there has been much blasé discussion on the island in recent days regarding the weather and the heightended significance it seems to have attained. as we head from autumn into winter, we can but expect not only a consistent drop in temperature, but the onset of incoming wind and rain. as such, it has ever been this way; i recall my first year on the isle, watching the rapid approach of inclement weather across the loch. though it crept up in a rather ostentatious fashion, the knowledge that there was nowhere to hide and no escaping its onslaught, was a lesson well-learned at the time and one that has scarcely lessened over the intervening three decades.
however, though the weather itself has scarcely changed all that much, its public relations agency (otherwise known as the meteorological office) has substantially altered its approach. for instance, it has now become not only de rigeur to anthropomorphise any strong winds or weather systems, but to colour-in large sections of the map in either yellow or amber and issue a concomitant warming that this has been done. thus, what used to be just hebridean weather, now shares headlines with eastern america's hurricanes.
i might illustrate this point with reference to the recent 'storm callum'. the word 'storm' would tend to indicate a weather system that might readily cause structural damage, bringing to mind recollections of the opening monochrome sequence from 'the wizard of oz'. yet, during a weather forecast on the telly box, the weather girl was wont to announce that 'storm' callum was likely to bring gales or severe gales to the hebridean islands. though i am pedantic to a fault, if the winds are 'only' gale or severe galeforce, then it's not a storm.
meanwhile, island life continues at its regular modest pace.
following in the wake of callum was a lengthy tail, content to drop large quantities of precipitation upon a less than impressed population. just ask those living in wales. not wishing to look a gift storm in the mouth, i donned the latest pro-adrenaline waterproofs from livingston's endura, consisting of a barely opaque race cape and a pair of threequarter length overshorts. the adrenaline race cape is accessorised by a tiny stuff sack into which you'd scarcely believe that the cape could be stuffed (but it can) and is available in charcoal grey, white, fluoro-green or movistar blue (as reviewed. the shorts are in charcoal only.
the nomenclature defining the jacket as a race cape along with the accompanying stuff sack would rather classify the jacket as an item to be kept in a rear pocket (or team car) for what we might term 'emergency use'. though the overshorts fulfil a similar function, i'm none too sure just how practical it is to stop mid-ride and clothe oneself in such a manner. and oddly enough, though i wore the adrenaline threequarters over a pair of endura bib-threequarters, the former were a matter of a couple of centimetres shorter than the latter. additionally (and we'll say more about this later), the cuffs of the jacket are so purposely narrow, that it is well nigh impossible to wear them over the cuffs of your gloves.
i cannot deny that i gave both items from the adrenaline range a particularly hard time. i spent three hours in pretty much torrential and persistent rain, the end result of which was that i got very wet. in that sense, you might argue that both garments are surely less than worthy of your cash, but that could be just to miss the point. under normal circumstances, i'd be inclined to view both items as protection from intermittent and adverse elements, rather than those i'd don if expecting to spend all day in the rain. let's face it, if this £78 jacket could offer such long-term protection, why would endura bother offering their £200 mt500 waterproof jacket?
but i should point out that even if your gloves are waterproof, wearing them over the jacket cuffs only encourages the rain to seep inside, never to escape.
so, while i was sat in debbie's on a saturday lunchtime, creating a substantial swimming pool 'neath my chair, wearing a rather damp team movistar long-sleeve jersey, my inherent dampness was scarcely unexpected. in point of fact, for the first hour, to hour and a half, both race cape and threequarter shorts made a grand and valiant job of keeping rainwater on the outside. those shorts impersonated a rear mudguard remarkably well. but ultimately, the rain won; thin fabrics such as endura's exoshell20st can no longer perform at their best once the fabric becomes saturated, when the water is being delivered more quickly than it can be got rid of.
as such, this was something of an unfair equation. but to be honest, both cape and shorts performed better than i'd have expected. taped seams, a drop tail and front storm (gale?) flap on the cape and impressive stretch properties are all most welcome in the heat of battle. stuffed in a back pocket in case of heavy showers encountered en-route, they're the equal of the very best currently on the market. sadly, i'll likely never know how effective the adrenaline jacket is at offering a clear view of a race number.
endura's fs260 pro-adrenaline race cape ii is available in sizes from xs to xxl at a retail cost of £77.99. the pro adrenaline threequarters are available in small to xxl at a cost of £74.99.
fs260 adrenaline race cape | fs260 adrenaline waterproofs 3/4
tuesday 16 october 2018
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