Sportful Fiandre Warm Jacket and Fiandre Bibtight Winter Kit Review

Sportful offers a wide range of products, including clothing designed to cope with difficult conditions, such as those in the Fiandre category (like Flanders, to set the tone…). And within this category, the brand distinguishes several jackets and bibtights intended for different climatic conditions. The Fiandre Warm Jacket and Fiandre Bibtight are designed for cold and wet conditions, such as we might experience in the heart of winter in our latitudes. Our opinion after several hundred kilometers of intensive testing.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: ©3bikes.fr

Even if our winters are generally milder than in previous decades, there are still periods with several consecutive days of difficult conditions, whether with dry cold and perceived temperatures around -3 to -5°C, or with wetter conditions around 2 to 5°C (below that, you need to get out the skis). Riding in these conditions is never easy, but clothing has evolved greatly over the last ten years, and this is true for most manufacturers. Sportful is one of the leading brands in the field, often at the forefront when it comes to bringing clothing with new materials to the market. Let’s remember that the brand was born in the heart of the Dolomites, and that it first made a name for itself in Nordic skiing before becoming a reference in cycling.

A jacket with Gore-Tex Infinium

The Fiandre Warm Jacket is designed with Gore-Tex Infinium technology, a totally windproof and particularly water-resistant fabric. To ensure protection and breathability, Sportful has worked on the jacket’s cut, with a slightly lighter fabric and an opening in the back, as well as with vents on the front, which can be adjusted with an easily accessible zip, to close completely or to allow a complete or partial additional air intake. The collar goes up high to limit cold air infiltration, and the sleeves are long enough to overlap with long gloves. Note that on the back of the collar, there is a small additional collar with a thinner fabric that is more adaptable to folds, designed to follow the natural movements of the neck and again prevent unpleasant infiltrations likely to spread along the spine.

As for the fit, we’re looking at something intermediate between the Total Comfort jacket and the Fiandre Pro, which is much more fitted, but not designed to accommodate an additional layer between the base layer and the jacket. With the Fiandre Warm, it’s possible to ride sportily down to -2 or -3°C with only a long-sleeved technical base layer, but those who are more sensitive to cold will have room to add an extra jersey. We specify “technical base layer” because with this type of jacket, in case of temperature variations – a long climb or a sunny patch – you always sweat a little. The advantage of a technical base layer is that moisture will be evacuated very quickly, which will prevent you from catching a cold on the next descent or if conditions darken.

The Fiandre Warm jacket is available in six sizes and six colors, and those who don’t like black will be served with a fluorescent yellow option and four options with modern and relatively visible colors, such as this “natural leather” colored model. The jacket features discreet reflective logos on the chest and the middle of the back pockets, as well as the traditional red stripe common to the entire Fiandre range. It is sold between €149 and €239, depending on the various promotions found directly on the Sportful website.

A lined bibtight

On the Fiandre Bibtight, the Italian brand has adopted the Polartech Neoshell membrane on certain parts (on the calves and up to the knees) to ensure protection against moisture that remains stretchy. On the thighs, a thicker fabric with a water-repellent treatment helps cope with showers. At the knees, there is a thinner fabric to promote movement, but with a Polartech lining, which offers great protection without altering pedaling quality. However, there are some folds, which are more unsightly than truly bothersome.

A thinner fabric is preferred on the upper part, to ensure a comfortable layering of the back and straps, and even the waistband with a base layer and a jacket. At the bottom of the leg, there is an opening with a waterproof zip, which allows the bibtight to be placed over shoe covers, in order to limit water ingress to the feet at the ankles.

Finally, the synthetic insert is Sportful’s TC Pro, a fairly thick pad with high-density honeycomb foam on the back of the seat, medium density on the front, and low density on the sides. It is a high-end model that allows you to stay in the saddle for long hours while limiting chafing. The Fiandre Bibtight is the most technical and most expensive model in the Sportful range, sold for €189.90.

With this outfit, we are at a very high level of protection, not excessively aerodynamic as we have seen, but technical enough to face training sessions in truly winter conditions, and without the need to overload with additional layers.

On the road, cold and humidity are repelled

Tested down to -2°C with fog and humidity, the Sportful outfit performed well in terms of protection against the elements. We were also able to venture out in slightly milder temperatures but under some icy showers, to observe the relative impermeability of the jacket.

The fabric resists showers well, and you don’t feel water penetrating directly through the sleeves, the front, or the back. It’s only after several tens of minutes that water eventually infiltrates, but rather by trickling down the neck, or by contact of the gloves on the bottom of the sleeves, and especially the bibtight, at the kidneys. However, the very thin and stretchy fabric of the bibtight’s back and straps is also very insulating. It doesn’t soak up water, so you don’t feel completely drenched even if your backside is. The bibtight is water-repellent at the thighs, but again, you eventually get wet in heavy rain. The fact remains that the windproof fabric strongly limits the sensation of wind chill, even when wet.

Overall, you’re more comfortable in dry conditions with the Sportful Fiandre Warm Jacket/Bibtight, but if conditions deteriorate, it really delivers, at least compared to all other products of this type on the market. Ideally, the jacket provides royal comfort at 3°C without rain, offering just enough protection against the cold, without causing overheating during efforts, and without making you feel like you can’t breathe. Below 0°C, however, you feel a slight chill along the back or at the shoulders if you tend to dawdle on the road. Basically, it encourages you to ride at a somewhat sustained pace to avoid getting cold.

As for the bibtight, it obviously offers many technical aspects related to protection and comfort in the saddle. The wind protection at the thighs is very noticeable, but in return, the fabric proves to be thick and slightly restrictive. You feel less free when pedaling than with a thinner bibtight. So, it’s not the model we would choose for the most intense sessions, whereas the Fiandre Warm jacket allows you to train effectively without problems when the thermometer shows between 0 and 5°C.

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