Endura Women's Pro SL Thermal Windproof Jacket review

Endura says the whole Pro SL collection has been inspired by the uncompromising demands of the Movistar team, making it as suited to a brutal Scottish winter as the Spring Classics. Carrying many of the same design cues and fabrics as the male version, the Endura Women's Pro SL Thermal Windproof Jacket claims to provide riders with pro-level winter training insulation.

Construction

Made from a high-stretch windproof polyester/elastane/nylon mix, the front, shoulders and arms of the Endura Women's Pro SL Thermal Windproof Jacket have an additional thermal layer. This waffle-like fabric uses air, a poor conductor and excellent insulator, to assist in keeping parts of the body that feel the full force of the wind on a bike extra warm.

The cuffs and collar on the Endura Women's Pro SL Thermal Windproof Jacket have been winter proofed by design, with the slimline cuff extended to 8.5cm to ensure that it can tuck neatly in to gloves, while the collar also gains extra height and a double layer which should help prevent cold draughts.

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At the back, the Endura Women's Pro SL Thermal Windproof Jacket has three good-sized pockets and an extra zip-secured one for valuables. The back of the jacket also gains a robust silicon-backed elastic waistline which should secure the jersey in place.

The ride

As soon as the Endura Women's Pro SL Thermal Windproof Jacket was out the packet, it was clear that it had a boxy shape. When on, the jacket was bigger in the body and arms than other women's jackets on the market, so it's worth sizing down. However, measuring just 55cm at the front, it was also around 3-4cm shorter than average, so there is a risk that for longer-torso riders, it may come up too short when downsizing. As it was, the length at the front of the Endura Women's Pro SL Thermal Windproof Jacket was just about OK when on the bike, but when standing, I did have a belly gap on display.

The extra-long cuffs on the Endura Women's Pro SL Thermal Windproof Jacket worked well with gloves, but again could have done with being a few centimetres smaller in the circumference to be an ideal fit.

Once out and riding in around 7°C, the Endura Women's Pro SL Thermal Windproof Jacket worked really well. Nice design touches such as the extra-wide windproofing panel behind the robust zip prevented any wind chill seeping through and the double collar worked really well at keeping my neck and upper back draught free.

All three rear pockets were easy to access and a good size, fitting tools, spares, ride snacks and phone, and the zip pocket was perfect for keys, and reassuring knowing that they were secure.

Value

When it comes to winter jackets you're always going to be parting with a fair wedge of cash in order to keep warm, and to be fair £149.99 is probably more at the reasonable end of the scale for a jacket that's so thermal and windproof. However, if it doesn't fit you then even that isn't good value for money! Worth trying before you buy, and it'll be an awesome purchase if it does fit, but for me it's a no go. If Endura can tighten up the sizing and lengthen the front by three centimetres, it'll be a great purchase.