The Versatile Sugoi Versa

One bike jacket to rule them all!

For cyclists, the pivotal change from summer to fall means cycling through a range of temperatures – chilly mornings that require a jacket, and moderate afternoons in which you’ll need a vest or a set of arm sleeves. Or you could just get set up with the Sugoi Versa bike jacket ($125).

Here in Minneapolis, MN, the 4^th largest cycling city in the US, we very high standards when it comes to cycling apparel. We live and breathe function, fit, quality and durability.

How did the Sugoi Versa hold up to my three week test in the harsh conditions of morning commutes at 50-55 degrees and wind raging from the northwest, and evening commutes in the high 60’s to mid-70’s?

Function: The Sugoi Versa delivers on the three key pieces of outerwear that every cyclist could need for one ride: a jacket, a vest, a shrug/arm sleeves. To make the switch from jacket to vest to shrug is very simple. Watch below as I demonstrate!

While wearing the vest, put on the shrug and hunch your shoulders and stretch your arms until you hear all magnets “snap!” together.  Lining up the magnets is critical and takes some practice, because if you don’t get them in a perfect line, the jacket peels open and will catch the wind.

Find your Sugoi Versa on Amazon!

Fit: Sizing is right on the mark. I wear a size small and the size small Sugoi Versa has just the right amount of room to accommodate shirt weights that range from the standard thin cycling jersey to a thicker, low-gauge merino wool long sleeved shirts. The arms are long enough to fully cover your wrists while stretched over the bars, and are still roomy enough to fit over a long-sleeved shirt without constriction. Did I mention the sleek silhouette?

Quality/comfort: Sugoi has a reputation for quality products and the Sugoi Versa is no exception. The fabric is a wind-resistant, non-stretch shell. A soft fleece lines the collar to both wick moisture on high exertion days and adds warmth to the neck on cooler, low-exertion days. There is also a mesh panel on the back that provides good ventilation.

Durability: Another bike commuter at my office sneered at the Sugoi Versa and said “Nice, but those magnets will lose magnetism over time and it’s not like you can take it to a seamstress or tailor to have new ones installed, unlike zippers.”

So I Googled it. He’s sort of right. Magnets can lose their magnetism. But only when smashed with a sledge hammer, exposed to a demagnetizing magnetic field of opposite polarity or heated above a point known as the Curie temperature (1,060 degrees Fahrenheit).

Just avoid these three scenarios and the Sugoi Versa (and you) will live a long life.

Final conclusion: The Sugoi Versa has all the doo-hickies I like in a jacket, such as a sleek and flattering fit that cuts down on wind-resistance, decent ventilation, big pockets (for stashing the sleeves) and a zippered chest pocket with cord port for my iPod.

But what I love most about the Sugoi Versa is its unique, innovative design with the magnets. There are plenty of competing brands in the market, excellent brands in fact, that offer convertible jackets but with zip-off sleeves.

My only semi-complaint is that it is neither water-proof nor water-resistant.

So, you’ll just have to check the weather each morning, yah?

– Marie