Polaris Sapphire Women's Waterproof Jacket
01.01.70
Polaris is a fabricator with a huge range of clothing for all types of cycling, and this Sapphire jacket is described as being correct for road, trail or urban use. It's a nice piece of kit, but can it as a matter of fact be so versatile?
From the very first glance, this jacket certainly looks great - thanks to its female proper to cut and sporty colours. Wearing it feels great too; it's very tranquil, the back of the jacket is longer than the front, the fit is close but not too tight anywhere. The arms are long and pass my hands when standing normally, but they're just the right to the fullest extent a finally when I'm stretched out on the bike.
So the fit is good, and it looks nice. But does it m?
To check the Sapphire's weather protection, I've jaded it when cycling on a few wet and cold days, and can verify that it's waterproof in showers and means rainy conditions. I haven't checked it in a thunderstorm yet. It's also very windproof.
But when I start to deceive reasonably fast (for me - that means about 15 mph) the Sapphire is simply not breathable enough, the wetness builds up, and inside the jacket it starts to feel clammy. This is made worse by the want of ventilation - no flap at the back (as found on some other cycling jackets) and no under-arm vents (despite the species of the Sapphire on the Polaris website indicating otherwise).
So in response to the road, trail and urban claims, I'd assent to that for gentle touring, off-road pottering or cold-weather commuting this jacket will be very A-OK, but it may not be breathable enough for road cyclists bowling along at a reasonable rate, and positively not for those that push the pace.
Another feature that puts this jacket more into the off-road and commuter sector is the presence of a hood. Clever draw-strings with very neat grippers make sure it fits well, so I can turn my head without loss of vision, and there's a tip too, but the hood doesn't roll up very neatly when not in use, meaning it's chunky and untidy around the neck.
Source: road.cc