Endura Adrenaline Race Gilet

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?

This product is a gilet, designed for race use. But will be handy for sportive riders or anyone that wants good protection from the weather, and is willing to sacrifice a bit of water ingress in downpours for the sake of good breathability and overall comfort.

The Endura website says the gilet is for 'Competition Performance' and hgighlights the following features:

' Lightweight compact translucent breathable/waterproof fabric

Back panel allows race number to be seen

Lightly padded collar and storm flap

Full length centre zipper with sprung puller

No fuss pull-on elasticated cuffs and collar

Fully seam sealed

Athletic fit

Reflective trims and prints

Packs into small stuff sac'

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

The Endura website then quotes the following technical aspects:

' Waterproofness: 15000

Breathability: 20000'

No unit of measurement given, but for the first figure it's most likely millimetres. This refers to a standard industry test, whereby a virtual column of water is balanced on top of the fabric, and then measuring how high (and therefore how heavy) this column can get before the water goes through the fabric. Generally, a 5000 to 10,000mm figure means showerproof, while 20,000 to 30,000mm means fully stormproof.) It's important to note that this figure usually refers to the fabric as it leaves the factory, not necessarily to the garment itself, and especially not after a few months of use. Our real-world test rides would confirm that Endura's claim is probably on the optimistic side, as the gilet does not withstand heavy rain – although that's not a problem for the reason stated in the main review. If you want something more waterproof, it's going to be less breathable.

Which brings us to...

The Endura website claims the gilet's breathability is 20,000. Once again, there's no unit of measurement given, but this one is grams. This refers to another standard industry test, measuring the amount of water vapour that can pass through a square metre of the fabric in a 24 hour period. Generally, the higher the figure the better the breathability, so 5000g would be OK and 30,000g would be excellent. Our real-world test rides would confirm that Endura's claim is very fair, as in serious use (chain gang in the rain) this gilet displays excellent breathability.

Construction seems very good. All seams are neat with no loose threads. The seams are taped across the shoulders and down the sides for further waterproofing.

There's no netting panels, as on some gilets from other manufacturers, but those are generally designed to be windproof-only garments, whereas this Endura gilet is waterproof and breathable.

In any outer garment for active sport, there's always a pay-off between breathability and waterproofness. The more you have of one, the less you can have of the other. This Endura Adrenaline Race Gilet gets the balance just right.

Key features of this gilet is its light weight and packabilty. The pay-of is a very fine fabric, which is going to suffer if you stuff it in a pocket next to a multi-tool, catch it on brambles when riding down country lanes, or just fall off. But if you look after it, this gilet should last a good few winter seasons.

For a garment with this degree of waterproofness and breathability, as opposed to just breathability, the weight is very good. The Endura website claims 86g but on the road.cc scales we make it an impressive 74g

The material is slightly stretchy, which allows for a close fit, reducing flappiness to a minimum.

A RRP of a penny under £45 is a very good value price for the features and quality, and compares well against gilets with similar performance from other manufacturers.

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

Overall, this gilet's performeance is excellent. It keeps out most of the rain, and breathes very well. It's not for touring or commuting, but it's ideal for racers and sportivistes happy to sacrifice a bit of water ingress in downpours for the sake of good breathability and overall comfort.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Fit, stretchy material, levels of rain protection and breathability, light weight, small pack size.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The storm flap behind the zip is a personal niggle, as it often gets caught in the zip if you're putting on the gilet while riding your bike, but this is a feature of all gilets, not just this Endura Adrenaline Race Gilet. And for many cyclists, especially those that stop to put on ot take off gilets and jackets, this won't be an issue. (On all my gilets I have cut off the storm flap. It doesn't seem to make much difference to water- and wind-proofing, but it's much quicker and easier to put on the gilet while on the move.) 

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

In conclusion, this is a very handy piece of kit for racers, sportive riders and anyone keen to crack on. A nice combination of good rain protection, breathability, close fit, light weight and small pack size. Durability may be an issue, but it's a fair pay-off. The price is good too. All in all, a well-deserved score of 9.