Ale Black Nordik winter jacket review

The Ale Black Nordik winter jacket is designed to go as low as -4°C and up to 4°C and so is a true deep-winter jacket that should protect you in a range of conditions.

During my testing I found its working temperature range to be much wider than that. In fact, anything from -4°C up to around 10°C the Ale Black Nordik winter jacket worked without an added gilet or lightweight jacket in the colder temperatures and without the need to unzip during the warmer spells.

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Watch: Buyer's guide to winter clothing

The jacket is made from an almost wetsuit-style fabric which is made primarily from polyamide and elastane. This repels water well, though it won't stay dry as such. Like a wetsuit it soaks in water but manages to maintain body temperature well so that you feel cosy even while still a bit damp.

The Fabric is very good at drawing sweat away from the body, too. This is a good thing, as the material tends to make you sweat a fair bit since the efficient windproofing stops any cold breezes getting in. You'll find phones, wallets and anything in your back pocket extra damp due to this.

Annoyingly the Ale Black Nordik winter jacket takes a while to dry and if you do stop for a coffee break you'll really feel the chill for the next 20 minutes, which really isn't pleasant and the main reason why I haven't given it a 10/10 rating.

The fit is what Ale call Clima Protection 2.0, which is Ale's performance collection. Fit and fabric is more performance led so you have a more 'race' fit here. The ergonomics of the jacket are very comfortable, though, and on the bike everything felt right.

The waist was right in my usual small sizing; arm length and shoulder fit was all good with no wind flap or stretched material here. Fit is unrestrictive but has a nice, racy feel.

That continues to the dry-cut wrists, which suit all types of cycling gloves as they are very flat and unobtrusive. This combined with the high neck keeps chills and rain at bay nicely.

Three good-sized pockets finish off this jacket nicely. They don't sag when loaded either. A fourth zipped waterproof pocket is available and you'll have front and rear reflective detailing to help to catch other road users' eyes.

Forza, Ale!