Sportful Fiandre Shift Jacket: Castelli winter warmth at a lower price
The Sportful Fiandre Shift takes a new approach to winter cycling clothing, trading breathability for water resistance. Rob Slade tests it out.
220 Triathlon Verdict
Fewer features than some rivals, but cheaper and still an excellent, versatile layer. Score: 80%
Pros
- Competitive price
- Very warm with some water repellency
- Flap-free fit
- Breathable without vents
Cons
- Unsuitable for wet rides
- No zipped pocket
Thie Sportful Fiandre Shift cycling jacket carries a lot of similarities with the Castelli Perfetto Ros 3, with the biggest being that both brands have used the same material.
That probably shouldn’t be a huge surprise, though, as they both belong to the same Italian parent company – Manifattura Valcismon.
As it happens, the specific Polartec’s AirCore material used by both brands here was actually developed exclusively for the group.
Same performance for less?
Despite that, though, there are some key differences.
The first being the price. The Fiandre Shift Jacket costs $55/£70 less than the Castelli Perfetto RoS 3 – does the performance match the pricing?
As you’d expect, the AirCore material performs similarly across both garments. It blocks the wind well, yet is more breathable than a dedicated waterproof hard shell.
Not for wet rides
It also keeps a lot of rain at bay, but again, the seams aren’t sealed (not even on the shoulders, like the Castelli) and the zip isn’t waterproof, but you do get an internal storm flap. There doesn’t seem to be a DWR coating, either.
As such, this is not the jacket you’d be reaching for if it looks like your whole ride will be a wet one.
But nor is the Castelli, so maybe it makes sense to save yourself some money here by eschewing the taped seams, safe in the knowledge that you’d be using a waterproof shell in properly bad weather anyway.
Just goes to show that when it comes to winter kit, you need to consider your needs and also the type of poor weather you are going to be riding in the most (or where your limit lies – there’s no point have extreme wet weather kit if you never plan to go out in extreme wet weather!).
Fiddly zips but excellent fit
Another one of the big differences is that the Fiandre Shift doesn’t have any vents. This limits your ability to vent and regulate your temperature, but if you never really find yourself overheating in a big way this might not be an issue.
The zip also opens two-ways, so you can dump heat as needed using that. Sadly, both zips are small and fiddly with gloves, though, which makes it less tempting to adjust it on the fly whilst riding.
The fit feels similarly impressive to this jacket’s cousin. It sits close to the body without being overly tight and the range of movement is entirely unrestricted.
Meanwhile, the sleeves feel lengthy and the cuffs fit nice and securely.
There are three decent jersey-style pockets on the rear, but no zipped option.
While this is a shame, I will just say that the pockets you do get are very good – they’re secure and stable, which isn’t always the case in jackets.
There’s limited high-vis detailing here, but two of the four available colourways are bright and highly visible.
Head to our selection of the best cheap cycling jackets for lower priced options.
Sportful Fiandre Shift jacket specs
| Price | $375/£210 |
| Features | Windproof, breathable and water repellent Polartec AirCore, three rear pockets, two-way zip, racy fit |
| Sizes | Men’s S-3XL, women’s XS-2XL |
| Colours | Black, Sand, Teal Blue, Bright Orange |
Rob Slade
