Novara Verita Bike Jacket - Men's

Comments about Novara Verita Bike Jacket - Men's:

I have used a GoreTex PacLite jacket for the past several years, but have yet to wear it often in harsh conditions as I have a tendency to overheat. Being an avid cyclist and living in OR, riding in the wet conditions is part of life. I saw this eVent jacket and had to get one. After one month of intense use I was not disappointed and neither will you.

The fit is great is great if you have the typical cyclist build - narrow through the shoulders and torso tapering down to the waist. The back of the jacket is long enough to cover your tail when crouched. I have a difficult time finding sleeves that are long enough as I'm slender with super-long arms. The sleeve length on these jackets is perfect - if not on the long side which is great for layering or wearing gloves.

The utility of this jacket far surpasses expectations for breathability. I've ridden in conditions at race pace in rainy weather at 60* and felt like I was wearing a long sleeve jersey. Granted I was a little warm, but I won't wear my Paclite shell unless conditions are below 50* and awful. Several occasions after stopping for a break I've had a fellow rider comment that my jacket was literally steaming. When riding in dry conditions through Death Valley at night this past weekend I stopped riding to change my glasses and my girlfriend came up to pat me on the back and commented that I was sweating through my jacket.

The reflective stripes are subtle in the day but obnoxious in low light conditions when a light is shining in the general direction.

The waterproof zippers on this jacket are tough to zip, but that seems to be the deal with any waterproof zipper. The zipper also puckers out a bit over the stomach, but this is also something I've experienced with all others in the similar category.

Overall if you're looking for the most breathable jacket on the market for cycling with a trim fit, this is the jacket for you. If you have broad shoulders and prefer the 'Club fit' over the 'Race fit' stop by your local store before purchasing this particular coat. I would recommend the eVent fabric, but not this particular coat.

Best of luck and bring on the rain!

Comments about Novara Verita Bike Jacket - Men's:

I really wanted to like this jacket. I like the style/look of the orange jacket a lot.

But who makes a jacket for an aerobic sport and claims the fabric breathes well enough it doesn't need pit zips?! I do love eVent fabric; it is great, but for a jacket to be the magic combination of waterproof/breathable, it is going to need venting.

For the 50 degree, rainy rides in San Francisco this jacket just didn't breathe well enough. On my 30 min commute, I was sweaty and there was condensation on the inside of the jacket. At colder temps it might be fine?

The waterproofness was fine, at least for my 30 min commute. But no point in being dry on the outside, only to be soaked on the inside.
Also, I bought this for commuting. Maybe for club rides or touring you won't care about a little sweat?

As for the fit, I am 5'6" with a somewhat athletic/stocky build (size 40 jacket) and size medium was a terrible fit. The chest and shoulders were very restrictive (slightly better when on the drop bars). And that is with just a thin cycling jersey under the jacket. I also tried on a large (but didn't ride in it). The large fit my torso fine, but the sleeves were super long (I have shorter arms). I realize that this jacket was designed for "performance" fit and not with the commuter in mind; it just didn't my body type.

I returned it for the Showers Pass Elite 2.0 and haven't looked back. The sheer number of vents in the Elite 2.0 is outstanding. It is a little more expensive, but it breathes much better.

Service and delivery comments:

REI was great (as always) about letting me return this jacket slightly used. Thank you REI!

Comments about Novara Verita Bike Jacket - Men's:

Like other people have said, the fit is strange. I'm 5'-6" 135lb with an athletic but not bulky upper body. The chest is about as tight as it can be and still be comfortable but the sleeves are about 2" too long. I would have gotten a small,the sleeves were perfect, but the chest fit like under armour.

Fit/cut foibles aside, it's a great jacket whether it's dry or raining.

Comments about Novara Verita Bike Jacket - Men's:

I bought this jacket for winter riding in Chicago on my 14 mile commute to/from work. I bought it on Black Friday, just in time for some nasty weather. My first impressions were good. It had a nice orange color. Not overly obnoxious, but definitely bright and visible for daytime riding. It has plenty of piping front and back for good night visibility too. The fit was just so so. The arms were a great length. I usually have sleeves ride up on me, but these fit very nicely and were even a bit long which I prefer for riding. The shoulders and chest were too tight though. I'm 5'10 and weight 160, so I'm not that large. I was surprised at how tight it was in the chest. It was also a bit short for my tastes. I didn't like that I couldn't tuck the back of it in either. The elastic around the longer backside was annoying when I was walking to my desk after my ride in. The most annoying part was the pucker. Right around my sternum, the jacket puckers out about 2-3 inches. It not only looked stupid, but it was also uncomfortable. All in all, I can live with some fit issues. I really bought the jacket to keep me warm in the cold and windy conditions I ride in and to keep my dry and cool. It is an eVent jacket and advertised as super breathable. It doesn't include pit zips because it is supposedly so breathable. I have to disagree. The first day I wore it, the temperature was 12 degrees with a windchill of -3. I wore a single lightweight REI brand baselayer, and I sweat pretty decently. Same problem on the way home. It got worse as the temperatures rose throughout the week. By Thursday, it was 18 degrees out on my ride home, and I had been sweating enough that I decided to go bare-chested under the jacket. Even though my skin was cold from the contact with the jacket, I still sweat way too much. After a week, I had enough and returned the jacket. I couldn't imagine what a rainy ride on a 50 degree day would be like!I picked up the Novara Stratos jacket for [$] less after tax, and I have been happy ever since. It still keeps me nice and warm on cold days (2 degrees with a -12 windchill one day) and I don't have to suffer the sweat. Pit zip would probably solve most of the problems, but in any case, I definitely don't think eVent fabric is quite as good as it is marketed to be.

Comments about Novara Verita Bike Jacket - Men's:

This would probably be the perfect bike jacket if they offer pit zips.

Comments about Novara Verita Bike Jacket - Men's:

This jacket has good tech features. waterproof zips/. good pocket locations and when I bought it I was looking for something that did not have pit zips and vents. Something that was truly waterproof that could also be rolled up and fit in a pocket but better than the vinyl rain jackets. I was not looking for an everyday jacket or even winter jacket. For those, you are better off with vents or windbloc fleece, maybe water repellent. This is a good jacket for going out on a rainy or snow days when you really don't want to be out there riding but you are in training or even racing. The fit, as others have described in strange. Tight in the chest and arms seem long. The length fit is good for riding in the drops or on the hoods on a road bike. I would recommend this to someone who was going to be racing or training on road bike, or aggressive cross country mt. bike setup. I would not recommend this as a commuter jacket or all around 3 season cycling jacket.

Comments about Novara Verita Bike Jacket - Men's:

Received at Christmas. Impressed with quality. Wondered about lack of venting which the Showers Pass eVent jacket has. Sleeves and front are at least an inch too long, causing bunching while on the bike - felt like a fanny pack on my stomach. Chest/shoulders an inch too small. This jacket was made to fit a skinny bike messenger, not a normal person. I live on a long hill. First climb in this jacket in cold weather and I feel like I'm in a sauna. No matter how good a fabric breathes, exercise can overwhelm the material - it NEEDS ventilation ala pit and/or torso zips. Not a knock on eVent - Goretex Pro is no different. The fault is in the thinking of the designers. PUT ZIPS ON THIS THING. Then you'll have a great jacket!

Comments about Novara Verita Bike Jacket - Men's:

Been using this jacket in Pittsburgh for my commutes to and from work and will be using it on some mountain bike rides as well. Since purchasing I have ridden in weather from 50 degrees down to 15, from rain to snow and it has performed really well. It works as advertised.

I was a little wary given the price, even though I got it 25% off, but I couldn't be any more happy with it. I had to order a size large when I normally wear medium. The medium was way too tight and constricting.

Comments about Novara Verita Bike Jacket - Men's:

Ditto what others say about the lack of pit zips. Only when on rides when the temp's in the 30s - or 40s at a very casual pace - have I not gotten sweaty wearing this. Two things bug me about this vs REI's cheaper Stratos jacket: why did REI lose the elasticized tail flap and make such a dinky rear pocket here? The tail flap wasn't huge/bulky, but it'd help keep your butt dry. Overall a nice jacket, but only at a big discount. Otherwise I'd wait for version 2.0

Comments about Novara Verita Bike Jacket - Men's:

I've been biking to work (12 miles each way) two or three times a week since spring. As it started to get pretty cold I decided to upgrade to a decent jacket so I could extend the commuting season if possible. So on a trip to visit family, I went to REI in November to look around and one of the sales staff very strongly recommended the jacket because of the amazing breathability. This is my first "serious" cycling apparel purchase, so I don't have a lot to compare to. I'm 6'3" and 200 lbs and the XL fit pretty well, fairly snug though. The length in back is great--it doesn't ride up. The sleeves may be even a little too long, but that's been OK, I usually tuck them in my gloves. There is a weird zipper pucker in the upper stomach/lower chest area as other reviewers have mentioned. I've used it with a long sleeve poly shirt in temps from mid teens to mid-30's. Down to about 25 it's been a good system. Colder than that and my stomach area gets really cold. The wind resistance is really good. The zippers are tight and it seems to be constructed very well. I haven't ridden in the rain with it yet.Now, as to the "breathability," I wouldn't call it "amazing." I don't have a lot of hills getting to work and I've been pretty damp by the time I get there. Inside the jacket is pretty wet. A lot of reviewers mentioned wanting zipped vents and I would agree. I like the orange and I like the reflector stripes.One comment on price. It was [$] when I bought it and I looked it up online to send the link to a biking friend and saw it had dropped $40 in the two days since I bought it. I don't live near an REI so I called and they said they would send me a check for the difference. It's been about a month since then. I've never had any complaints with REI's customer service, so I guess it will get to me eventually.I took it to Moab over Thanksgiving for some mountain biking and wore it until I warmed up and then put it in my bag. It packs well and would be a nice thing to have on hand "just in case" for lots of trips. I've also done some jogging with it (night time is my only chance) and have liked it for that--again, good visibility and pretty good fit.