Ekoi Competition9 thermal jacket review
Ekoi is a French brand with direct distribution to the UK via its website. How does its Competition9 full-on winter jacket shape up?
A full-on winter jacket, well cut with plenty of room for undergarments and good thermal barriering. But lacks reflectives.
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Heavyweight construction for cold conditions
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Good collar, cuffs and zip
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Water and windproof
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No reflectives
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May be a bit too warm for milder winter days in the UK
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You can trust Cycling Weekly.
We tested the Ekoi Competition9 jersey during the early autumn, when its mid-weight construction provided a good level of warmth for temperatures in the low teens. Move on a few weeks and we’ve pulled on the Competition9 jacket.
Despite having the same colour options and many of the same features as the jersey, the Competition9 jacket is a very different beast. To start with, it weighs almost half as much again as the jersey. The cut is more generous, but a lot of the extra weight is down to the fabric used.
>>> Winter cycling survival guide
This includes a windproof, breathable membrane which gives the jacket a slightly stiff feel. It’s also waterproof and Ekoi says it will deal with temperatures down to zero. It’s certainly a very warm jacket and would be well suited to winter rides at high altitudes and long descents. It’s much more of a full-on winter jacket than a Gabba-esque shell.
>>> The best cycling winter jackets (video)
The Competition9 jacket has nice features to keep the cold air out too, like long cuffs and a high collar. The zipper has a garage at the top and bottom and an interior storm flap also helps to keep out draughts. At the back, the three open pockets are commodious, so there’s room for a few extra energy products. And that generous cut means that there’s plenty of scope to layer up and add even more warmth.
>>> Pro rider tips for winter cycling
There aren’t any reflectives, which is perhaps an oversight in a jacket to be worn when light levels may not be great, but the super-bright colours, particularly the large swathes of neon green should help compensate for this. It’s available in a range of other colours too and Ekoi prices in Sterling for UK users and offers free delivery to the UK, although its prices fluctuate with exchange rate.
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Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.
He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.
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