At a glance Robust, wind and semi-waterproof gilet with three rear and one chest pocket, large mesh panels for venting and plenty of retro-reflective flashes for visibility at night.
Tested by
Jon Adams, tester for The Bike List
Performance
In the colder months, you often need an extra layer of wind protection for your core, and this is where the gilet - or sleeveless vest - comes in. Popular with runners and cyclists, it's basically a body warmer without the insulation, and the best examples for cycling have plenty of pockets and a good number of reflective flashes for visibility in car headlights at night. The Sphere vest from Polaris ticks all these boxes, and is made from Hydrovent Active - a waterproof and breathable fabric.
All the seams are taped to ensure that the fabric parts of the vest are fully waterproof, but this is a bit of an eyebrow-raiser, as there are no sleeves and the sides and part of the back are made of (distinctly un-waterproof) mesh. Windproofing and breathability rather than waterproofing are the important things when you start with only half a jacket in the first place, but to be fair, both these are covered with the impenetrable front fabric and the mesh sides. The Sphere vents very well, despite the fully waterproof front, and though you will get soaked if you wear it in heavy rain, it actually does a good job of protecting your core from a frontal onslaught.
Unlike a full, sleeved windproof or waterproof jacket, it won't keep you warm though, so in cold, wet weather, it's only really suitable for shorter rides, and won't be of much help if you get caught with a puncture or a roadside repair. Night riding is nicely covered, though, with full-length retro reflective piping on both sides of the back and additional flashes and logos at the front.
There's a zip-fastened 'media' pocket on the left side of the chest, and this is great for MP3 players or phones. It's easy to get at, too, with a glove-friendly zip puller, and it's plenty big enough to stash away other small items as well. There's the same large zip puller on the main front zip, but unfortunately, it doesn't lock, so if you want to open it to half mast to get some more air in, you can't fix it in place.
At the back is a cluster of three pockets - a large, zip-fastened one in the centre, escorted by two open mesh pockets on either side. You expect the zip-fastened one to double as a stowage sack for the whole garment, but though you can get it in by folding the vest into the inside-out pocket, the pocket's capacity turns out to be too big for a decent fit and the zip isn't reversible, so you can't do it up into a bundle.
This appears to be a bit of an oversight, as an opportunity for a convenient, built-in stuffsac has been missed. When rolled up into a cylinder shape, the Sphere will fit inside a larger jersey pocket, so it is portable, but it's not very small and considering the amount of mesh content and the lack of sleeves, it's not very light, either. At 180g for the Medium size it's nearly 50g heavier than a windproof jacket (with sleeves) such as a Montane Featherlight Velo and its packed bulk takes up nearly twice as much room, as well. At £38, it's only £7 short of the Featherlight Velo's asking price, too, so it does seem a bit on the expensive side.
With a waterproof front and back but no sleeves and mesh sides, you may wonder who the Sphere is actually for? Well, if you think about those riders who can't fit or don't like mudguards - especially in the MTB community - it makes a bit more sense. It will keep wind and water off your chest and back without making you overheat, and will also protect you from all the gloop thrown off your wheels. While this sounds good, the trouble is, most off-roaders will wear a hydration pack, and that makes the waterproof back panel unnecessary, and also makes the rear pockets questionable, too. You can still stow and retrieve stuff from the pockets when you're on the move with a CamelBak, but it is a bit awkward and the back wets out very quickly with a waterproof panel directly under a rucksack.
Though it looks good, the Sphere is quite a niche bit of kit. If it was lighter, smaller, and folded into its rear pocket, it'd be much more versatile, but as it stands, it's a rather expensive gilet that's too bulky for occasional road use, and not great under a CamelBak when you're off-road. For commuters, the retro-reflectives are fine, but if you just want after-dark safety, the £38 asking price is way above the fiver you'd spend on a smaller, lighter, hi-vis workman's vest with bold, Class 2 reflectives.
If you ride off road without mudguards and don't use a hydration pack, it's perfect, so go out and get one now. For the rest of us though, its range of use is too narrow, and a smaller, lighter, windproof gilet or jacket will serve you better.
Buy from www.chainreactioncycles.com
Polaris says:
- Manufactured in Hydrovent™ Active - A fully waterproof and breathable fabric.
- Totally windproof front panels.
- Large mesh side and back panels provide unrivalled ventilation in areas where it is needed most.
- Front chest media pocket.
- Rear zipped security pocket.
- Reflective piping on front and back panels create a vest suitable to commute at night.
- Zip pulls that can be used whilst wearing gloves.
- Weight approx 180g (size Medium).
- COLOUR: Black/Black.
- SIZES: S-XXL
Find out more www.polaris-apparel.co.uk
