Troy Lee Designs Mathis jacket review

The Mathis jacket from Troy Lee Designs (TLD) has been designed to offer some warmth and water-resistance for those cold, damp days on the trails.

Thanks to the insulated core, coupled with more breathable panels that have been placed strategically throughout the jacket, the Mathis does a good job of maintaining your body temperature on colder days, without leaving you clammy and sweaty.

There are a number of nice features that make it a lovely mountain bike jacket to wear, and although pricey, it’ll work off the bike, too, which adds to the overall value.

Troy Lee Designs Mathis jacket construction details

The Mathis jacket comes in five sizes (S-XL), with a choice of two colours. It is, for the most part, made from polyester down-proof micro ripstop fabric.

There’s ample length through the sleeves to ensure the gap between the end of your gloves and jersey sleeve stays covered up, while the body of the jacket offers plenty of coverage, partly thanks to the dropped rear hem.

If you think this sits too low, you can cinch in the elasticated cord, so it rests a little higher and hugs your lower back.

A high neck and hood offer a little more of a barrier against the elements.

In a bid to keep you warm on colder days, Troy Lee Designs has used PrimaLoft Gold insulation throughout the front, shoulders and back of the Mathis.

According to TLD, this insulation is made from recycled material and made using renewable manufacturing technology.

There’s a strip of thermos waffle knit fabric that runs down both sides and under the arms. While this should still offer some insulation from the cold, it’s designed to be more breathable than the more heavily insulated panels at the front and rear of the jacket.

Two zipped hand pockets offer somewhere for essentials or a place to warm your hands when you’re not riding.

The reflective logos and zipper pulls are a nice touch to cap things off.

Troy Lee Designs Mathis jacket performance

I’ve used the Mathis jacket in a variety of weather conditions during the test period. These ranged from cold and dry through to getting caught in torrential downpours on milder days.

I tested the size-small jacket. While I’m only 172cm, I have a long torso. Even so, the Mathis feels quite lengthy.

This is no bad thing on grim days out in the hills, though, and I really appreciated the coverage, especially at the rear.

To get the fit just right at the back, I found the elasticated cinch cord handy, where the rear of the jacket does a decent job of blocking cold spray from the rear wheel.

Although the neck is quite tall, the lightweight fabric means it collapses down somewhat and can let drafts in.

This would be more problematic if the insulation through the core didn’t work so well, but it does. When working hard, alongside the breathable side panels, the more open neck enables you to expel excess heat.

On colder days, I found myself lapping trail centres with the zip fully closed and without feeling as though I was close to melting or drowning in sweat.

The Mathis really does do a good job in this regard, especially considering the lack of bulk here.

There’s reasonable protection against lighter showers. Should you get stuck in the pouring rain, though, expect to get soaked.

In these instances, I was pleased the insulation through the core did its job and I never really got cold. But because there’s no insulation over the tops of the arms, they started to feel chilly on longer rides once the jacket was soaked.

While the hood will fit under most mountain bike helmets, I found it more useful when off the bike to add a bit more warmth

Because it’s quite light, it can flap about a bit, so being able to tether it to the main body would be useful.

In terms of value for money, it helps that the styling and look of the Mathis mean it’ll work both on and off the bike, which is no bad thing and could see you getting more use out of it.

Its relatively low weight means it’s not a chore to carry in your pack when it’s not needed.

Troy Lee Designs Mathis jacket bottom line

Overall, I was impressed by just how well the Mathis worked in varying temperatures and conditions.

It does a great job of maintaining your body temperature and offers a good balance of insulation and breathability. This means you can work hard without getting too hot and sweaty, which is half the battle with jackets such as this.

The fact that you can wear the Mathis on or off the bike adds some versatility and value for money too.