Santini Coral 2.0 jacket review

Now that we're riding headlong into winter, a good winter jacket is imperative if you want to keep cycling through the coldest days: with a claimed temperature range of down to -8°C the Santini Coral 2.0 jacket could be just the job.

Construction

Made from the much-respected Gore Fuga fabric, the Santini Coral 2.0 jacket promises to offer complete wind stoppage as well as warmth. The wind-stopping properties of Gore's multi-layer fabric system are well known and trusted and are often considered the market's gold standard, with many cycling clothing brands using Gore's technical fabric.

As well as windproofing and water resistance the Fuga version adds a thermal quality to the fabric,while allowing the jacket to still remain low profile. While the Fuga fabric in itself is reasonably breathable, the Santini Coral 2.0 jacket has a stretchier polyester/elastane mix at the back and sides which should allow further breathability, making it a great piece of winter kit in terms of technical performance.

The Santini Coral 2.0 jacket has been designed with a double slimline cuff for tucking into gloves, a high 4cm thermal collar and a tight-fitting elasticated waist to ensure that no cold draughts make it through to the rider.

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At the rear there are three good-sized pockets and one zip-secured pocket for valuables, as well as a reflective strip positioned in the centre.

Ride

As with all things Santini, the Santini Coral 2.0 jacket is beautifully made, with all stitching exceptional. However slipping the jacket on it was clear that the sizing comes up short on the arms and body length. The double cuff did work really well when teaming with gloves but I personally needed to ensure I wore extra-long winter gloves to prevent any wrist gaps appearing.

The jersey back also measures a handful of centimetres shorter than most jackets at 64cm.  There's not danger of any gaps appearing at the back, especially if you team with the corresponding Santini Coral 2.0 bib tights, which have a super thermal high back. However, it does position the rear pockets pretty high, which for me meant it was slightly tricky to use them on the fly. That said, they are all well proportioned and I had enough space for ride nutrition and spares.

The torso does fit well and the stretchy breathable fabric at the back and sides of the Santini Coral 2.0 jacket gives it a lot of shape, preventing excess fabric from flapping in the wind so overall the women's-specific cut and racy fit would be perfect for shorter riders who normally drown in an average jacket sizing.

Testing the Santini Coral 2.0 jacket in single-digit temperatures on hilly routes gave me the chance to test all the technical qualities and it performed really well, providing great wind blocking on the descents while remaining surprisingly breathable. I think I'd need to up the base layer significantly for anything below zero, but even with extra bulk underneath, the overall jacket will remain pretty slimline.

Value

Technically speaking, there's a lot going on with the Santini Coral 2.0 jacket: it's windproof, water resistant and impressively breathable, so the £134.99 price tag seems to offer good value for money. It's a shame the cut is not 100 per cent right for me, but fit can be a real personal thing. If it does fit you it's a great buy and will see you through the most of winter.