As soon as you pull the R&D Light jacket on, pushing your arms down the insulated and lined sleeves into the warm extended lycra cuffs, you feel ready for facing up to the cold weather. Zipping it up seals you in perfectly and there is little in the way of excess fabric to encourage draughts.
The front panels are windproof and sport a thin filling of the highly effective Polartec Alpha insulation as seen on the likes of the Rapha Brevet. Highly insulating, resistant to damp and repeated washings it is the perfect tool for the job, and we were always impressed at how it managed to keep us comfortable over a wide range of temperatures. We regularly pulled it on at the start of a long winter day in the saddle and didn't think about it again until pulling up at the end.
Breathability and heat loss was massively helped by the lycra rear of the jacket - the back and the back of the sleeves - which was helpful most of the time but on days where the wind was whistling in from behind it did lead to some chilling. On the road bike wind generally comes from the front however, so it wasn't often a problem.
Three rear pockets were sturdy enough to load up with all sorts of goodies without distorting too much, and we appreciated the stretchy middle compartment that would open further to accommodate a large waterproof or similar. All in all a terrific jacket that made winter a whole lot more palatable and reduced the 'layers on layers off' roadside dance to a minimum.
