Shimano Element Winter Jacket Test: Warmth and Contained Price

The Shimano Element jacket provides warmth and comfort to face harsh winter conditions, with a water-repellent coating that protects even from rain for a good part of your rides. It is offered at a rather competitive price given its manufacturing quality and features.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: ©Vincent Lyky 

In just a few years, cycling apparel has evolved enormously. This is certainly the case for winter clothing, which is increasingly effective in facing difficult conditions such as wind, cold, and humidity. The main challenge for manufacturers is to design protective clothing that is also suitable for exertion, allowing for proper breathability, while being close enough to the body not to be too disadvantageous against the denser air encountered in winter.

Shimano offers a complete range of cycling apparel, with high-end models (we’re thinking of the S-Phyre range) that rival the most renowned brands in the field. But Shimano also offers more accessible clothing, with certainly fewer features, but which provides the essentials. The Element jacket falls into this category. The fit is not the tightest on the market, and it doesn’t have many panels with different materials to ensure great versatility in terms of effort intensity. But it is warm, protective against cold wind, and it protects from continuous rain for at least two hours. For those who are new to the activity and are gradually discovering the number of accessories and equipment needed for comfortable practice, I even think it’s a priority and reasoned choice, in the sense that the Element jacket covers a wide range of temperatures.

Brushed lining

The Element jacket stands out with its high collar, elongated sleeves with elastic cuffs that limit the risk of water or cold air intrusion, and its brushed inner lining. The seams are not sealed, but perfectly executed. The outer coating, although slightly rough, is water-repellent, which allows it to repel water from showers or continuous rain for a long time. The very high-quality zipper is lined with an inner flap designed to block the wind. At the back, there are three easily accessible pockets, plus a fourth zippered and sweat-proof one, to protect fragile items such as car keys, bills, or a small phone. Only one reflective strip is present on the central pocket, which is a bit insufficient from my point of view.

The Element jacket is available in four colors and from XS to XXXL. The fluorescent yellow model is undoubtedly the most suitable for winter conditions, even if the khaki color of our test model is perfectly suited for Gravel use, except perhaps to avoid hunters. I note, however, that after a very muddy ride, the jacket came out of the washing machine like new, which would probably not have been the case for the yellow one. It is manufactured in Romania (like many competing models, by the way) from a blend of polyester, elastane, and polyurethane, which should ensure the necessary durability to be worn for several winters.

Warmth and protection

Comfortable, the Element jacket feels slightly thick during the first use. With a weight of 374 g in size S, we are still far from the old “thermal” jackets that were thick, rigid, and stifling. The jacket is best worn with only a long-sleeved technical base layer. And believe me, that’s already largely sufficient, except perhaps when riding in temperatures of -5°C, which I haven’t had the opportunity to test. In short, those who are really sensitive to cold and are used to riding with a jersey in addition to a base layer under a jacket can do so thanks to a sufficiently loose fit, but they risk regretting it on the first climb. The Element jacket proves to be very warm, despite winter temperatures around 2 or 3°C under which I was able to ride. But the good news is that under the jacket, perspiration is not excessive, and you can ride in higher temperatures without risking a chill at the slightest draft.

It perfectly insulates from cold wind. But also from rain, for almost two hours. Beyond that, water eventually infiltrates through the seams, drips from the top at the neck, and especially through contact with the bib tights. During an epic Gravel ride, alternating between trails, mud, and soaked roads, I eventually got wet. But not frozen. I clearly felt the humidity gradually penetrate and eventually make me shiver, but I managed to maintain my body temperature by riding at a sustained pace. This is still proof of Shimano’s good mastery of the materials used. 20 years ago, once my thermal or fleece jacket was soaked in that temperature, I would never have been able to get home safely without an additional raincoat or windbreaker. Here, the Element jacket is ultimately very versatile, even if not suitable for intense efforts, as you quickly feel that it provides a lot of warmth. Therefore, its official price of 129 € does not seem high to me, for a basic product in the cyclist’s kit who plans to ride all year round, and not just on an indoor trainer.

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