism Shell Jacket is designed for harsh winter conditions. While the shell looks like a rain jacket, this is more of a winter jacket than a lightweight packable rain jacket.

Waterproofing and breathability

It has a waterproof rating of 20,000mm. I got caught in a few downpours where it performed very well, with the water beading off the jacket and my upper body remaining dry. It also coped with road spray with ease.

The jacket is constructed from a three-layer Polartec Power Shield Pro fabric, designed to provide protection without sacrificing flexibility. It did a great job of retaining some element of stretch, which meant it was comfortable on any type of ride, which isn’t always the case with winter jackets.

When the temperature dropped to just above freezing, I paired it with a long-sleeve jersey and a mesh base layer. The relaxed fit means you could easily add another layer without it feeling bulky.

The Polartec fabric also does an excellent job of protecting you against the wind. On some long, wet descents, my body felt warm and dry, while the same certainly couldn’t be said for my hands and feet.

PNS recommends it in temperatures below 8°C, and I thing that’s abour right. On a club ride where it was slightly above that, I was pretty warm when the pace ramped up, but it was comfortable up to 10°C on a more leisurely ride.

Unusually for a waterproof jacket, there are mesh panels on the underside of the wrists and around the armpits to help breathability. The breathability rating is 20,000g/m2/24hr, which is in line with other premium jackets.

I was slightly worried that water would seep in through the mesh, but I never had any issues with it in moderate to heavy rain.

It isn’t fully insulated (there is also a thermal version), but given this is warm and easy to layer, it is suitable for any conditions I’d be willing to ride in. Realistically, if this jacket wasn’t sufficient, I’d be on Zwift instead.

Although this resembles a rain jacket, at 287g it isn’t a lightweight jacket that you could stuff into a jersey pocket. Therefore, it is best suited for days when it remains cold throughout the entire ride. It will easily fit in a handlebar bag, which I sometimes use on long winter rides.

Fit

The fit is fairly relaxed, which PNS says is to help with layering for deep winter weather, and realistically, not many people need a race-fit winter jacket. Even though the jacket was a fairly relaxed fit, the slightly heavier material meant that there was no flapping in the wind or on descents. The generous fit means it’ll still fit, even if you’ve overdone the Christmas celebrations.

The rear of the jacket is slightly dropped to keep your backside dry. It could have been a touch longer, though my testing was all done in winter with mudguards on the whole time, so it wasn’t an issue.

The sleeves are a good length and seal well with gloves to ensure no water or draughts get in.

There’s a single-sided drawcord at the bottom to optimise the fit. I thought it was useful given the more relaxed fit.

The collar is tall and does a good job of keeping out rain and draughts, with a comfortable fit around the neck. The material could be a little softer, but on proper winter rides, you’ll probably be wearing a neck warmer regardless.

At the rear of the jacket, there is a large zip pocket on either side. These can easily accommodate a large smartphone, neck warmer or gloves. They were easy enough to undo on the move thanks to their large tags, which was useful as it can be a faff to access your pockets on a standard rain jacket. They are protected by a YKK Aquaguard zip, which keeps water out of the pocket.

There’s a dual zip, allowing you to undo the bottom for easy access to your jersey pockets. The zip is a good size and easy to adjust on the fly. In practice, I didn’t really need to use this feature, as I kept snacks in the jacket pocket and everything else in my jersey pockets.

Size

The PNS size guide is a touch more generous than some brands. I’m 178cm tall and weigh 76kg and I was more than happy with the medium. With some brands, I need a large, but that would have been too big here.

The jacket is available in seven sizes from XXS to XXL, so almost anyone should be able to find a suitable size.

The jacket only comes in ‘Dark Grey’. I thought this colour looked good and it has the advantage of hiding dirt from the lanes at this time of year.

The jacket has a small reflective logo on the front and a large reflective one on the back.

Quality

The quality of the jacket seems excellent and looks as good as new after a few months of testing.

Value

At £330, this is very much a premium-priced jacket, one of the most expensive we’ve tested. Though the Rapha Pro Team Shadow is only a fiver cheaper while the Castelli Alpha 150 carries a heavyweight £360 price tag.

Josh was very impressed with the Velocio Men’s One Jacket, which isn’t quite as expensive – though it’s not exactly cheap at £267.

The Santini Vega+ Winter Jacket also scored an excellent review and at £240 is a little over two thirds the price of the PNS.

Dave thought the Santini Magic Packable Waterproof Jacket was very good, it is a bit lighter than this one and is cheaper still at ‘just’ £200.

Our best cycling jackets buyer’s guide rounds up other options from £76 upwards.

Conclusion

Overall, this is a very good winter jacket, the waterproofing is excellent, it’s breathable and the fit is good. The only downsides are the high price and the bold branding that won’t be to everybody’s taste.

Verdict

Premium shell jacket for harsh winter days – but you’ll pay for it

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