High-Mileage Heroes | Simon's Sportful Fiandre Light NoRain Vest

Sportful’s Fiandre Light NoRain Vest has been my go-to gilet for the past decade or so and is one of the few pieces of kit in my drawer that sees almost year-round use.

Constructed from windproof and water-repellent fabrics, it offers admirable protection from the elements.

Yet, magically, the Sportful Fiandre Light NoRain Vest fits like a glove and is packable enough to be stuffed into a jersey pocket.

So unless the weather on any given ride is guaranteed to be perfect, or so cold it warrants a proper winter cycling jacket, chances are you’ll see this gilet either on my torso or stuffed into a jersey pocket.

Why Sportful’s Fiandre Light NoRain Vest is so good

Most cycling gilets are low-tech pieces of kit.

Usually made of crunchy fabrics thrown hastily together, the fit is invariably poor and they offer little protection from the elements beyond keeping the wind off your chest.

They typically make up for this by being more packable than a wind- or waterproof jacket, but compared to sleek, aerodynamically cut cycling jerseys, gilets often disappoint.

In contrast, Sportful’s Fiandre Light NoRain Vest is made from fabrics with loads of stretch and is cut slim.

At 183cm tall and around 64kg, the size small fits me perfectly, with little excess fabric to flap in the wind and cause drag.

As a result, it doesn’t feel you’re compromising performance for warmth when wearing it.

On the Fiandre Light NoRain Vest, the front panels are made up of a slightly thicker, windproof material.

Usefully, this extends up over the shoulders, so when you’re riding low in the drops your core still gets protection from the wind.

The large back panel, meanwhile, is a thinner, water-resistant (or NoRain, as Sportful calls it) fabric. This is essentially a stretchy fabric with a Durable Water Resistant (DWR) coating that helps keep you dry in showery conditions.

As with Sportful’s other NoRain kit (such as arm, knee and leg warmers), this treatment doesn’t mean you’ll stay bone dry in a thunderstorm. However, it can shrug off a shower and effectively has no drawbacks in terms of breathability.

The back also features three standard jersey pockets, which – if you’re also wearing a jersey underneath with another three – doubles your carrying capacity (I could run a handlebar bag, of course, but given I care about the aerodynamics of gilets, it should come as little surprise I choose not to).

This is incredibly useful for big days in the saddle, because you can stuff the extra pockets full of food or a proper waterproof jacket, if the forecast isn’t favourable.

Lastly, it has a slightly dropped tail to help protect your lower back from road spray, which is very welcome when you’re not riding a bike with mudguards.

Why a rain gilet is better than a rain jersey

For fast road riding, I think this Sportful Fiandre gilet is the best compromise between performance and protection from the elements.

Prior to getting one, I had a first-generation Castelli Gabba jersey.

Made from thicker fabrics and with half sleeves, it provides a lot more warmth and protection from the elements than a gilet, but is also cut like a racing jersey and is far more breathable than a jacket.

On paper, it seems a better choice than a gilet (hence why I originally bought one), but in practice, it stays in my kit drawer except for specific circumstances.

The main issue with the Gabba jersey is the extra bulk means it’s just slightly too big to stow away in a jersey pocket (my 2013 size-small Gabba jersey weighs 254g, compared to 117g for the Sportful Fiandre gilet – and, yes, I got it and a set of Castelli Nanoflex arm warmers the same year half the WorldTour peloton wore unbranded Gabbas for the infamously snowy Milan-San Remo).

If the weather unexpectedly warms up mid-ride, or you need to dump more heat temporarily for whatever reason (perhaps you’re doing a long climb, for example), the only thing you can do is unzip it. You’re then left with something much less aerodynamic than you wanted.

Castelli has since started making a lighter Gabba jersey, called the Perfetto RoS 2 Wind Jersey, which would possibly address this issue, but at a claimed weight of 251g (for an unspecified size) it’s almost certainly still much bulkier than my Sportful Fiandre gilet.

Likewise, Sportful also makes a jersey version of the Fiandre Light NoRain Vest, called the Fiandre Light NoRain Jacket Short Sleeve. With a claimed weight of 161g (again, size unspecified), this might be a better compromise.

However, it almost certainly gives up some breathability by having half sleeves, likely making it less versatile on hotter days. And if it’s still too bulky to stuff in a jersey pocket, it would still have the same packability issue as the Gabba.

For fast days on the bike when the weather is truly foul, a rain jersey such as the Gabba can be brilliant. That 2013 Milan-San Remo was, quite literally, a perfect storm for it.

However, unless I’m racing or doing a fast group ride (admittedly rare these days) – where aerodynamics and breathability are at a premium – then I’ll simply opt for a proper waterproof jacket more often than not.

Rapha’s Pro Team Lightweight Shadow jacket, for example, provides even more protection from the elements but is still significantly lighter and more packable than a Gabba jersey.

Faced with riding in bad weather, then, I typically make one of two choices.

If it’s changeable or mild, I opt for the Sportful Fiandre gilet with a set of Sportful NoRain or Castelli Nanoflex arm warmers (and probably a set of knee or leg warmers, too). I might also stuff a waterproof jacket in my back pocket, if the weather forecast isn't good.

If it’s pouring, I’ll wear a proper waterproof jacket from the start (or just stay in and use a smart trainer).

An almost decade-long love affair

I purchased my first Sportful Fiandre Light NoRain Vest when it launched back in 2015.

When that one eventually wore out, I simply replaced it with a new version in 2020. Nearly four years later, it’s still going strong.

I could probably use a re-waterproofer to replenish the DWR coating on the rear, but I haven’t bothered yet.

With an RRP of £120 / €99.90, it’s not a cheap piece of kit, but it makes up for that by providing excellent value. It makes itself useful in all but the hottest or coldest conditions, and is something I rarely head out on a road bike without.

I love it so much I even bought one for my dear mum a couple of years ago, and when my current one wears out, I’ll likely just buy another.

If Sportful ever stops making it, I suppose that will be when I finally give up cycling in inclement weather for good.