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Road Cycling

Páramo Ciclo Light Jacket Review

There is no kind of wetness quite like a cycling wetness. On a bike, the rain seems to get in everywhere. It seems colder and more fierce when you’re hurtling down a mountain pass and even in summer, something more serious is often called for than a walking jacket. Enter the Ciclo Light. This is Páramo’s cycling specific jacket, and on long days testing it out in the saddle we can vouch for its performance and warmth.

Páramo do things differently to everyone else, eschewing normal waterproof membranes in favour of the Directional Fabric Technology made by their sister company Nikwax. This features a series of layers that move the water away – whether that’s rain on the outside or sweat from the inside – as a liquid, rather than it being evaporated away by body heat.

The idea is that Páramo’s waterproof garments don’t wait until your body is hot enough to evaporate sweat before moving the water away, thus having the additional benefit of keeping you warmer. There’s a DWR treatment that allows rain to bead off the outside of the jacket, but this uses Nikwax’s PFC-free treatment.

It’s a system designed to regulate temperature very well. Bikepacking involves long days on the bike broken up frequent stops to enjoy the scenery (that’s what bikepacking is all about right?). This makes staying warm harder, but our testers found the Ciclo Light Jacket maintained temperature particularly well over the full day.


The ‘Light’ in the name relates to the lighter version of the Nikwax Analogy fabric – it may be a little less durable than the full-blown version, but it’s 20 per cent lighter. It also packs down smaller. Even with the Light material, the waterproof jackets do tend to work best in colder climates, and some people will find that the light version will suffice for cold days in the UK.

The jacket itself has a dropped tail to keep your bum warm, extra long sleeves that move well without hiking up the hem, and a hood designed to go over your cycle helmet and with a wired peak. Draw cords pull the hood in nicely and allow it to move with the head. There are long vents under the armpits that helps you regulate temperature. Two pockets on the chest are also easily accessible even when riding, and there’s a long back storage pocket with a concealed zip closure.

“The idea is that Páramo’s waterproof garments don’t wait until your body is hot enough to evaporate sweat before moving the water away, which brings the additional benefit of keeping you warmer.”

Páramo have added two hand warmer pockets as well for when you’re off the bike admiring that view. There are also two internal pockets, and the front zips up very high too which will protect your face from those sleeting winter rains.

This is a full featured jacket, which although thought out for cyclists is a very versatile garment and will works just as well for hiking or other mountain activities too.

Páramo Ciclo Light Jacket Stats:

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Selected for The Outdoor 100 Winter 2016

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