Morvelo Women's Hemisphere Gilet

The Morvelo Women's Hemisphere Gilet manages to combine offend-no-one bold geometric good looks with all the performance features you could want, making it a very desirable and genuinely useful option.

A decent, well-fitting, lightweight gilet is, in my book, an absolute must for UK riding, allowing any jersey to be adjusted to suit unexpected (?) inconsistencies in predicted weather. It's great for rest stops too.

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In the same price ballpark and almost exactly the same weight as the £77 Café du Cycliste Madeleine Women's Gilet and creeping towards the £125 Rapha Women's Gilet, the Hemisphere is definitely not a budget purchase, but it's not intended to be. As a fully featured gilet designed for day-long year-round use, it's designed to be a balance of low weight, high levels of comfort, versatility and even some style too.

Cost-per-wear on any gilet worth its salt is fairly low, given that it'll last for years, and in the UK will probably be worn (or at least carried) more often than not.

Aside from its striking good looks (Morvelo excels in the tricky balancing act of producing women's cycle clothing that usually fails to offend even the pickiest riders), which go with any cycling outfit, the Hemisphere has all the features a good gilet should have, and more.

The rear is a mesh-like fabric, making for better ventilation where wind resistance is not required, the collar is stretchy and fits snugly but isn't overtight, as do are the arm holes.

There's good length in the body, and the fit is sleek without being shrink-wrapped, suitable for most body shapes. Gripper tape at the rear of the hem prevents that annoying creeping that can happen when riding on the drops for any length of time.

Some gilets do without pockets, but here you get three generous rear pouches allowing plenty of storage options, for a lightweight waterproof jacket, say, or just energy bars and bits and bobs, while an additional zipped pocket is large enough to accommodate a smaller smartphone.

In wear, it's very comfortable, with a barely-there sort of feel that is highly desirable in a gilet. It keeps the wind off well and yet breathes sufficiently – well enough to prevent me from overheating and getting sweaty even in an overwarm long-sleeved jersey ill-advisedly chosen for the conditions.

> Check out our guide to the best cycling gilets here

The sleek fit of the gilet means there's no flapping about, and that gripper tape works well at keeping the hem in place. It's a gilet designed to be worn all day, but it does pack down into its own pocket and was plenty small and light enough to stash in a jersey pocket on the few occasions where I decided to start out without it.

Yes, £80 isn't cheap for a gilet, but it's well made, nicely featured, and a garment that you will reach for time and time again. Used respectfully, it should last long into the future. Other options are available too, if you want to be more spotty, fluoro or bright...

Verdict

Not cheap but handmade in Europe, stylish and versatile – this will give good service for years. Cost per wear LOW