Sportful Fiandre Pro Jacket and Fiandre NoRain Team Bib Tights Review

The Sportful Fiandre Pro jacket offers great performance for tackling harsh weather conditions such as those encountered in our latitudes during winter. It is complemented here by the excellent Fiandre NoRain Team long tights, with a cut and comfort that allow it to extend its range of use, as well as by the Fiandre Light gloves which offer excellent grip on the handlebars.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: 3bikes.fr / Sportful / All rights reserved

Sportful is an Italian brand that has been around for almost 50 years, and has dressed great champions such as the Mapei riders in the late 90s, Paolo Bettini at the Olympic Games in 2004, Alberto Contador at the beginning of the last decade, and more recently Peter Sagan and the entire Bora-Hansgrohe team. It is precisely to meet the needs of these high-level racers that the brand developed the Fiandre range (like Flanders), products designed to face the outdoor elements while maintaining lightness, breathability, comfort and a close-fitting cut. The Fiandre range is available to the general public, and consists of five long-sleeved jackets and two short-sleeved jackets, a vest, two long tights and three short bib shorts, all designed to meet various weather conditions, but with the common goal of protecting against wind and moisture.

The Fiandre Pro jacket is at the top of the range, on par with the Fiandre Warm, at €229. The two models differ in their level of protection, with the Pro focusing on waterproofing while the Warm is more suited for colder temperatures, but in less humid conditions.

The Fiandre NoRain Team tights, on the other hand, sell for €119, and are a little less warm than the Fiandre Pro at €149, while benefiting from the NoRain water-repellent treatment and being designed on paper for the same temperature range as the Fiandre Pro jacket (from 5°C). But in practice, its operating temperature seems to us to be more extended than that.

A revolutionary fabric

At first glance, the Fiandre Pro jacket seems rather thin for a product designed to provide warmth and protection. One could almost mistake it for a technical long-sleeved jersey, especially since it is relatively compressible, and one could almost imagine it being slipped into a pocket in another jersey, for a mountain trip for example. Very light, it performs better than the Castelli Perfetto, by a few grams (310 g in size S), and it is above all even more fitted.

These characteristics are mainly due to the use of a lightweight and revolutionary fabric, Polartec Neoshell, which is windproof, waterproof, and very stretchy, while ensuring good breathability. In terms of waterproofing, a garment that can withstand a pressure of 1300 Schmerber is considered protective (the average rain pressure is 1000 to 2000 Schmerber), while the Polartec Neoshell resistance standard is 10,000 Schmerber. This fabric is also announced as being significantly more breathable than a Gore-Tex membrane, which promotes the evacuation of body heat.

The other particularity of the Fiandre Pro jacket concerns the positioning of the seams, most of which are welded, and oriented to reduce exposure to bad weather. They are combined with a shape of the panels around the arms and shoulders directly linked to the rest of the jacket, which provides their good fit and again minimizes exposure to possible water ingress.

The sleeves are very fitted and long enough to overlap with gloves. Their ends are tightened around the wrists, which prevents any air from entering at that level. At the back, there is an extended waistband, held in place by two long silicone strips to keep the jacket in place and protect the lower back from splashes. The jacket has three pockets, with a central expandable one and two side mesh pockets to promote water evacuation.

At the neck, there is a lining made of the same material as the cuffs, to limit cold air ingress. Finally, the long central zipper is also lined.

Apart from the two red bands characteristic of the Fiandre range products, only two discreet Sportful logos are reflective, one on the chest, another on the central back pocket.

Perfectly cut tights

The Fiandre NoRain Team tights are made of a water-repellent fleece-lined fabric, with reduced seams, and mesh straps for breathability. The chamois is mid-range, as it is Sportful’s BodyFit Pro. At the bottom of the legs, there is a simple opening with a silicone band for support.

The secret to the comfort of these tights undoubtedly lies in the limited number of seams, which provides an ideal fit without any discomfort. The triple-density chamois is not excessively thick, but it perfectly conforms to the anatomy, which prevents all kinds of chafing.

The water-repellent NoRain fabric is of course less waterproof than the Polartec Neoshell of the jacket, but it is also even more breathable. We were thus able to use these tights up to temperatures of 15 to 16°C without any discomfort, and also in colder temperatures than the recommended 5°C, as long as we were riding at a fairly sustained pace. The price of this model therefore seems very attractive for those looking for versatile and comfortable winter tights, capable of withstanding variable conditions.

=> SEE ALSO : Buy the Fiandre NoRain Team tights

Close protection

On the road, the Fiandre Pro jacket provides amazing protection, which can be moderated depending on the chosen base layer. Indeed, in cool and windy conditions and down to 5°C, only one long-sleeved base layer (such as Merino wool) is necessary. There is no need to accumulate layers. Above 10°C, it is better to choose a light base layer, because once well warmed up, you feel perfectly insulated. Around 15°C, the jacket becomes really too warm after a few minutes of effort.

In showers, the jacket’s waterproofing is undeniable and keeps you almost dry. Everything depends on the duration of exposure, as water eventually penetrates through the neck or through contact with the tights over time. Nevertheless, the windproof effect of the fabric and especially the very fitted cut of the jacket greatly limit cold air ingress.

We also greatly appreciate this lightness and the almost aerodynamic cut of the entire outfit, which prevents you from looking like a Michelin man and allows you to face the wind without being too handicapped. In addition, the thinness of the ensemble and the fact of wearing only two layers on the upper body frees up movement and allows you to feel “almost” as comfortable as with a summer outfit.

The outfit is completed by the Fiandre Light gloves, designed for the same temperature range as the jacket and tights (from 5°C). Sold for €49.90, they are also very thin, with a stretchy, water-repellent and windproof Softshell fabric, a palm with silicone inserts that ensures a very good grip on the cockpit, and a part on the index finger compatible with touch screens (for the bike computer or phone). Very pleasant to wear even in humidity, they are a little tight when the perceived temperature is around 5°C. But this is more a personal feeling than anything else.

Ultimately, the Sportful Fiandre outfit proves to be particularly effective, for its light weight and ideal fit, while providing good protection on days when the weather is variable with temperatures from 5 to 10°C. In our opinion, the tights can even be used in colder or warmer weather, dry or wet, as they are so comfortable.

=> SEE ALSO : Buy the Sportful Fiandre Pro jacket
=> SEE ALSO : Buy the Sportful Fiandre Light gloves

=> SEE ALSO : All our Gear articles