Review: Review: Assos rS.sturmPrinz EVO Jacket. Essential Transcontinental kit!
Pricey, but a fantastic performance to warrant the tag, an essential piece of Transcontinental kit. Worth saving up for!
The thought of riding 2,000 miles, unsupported, on a bike across Europe is enough to fill me with a mix of fear and wonder, but I know it’s summer so hot weather is the order of the day and for that I’ve P20 suncream to keep me golden and not rosy. BUT, and here’s the kicker, what if it rains? Rain can make a normal ride miserable, rain can suck the unprepared person’s fun away in 10 miles, but what about 1,000 miles? Although it wasn’t needed last year across Northern Europe, that was only 3 days and I did pack a jacket, but this is longer, further and hillier – I’ve got to take a jacket for comfort and safety’s sake.
(disclaimer – I’m being supported by the ASSOS Official Factory Outlet with Assos kit for the Transcontinental race – however I will be open and honest with all reviews)
Enter my saviour for this years Transcontinental Race, hopefully I will never need to take it out from the bottom of my bag, but if I do, I know that dry I will stay!
The Assos rS.sturmPrinz EVO has got a name as meaty as its performance, I’ve been wearing it for the last couple of months and it has done an absolutely stand-up job at keeping me dry!
It’s Assos’ first high performance rain shell, with no compromises made whatsoever! It comes with just one small pocket at the rear (which is totally waterproof from the outside, totally) and nothing on the front to cause congestion of extra bumps.
An elasticated hem keeps the jacket down with a strong reflective band to provide rear visibility. My jacket came in black, with just a hint of red on the inner, a screaming red version is also available!
I don’t understand what the shiny patches on the shoulders are for, but I don’t really care, they add a touch of ‘Storm Trooper’ to the look I think. The whole ensemble looks like it means business, and it does!
The rS.sturmPrinz EVO has stood up to a severe battering from the outside and some high tempo work on the inside and it’s been faultless throughout.
Assos have clearly put some thought into the jacket, the neck material is slightly softer and gives a pleasant feeling when down on the drops, the sleeves are suitably long and the rear despite only having one pocket has been well considered. Either side of the pocket are vents which allow full and easy access to your jersey pockets, there was some concern about water getting in, but this never happened as far as I could tell.
The last two points are, I think, very key to the jacket.
It’s performance is, without question, fantastic, but it’s not a small super packable micro-shell like the LuftSchutz, it won’t fit into a jersey pocket with ease – this is a heavy-duty piece of kit, made to withstand the very worst rain and as such it carries a bulk premium.
Having said that, on a ride like the Transcontinental, where space vs comfort is being played-out on every item I take, it’s well worth the extra space to KNOW that should the weather close-in, and you only have to look to last year’s race to see how it happened on the Stelvio, then I’m covered.
And that brings me on to the last point, price. It’s not cheap, it’s not even close to it! However the product is good, and if you don’t want rain to put you off something as fun as riding then its use will provide a good return on your spend. Whilst it’s certainly expensive, it’s not the most expensive jacket I own, that particular label belongs to a jacket I bought 15 years ago and still use every winter – I think there’s got to be something said for buying quality!
The ASSOS Official Factory Outlet sell Assos items at considerably reduced rates compared to other retailers, they are generally last years model and technically of a high standard but at substantial savings. Thanks go out to them for their support!
