R. Jacket Insulation

Rainy days in the professional peloton over the last decade have continued to produce mass-sightings of the ‘traditional’ rain jacket, flapping stiffly across the torsos of unfortunate riders. Enterprising pros were forced to take the problem into their own hands: Ian Stannard hammering out tempo at the front of the group at MSR ’13 in an unmarked Gabba; Rigoberto Uran descending the Stelvio in a sturmPrinz at last year’s Giro on his way to second place, to name just a couple of the most iconic examples.

In the era of marginal gains riders are demanding closer fitting, more aerodynamic and thermal wet-weather solutions. The pro rain jacket is changing.

 

The R.Insulation jacket is Q36.5’s ALL-DAY rain and inclement weather jacket, designed to be worn from beginning to end of high-intensity rides in foul weather at temperatures anywhere between 5-15° C. It is, simply put, the jacket for those who MUST RIDE at all costs, even in extreme conditions.

The R.Insulation is made entirely from a proprietary three-layer waterproof fabric, thus dispensing with the multiple fabric body-mapping concept employed on the Hybrid Que and Termica jackets, in favour of producing a totally protective, hermetic garment.

The outer layer of the jacket is made from a high-density woven polyamide-polyester, “frost” dyed rather than coated or printed, in order to maintain the natural breathability of the weave. The middle-layer is an avant-garde Japanese hydrophilic membrane with extremely high-breathability (RET value of 3.?) and 18.000 mm/l waterproof rating. The inner layer is a low-volume polyester mesh with excellent stretch and wicking qualities.

So while the cut and paneling of the R.Insulation emphasizes full-body protection (note the particular attention given to the collar area - often the Achilles heel of rain jackets – with its high, ergonomic cut and second, internal ‘barber’s’ collar), its proprietary fabric has been engineered with extreme sensitivity to the high levels of breathability and low volume demanded by elite athletes in race or similarly intense riding conditions.

These are the 208 g of foul-weather protection that can absorb whatever conditions you demand to ride in and its extremely close, aerodynamic fit means it is most effective when worn with nothing but a thermally appropriate base layer beneath.