PEdAL ED Yuki Winter Jacket

At £270, the new Yuki Winter Jacket from PEdAL ED really needs to be good, and thankfully, it is. Really good, in fact, with an excellent balance of waterproofing and breathability. The cut is also a lot less racy than many other high-end jackets on the market, which could make it more appealing to those who don't fit the Continental Pro stereotype.

• Pros: Keeps you warm and dry in all but the foulest of weather; generous sizing and cut
• Cons: I'm not a huge fan of the cargo pocket; it's £270!!!

Yuki means 'snow' in Japanese apparently, and while I haven't had a chance to ride in the white stuff yet it's a rather apt name for this latest PEdAL ED offering. I've ridden twice in torrential heavy rain for hours on end and although it finally succumbed to the deluge, it lasted longer than any 10,000mm rated jacket I've worn somehow, plus when the temperature had dropped to minus-2°C with a bit of freezing fog chucked into the mix, I remained brilliantly warm.

If that doesn't sound like the perfect jacket to take on a snowstorm then I don't know what is.

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A lot of brands go into great detail about the fabrics used in their clothing, but all PEdAL ED gives are the materials used and what percentage. From between the lines, you can see this is a three-layer construction like most waterproof softshells. The outer layer is a polyamide/elastane mix which looks to have a DWR (durable water repellent) coating, judging by the way rain tends to bead off as you are riding, in the initial stages at least.

In the middle you have a 100% polyurethane membrane, which no doubt has micro holes in it to stop moisture from the outside getting in while still allowing body heat out. I say this because considering how warm the Yuki is, it still manages to be very breathable, especially when worn over a decent baselayer.

At those lower temperatures I was fine with just a winter baselayer underneath, something like the GripGrab Freedom, thanks to the fleece lining in the jacket. The slightly more generous sizing of the Yuki than more race-cut jackets means you could get away with a jersey underneath too, if you feel the cold.

With a thinner baselayer on I was quite comfortable in the PEdAL ED up to about 10°C without getting overly sweaty, even when climbing.

As I've said, the cut of the Yuki is a little more relaxed than many jackets. It's still tailored enough to suit a rider in the saddle without looking baggy or anything, but you don't need to be super-lean for it to flatter.

The sleeves are long enough that when stretched out on the hoods there is no wrist gap between your cuffs and gloves, plus the back is suitably dropped that when you are hunkered down in the drops there is no exposure there either.

Round the front, you get a full sealed zip with a buffer behind it, and a high neck to keep out draughts.

There is plenty of storage space in the jacket, but the pockets are in a slightly different layout to normal: one cargo, two either side, and one zipped.

In place of the traditional three you get one large cargo storage area. It has a flap to cover it and PEdAL ED says it's for stashing your gloves and hat. I didn't really trust it to hold anything heavy, the usual things I'd carry on a ride like tubes, pump, multi-tool and the like, because without the extra stitching to separate it into three pockets it was a little on the saggy side.

If you're pro enough to need a race radio or you just like to ride with headphones in, there is a hole for you to pass the wires through so you can run them up the inside of the jacket.

On each side of the jacket there is another pocket which is slim and ideally sized to hold gels and bars; they're a good addition, easy to grab when wearing gloves.

On the outside of the side pocket on the right is a zipped one for valuables.

Plenty of storage then, and a lot of good stuff going on, but can it justify the price?

It's not that there isn't any competition out there. The Assos Mille GT Ultraz Winter Jacket comes in at a cool £260, or you could go for the Castelli Alpha RoS Jacket at £275, which scored very highly.

> Buyer's Guide: 18 of the best winter cycling jackets

But I'm still a massive fan of the Lusso Aqua Extreme Repel V2 Jacket, which is the one I grab when the rain is lashing against the windows. It performs just as well as the Yuki, plus it has loads of subtle reflectives if that's important to you, and it costs just £150.

Overall, I really enjoy wearing the Yuki when the weather is crap, but would I pay the full whack for it? I doubt it. It's good, very good, but it's not exceptional.

Verdict

A very good winter jacket but one hell of an outlay compared with most of the competition