Cornwall, nestled in the far southwest of England, is perhaps the perfect place to test a waterproof cycling jacket. It is phenomenally damp here; forget everything you see on postcards, the default setting is ‘mizzle’ (a tasty blend of mist and drizzle), and then it rolls through grades through to “Atlantic gale deluge”. It is also mild, rarely dipping below around 8C/46F, so whatever jacket you wear has to be both waterproof and breathable. Given the absolute soaking Cornwall had over the festive period, I had the perfect opportunity to put some more miles into the best waterproof cycling jackets. Here I’m going to take you through the good and the not-so-good bits that the Endura GV500 waterproof jacket brings to the table.
The Endura GV500 has seen action in the mud, rain, and high winds, but also just in cooler conditions. How does it shape up then? It’s good, especially for the price, and doubly so if you find it on sale which is a fairly regular occurrence.
Design and aesthetics
Gravel-specific is here to stay I’m afraid. We’ve pushed through the dark days of either using road or MTB products depending on what fits our needs the best, and waterproof jackets are the latest things to be given the GS treatment. The GV500 waterproof jacket is, in simple terms, a pared-back version of Endura’s extremely successful MT500 mountain biking jacket. Fewer features, and a slightly different fabric, but a consequently lower price as well that makes for a compelling package for both gravel and MTB.
Gravel clothing has a decision to make, garment to garment, about where it draws its inspiration. Some gear is road wear with a utilitarian edge, here the aesthetic and build are definitely mountain bike. The cut is boxy, and there is little to no stretch in the face fabric so don’t even think in terms of ‘race fit’. It’s baggy, not to a crazy degree, but enough to accommodate a lightweight down jacket underneath should the need arise. I’d wager though that if you’re needing a down jacket under a waterproof you may be better served by some of the options from our list of the best winter cycling jackets. It’s a slimmer fit than something like the Albion Zoa Rain Shell though, which has a slightly more expeditionary focus.
Compared to the MT500 jacket there are no side pockets and no pit vents. The Exoshell40 waterproof fabric here is the standard…
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