'Dress in layers' is common wisdom for cycling, but if it's going to be cold all day, then a nice thermal jacket is far preferable to stacks of clothing. Endura's Thermal Windproof Jacket generally fits like a thermal long-sleeve jersey, but with extra protection.
I used the jacket quite a bit in the late winter and early spring, wearing it over jerseys or just baselayers. The arms and wrists are snug, which makes pulling gloves on over the jacket easy, but can limit what you wear underneath on your arms.
A long-sleeve baselayer is fine, but there wasn’t enough room for me to comfortably wear a thermal jersey underneath. That said, there was no need to; the jacket with a short-sleeve baselayer is good for down near freezing, and a long-sleeve baselayer makes it comfortable below freezing.
The front, arms and shoulders have a windproof and water-repellent exterior, and the rear is thick thermal. The tall collar keeps the chill at bay, and a creative interior collar gasket keeps the wind from sneaking down your back when you have the jacket unzipped.
This interior collar was a double-edged sword for me. It works like a charm with the jacket unzipped, but I found the extra material made the collar too tight when fully zipped. (My neck is 40cm at the Adam’s apple, and the jacket shown is a medium.) This could vary person to person, I’m sure.
Despite the svelte fit, there are a few chunky features, some good, some not as positive. I appreciate the toothy zipper, which is easy to work in cold weather with gloves on. The thick reflective stripes on the back and shoulders withstand washing. And the taller collar is warm. I don’t like how heavy the bottom double-fabric hem and rear grippers are, but that’s a minor point on a winter jacket.
Price wise, it comes in lower than similar pieces, such as the Alé PRR winter jacket, another piece I wore quite a bit the last few months.
In all, I can recommend the FS260-Pro SL if the neck fits you well.
It also comes in hi-vis green and red.
