Stay Warm With Aero Tech Designs

With their Big Man’s Windproof Thermal Softshell Cycling Jacket, Aero Tech Designs has allowed me to extend my bike riding time all the way through the cold Utah winter. This jacket is pretty much the same as their Men’s Softshell Cycling Jacket, but comes in larger sizes, for big guys like me. I need to point that out, since it can be hard to find any cycling clothes at all made for big and tall guys and gals, yet Aero Tech Designs has full lines dedicated to us.

Construction: The nylon exterior is treated to repel water, yet it breathes well, and a fleece lining helps keep the heat in. It has a collar that lays flat, or pops up when you zip it all the way, to keep your neck warm. It’s cut with a long tail, so when you’re leaning forward on the bars, your back stays warm. Inside each sleeve is a spandex cuff, which stops drafts. There’s also a shock cord at the waist, to keep it close, for more draft protection. Warm? Yes. Rolling along in the snow at 8-9 MPH in 20 degree weather, I was quite toasty. I hate the wind, and this jacket did a great job of keeping it from ruining my day.

Other features: There are side pockets with zippers that work well, even with gloves on. My phone was right at home in the chest pocket, until Santa brought me a bigger phone. If you’ve got a 6″ phone (Nexus 6, in this case), you may find that it does not fit the chest pocket. My old Nexus 5 fit fine.

The relative light weight of the jacket might fool you into thinking it’s not that warm, but really, it’s more than warm enough for any activity where you move a bit and generate your own heat. I found that it wicked away moisture fairly well, but when I got home after an hour of hard riding, the jacket back felt a bit damp. Note that I didn’t feel that during the ride – when I took it off at home, I noticed it. A cool-down lap might have dried it off more. On more casual rides this was not an issue.

In the month and a half that I’ve had this jacket, it’s been worn in temps as low as zero degrees, up to the mid 30s, with 40 MPH winds, and has not let me down. I stay warm and dry, but most important of all, I can stay outside. It feels great on the bike, with no restrictions around the shoulder area, perfect sleeve length, and enough coverage out back to keep your butt from getting a chill. And it looks nice enough to wear off the bike. You can even machine wash it. Overall, I would rate it as an excellent value for only $129. If you don’t need the bigger sizes (it comes in 2X to 5X) you can get the regular fit for only $89. Well worth it. The only downside I could find is the limited color options of red, blue, or safety yellow, but I can live with that. Although Aero Tech Designs takes pride in making most of their cycle wear in America, this jacket was made overseas. To see their full line, which covers men and women, road, MTB, Big/Tall, Full Figure, children, commuters, and winter wear, visit aerotechdesigns.com. Don’t forget to check back soon for my review of their thermal tights, as well as gloves.

– Brian

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the Big Man’s Windproof Thermal Softshell Cycling Jacket  for free from Aero Tech Designs in consideration for review publication.