Coming from dye-in-the-wool Italian road bike clothing firm, it came as no surprise to us that the Guard 3.0 was a close fitting, very tarmac specific jacket. Everything about it is form fitting - in fact, if you are anything less than whippet like, it could be worth going up a size to save on zip strain.
Of course that did mean it performed beautifully on the bike. No flapping or compromises in aerodynamics here. The soft fabric was also less rustly and stiff than many waterproofs, without compromising on actual waterproofing - it held out every spell of prolonged rain we pedalled through with ease. Waterproof zips, a comfortably long back for coverage in the saddle and microfleece round the collar all added to the wet-weather performance.
Downsides for us were few and really didn't affect the performance too much. The lining has a very rubbery texture, resulting in a jacket that can be difficult to pull on and off when you are sweaty or damp - both of which are likely on a UK ride. Our damp skin just stuck to the fabric all the way down the sleeve and resulted in some brief but unseemly wrestling matches at the side of the road when the rain started.
We would also question the use of the 2 inch long lycra cuffs which, although wonderfully comfortable when dry, soon soaked up water and were occasionally cold and uncomfortable when wet. We would much rather just see a velcro adjusted cuff more able to fine-tune the airflow.
