At a glance Premium waterproof jacket with an active cycling cut, an uncluttered, minimalist design and a high level of breathability
Tested by
Jon Adams, tester for The Bike List
Performance
VauDe (pronounced 'Vow-Day' in case you were wondering how to say it) is a big, well-established, high-end brand from southern Germany making all kinds of top-notch outdoor gear, from tents and sleeping bags to mountaineering jackets and climbing gear. Part of its vast range is specific to cycling, and it offers a wide array of shorts, jerseys and shoes alongside its panniers, bar bags and backpacks.
As you'd expect, VauDe also offers some serious
waterproof kit for cyclists, and the £185 Pace eVent jacket
is the brand's mid-range offering. This uses the waterproof and
breathabkle eVent fabric in a 3-layer construction,
and at 255g is a good deal lighter than the top-of-the-range Prime
eVent jacket (£275), which has a more traditional design and
weighs in at 420g. For the Medium size we tested, the weight gets
even nicer, and tipped the scales at just 218g for the jacket alone
and 230g when it's in its stuffsac.
This is supplied with the Pace so you can stow it away in as small a space as possible, and though it's not exactly tiny on the pack size, it will go into a big jersey pocket or a bottle cage. Unlike jackets such as the Montane Vélo featherlite, though, it's not really small and light enough to take with you regardless, and this makes it more of a jacket for wet rides, rather than a just-in-case top, and that means it's for fairly serious riders like tourers, mountain bikers out on the hills, or roadies keen enough to go out on a wet day run.
The cut of the Pace falls somewhere between a skinny roadie
jacket and a more roomy MTB waterproof, and this makes it an ideal
choice for those after a general purpose solution for road,
off-road and commuting use. The design is pretty understated with a
plain colour treatment (black, blue, red or yellow) and a
smattering of retro-reflective flashes for visibility at night, and
there are no pockets featured for stowing anything away. The
collar is cut quite high to seal out the elements, and though
a hood isn't offered (the expectation is you'll be
wearing a helmet), there is a Velcro tab at the back of the neck
that takes VauDe's optional Spray Hood II. This currently comes in
black only, and costs an extra £30.
The sleeves are long to keep your arms well covered when you're in an aero position, and the cuffs seal with a simple elasticated finish. Though it looks a bit less refined than the adjustable Velcro tab you'd find on a walking or mountaineering jacket, it's actually much more efficient for cycling, as you can quickly put the jacket on and remove it while still pedalling. You have to be confident to go for this as it involves a no-handed approach, but seasoned riders will have no trouble swiftly pulling the elasticated cuffs over their mitts or gloves while riding.
The full-length, water-resistant zip at the front is quick and easy to thread and there were no annoying snags when doing it up. There's a chin guard at the top to prevent you from trapping your skin (or beard) in the teeth, and the zip puller is big enough to use while wearing insulated winter gloves. At the back there's a gripper at the hem to keep the jacket from riding up, and there's a generous drop tail to help keep your chamois dry when you're low down in the drops.
My first test run was an hour in a nasty a
utumnal squall with a 25mph headwind and lashing
rain. It wasn't pleasant, but the Pace kept me warm and I had no
sensation of being wet underneath. After I got back to base and had
put the kettle on, my cycling jersey and arm warmers under the
jacket weren't entirely dry, but to be fair, they weren't really
any wetter than they would have been on a dry day, so the
breathability of the Pace was keeping up reasonably well with my
heat and water output.
I tried it on a milder, dry day, too, and though it got too warm for comfort on climbs, there wasn't an excessive build up of moisture, so the breathability is impressive for a fully waterproof layer, and it can certainly be used as an effective windproof for the times you really need one. Some waterproofs can literally drip inside when worn over bare arms, but the eVent fabric coped well and didn't give this problem.
One handy thing about the more generous cut is that you can hoist the sleeves up to your elbows for a bit of cooling, and this is pretty effective when combined with an open front. This full-on venting makes it flap around like mad, but provided you're not worrying about aerodynamics, it's a good way to dry out the inside of the jacket while riding.
eVent claims to be one of the most breathable
fabrics on 
the market, and it's certainly very effective.
Don't expect miracles, though - it's easy for a cyclist to saturate
extremely breathable textiles like high-wicking jerseys on a ride,
so any shell layer will be defeated by this level of sweat
output.
The jacket's fabric is quite firm and when you're leaning forward in an aero tuck it has the tendency to bunch up a little across the chest. While it's not uncomfortable, I did find myself pulling it down at the front to try and flatten out the bulge. Purist roadies won't like this too much, and neither will they like the slightly loose fit, as it does tend to flap in the wind when you get up to 40kmph or more.
Overall, this is a superb waterproof jacket that's ideal for the commuter and MTB rider, especially for the late autumn to early spring period. It's also a great one for tourers, who can find themselves riding in poor weather for long periods. The Pace eVent keeps out the rain and remains fairly comfortable inside thanks to the high rate of breathability. Though winter is undoubtedly the time when it'll get most use, the fit is okay for summer storms, too, though it's a bit too bulky to take on a just-in-case basis, and gets a bit too warm for comfort in milder temperatures.
The £185 price limits the jackets appeal to the more serious rider, but in all honesty, they are the ones who will genuinely benefit from it, so that's not a negative in any way. This jacket would be overkill for the fair-weather rider caught out by the odd shower, and there are cheaper options far more suitable for this kind of use. There's a lot of competition at the £170-200 price-point from manufacturers like Gore, Campagnolo, Endura and Mavic, but the Pace eVent holds its own among them. The fit will be the acid test for those happy to fork out for a high quality waterproof, and if it suits you and your riding, spend your money and rest easy.
Buy from www.rutlandcycling.com
Vaude says:
Extreme breathability for extreme performance. The Pace eVent is a bike rain jacket with sensational breathability and excellent moisture wicking action. The low cut back and articulated sleeves are engineered to calibrate with the aerodynamic racing design.
- 3-layer jacket
- Flap at the collar to attach Spray Hood II (£30)
- Articulated sleeves
- Low cut back
- Gripper at hem
- With pack bag (stuffsac weight 12g)
- Water resistant front zip
- Partial elastic bottom hem and cuffs
- Reflective elements at the back
- Weight: 255 g (size M weighed 218g)
- Mainfabric - Face: 100% Polyamide; Membrane: 100% Polytetrafluorethylene; Backing: 100% Polyamide
- Colours: Red, Blue, Black, Yellow
Find out more www.vaude.com
