Every Assos piece builds on the last. The Assos Equipe R Habu Winter Jacket S9 takes lessons from the Mille GT Winter jacket and the Johdah jacket then combines them into a more comfortable option that will handle cold and a significant amount of rain.
Pros
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High stretch materials are exceptionally comfortable
+
Excellent pockets have lots of room and high-stability
+
Mesh breast pocket is perfect for gloves
+
Stretch fabric at front and strip of elastic in rear keeps jacket from riding up
+
Zipper pull is easy to grab with gloves
+
Neckline is very comfortable
Cons
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Single-direction zipper
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Neckline is comfortable but visually odd
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Focus on breathability limits performance in harsh weather
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The right winter cycling jacket is an investment that will last years. Some of the best tend to also handle a wide range of temperatures and will help you ride from late fall all the way through the winter and into early spring. As I put together our list of the best winter cycling jackets, high quality and warmth in the worst weather were definitely on my radar and so were comfort and usability. As you browse that list, you might notice Assos is well-represented. The brand has a lot of options and they tend to be some of the best on the market.
This year brings a new choice, the Assos Equipe R Habu Winter Jacket S9. While our list includes the two options from the long-distance-focused Mille GT line of Assos clothing, this new entry brings winter warmth to the Equipe Racing Series of clothing. Like other options in the same category, it brings with it a focus on aerodynamics and high-intensity riding. Now that I've put it to the test, I'm ready to share how it compares to the other Assos jackets as well as how it compares to the broader market. If you are looking for a new winter cycling jacket, keep reading to see if this one is the right choice for you.
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The rear of the Habu jacket is highly breathable, you will have to decide if that is right for you(Image credit: Josh Ross)
The RX fleece has a warp knit that presents a tight outer face(Image credit: Josh Ross)
There's another spot of the RX Evo under each arm(Image credit: Josh Ross)
Design and aesthetics
Assos has two primary road cycling product lines. The Mille comfort series and the Equipe racing series. The two only differ slightly and they tend to drive each other forward. Each new product leapfrogs the last, keeping what works, and adding new fabrics and styles.
For the last few years, the Mille lineup has been driving the look of the winter jackets in the whole lineup. The trim profile, tight across the front of the chest, with an elegant curve up to the neckline is on display in Mille GT Winter Jacket. The Equipe racing series took that same profile but added prominent venting at the shoulders. The idea being that shorter, higher-intensity, rides benefited from extra ventilation. It was also part of the visual identity and you can see it proudly on display in the range-topping Johdah winter jacket. This fall, the Mille GT line picked up a new look as seen in the Assos Mille GTS Spring Fall Jacket C2 and now, it's spreading.
The Assos Equipe R Habu Winter Jacket S9 is the first winter product to pick up the new design style. It's not just the visual style that's moved forward either. As with all Assos products, you can see how each previous lesson has been freshly applied as well as combined with new ideas.
Starting with reused technology, the whole rear panel looks very similar to the jackets that came before. In a performance garment, warmth is always a balance of ventilation and protection. Assos uses RX Evo material like you'd find on its bib tights to help with this balance. Being a softshell, knit, fabric means it adds insulation but there's no barrier to breathability like a membrane fabric. Protection from the outside comes instead from a denser, warp-knit, construction that makes for a tighter external face. As you travel down the rear panel, you'll find the same pockets that help Assos jackets to stand out. The only part of this that's truly new is that there's now only a single panel instead of three that make it up.
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Assos pockets are large, sit at the perfect location on the back, and have plenty of stability when loaded up(Image credit: Josh Ross)
The gusseted design of the pockets helps add space(Image credit: Josh Ross)
Move to the upper part of the rear panel and you'll find a new fabric. Airblock.888 is a three-layer membrane material that's exclusive to Assos and new for this year. It's highly stretchy, as waterproof as a rain jacket, and still breathable. Like the RX material, it also uses a warp-knit outer. This time though it's combined with the membrane and the feel is somewhat of a hybrid between a hardshell and a softshell. More than anything, it's this fabric that makes the Habu what it is.
Airblock.888 covers every panel other than the centre rear. In the front lower it's unlined. Move up a bit and you'll find the twinDeck construction style that's prominent in the Mille GT Ultraz jacket but with lighter materials. The whole section covering the chest and upper back uses a very thin fleece material that adds just a little extra insulation. There's also mesh covering the entire rear panel as well as a small triangle in the front. All of it is in the twinDeck style but the mesh is too open to add any insulation. Instead, it's a rather ingenious way of controlling how the jacket stretches.
Although much of the Johdah designs have fallen away in favour of the Mille style, there's one distinct feature carried over. At the rear of the Johdah jacket there is a stretchy mesh pocket. For the Habu the same jacket design shows up but this time it's moved to the left side of the chest making it far more usable.
In a design borrowed from the Johdah, there is a mesh pocket on the front of the Habu jacket (Image credit: Josh Ross)
Performance
When you put on an Assos jacket, one of the first things you might notice is that it's not all that comfortable. Ride with an Assos jacket and one of the first things you'll notice is how incredibly comfortable it is. The dichotomy comes from a narrow fit across the top of the chest and it's a defining quirk of Assos tailoring. Standing around, it's borderline uncomfortable but leaned forward in a cycling position, it's perfect.
Knowing that's what to expect, I couldn't imagine trading my favourite Assos Mille GT winter jacket for something with a more aggressive fit. When the Equipe R Habu Winter Jacket S9 arrived, I tried it on half expecting it not to fit. What I found is that it's actually far more forgiving than the Mille GT and it's not because of the tailoring. In short, the new Airblock.888 fabric upstages earlier, already excellent, choices in the Assos lineup.
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The sleeves use the Airblock.888 waterproof membrane fabric and water beads up while riding(Image credit: Josh Ross)
The Airblock shows up on the front panels as well and here at the lower edge, there's a folded hem(Image credit: Josh Ross)
The ends of the sleeves could benefit from the same folded treatment(Image credit: Josh Ross)
A typical November ride in the American Pacific Northwest averages temperatures of around 4C/40F and consistent rain for the entire ride. Sometimes the rain will be harder, sometimes lighter, but expect rain. It's challenging weather and there are very few options out there that will handle it. The Assos jackets with their warp-knit outers are one of the few options available that are both insulated and highly water resistant plus have exceptional pockets.
The Habu is another entry in this same line of options. It's slightly warmer than the Mille GT and much more comfortable. As with other Assos jackets, you don't have to wear a jersey with pockets under it. Find your best base layer and even though the Habu isn't designed with constant rain and four degrees in mind, it will work. Keep the rides between one and three hours but there’s enough warmth and enough water resistance. Excellent venting means it will also handle warmer rides.
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The zipper uses an updated design compared to the Mille GT winter jacket(Image credit: Josh Ross)
The neckline looks a bit odd on the outside but on the inside it's incredibly comfortable(Image credit: Josh Ross)
The twinDeck construction adds different internal materials depending on needs(Image credit: Josh Ross)
Verdict
Understanding the Assos Equipe R Habu Winter Jacket S9 within the lineup of the Assos jacket options is tough. The Mille GT Ultraz is clearly the warmest jacket that Assos offers. If you want warmth, that's your best bet. The place where things get more interesting is when you look at the Johdah and the Mille GT Winter jacket EVO.
The Johdah is a more capable jacket but it's significantly more expensive. It's even more expensive if you want to add the Equipe RS Clima Capsule Alleycat when it's too cold to have the venting open. That leaves the difficult choice of choosing between the Mille GT Winter jacket and the Habu.
The two jackets cover the same temperature range and weather conditions so which one makes sense? They both have the same excellent pockets and incredible fabrics that make Assos jackets stand out from the crowd. The Habu is the better jacket though. Despite a bit of visual oddity, the neckline is more comfortable. Even though both zippers lack two-way capabilities, the Habu is just a bit easier to move and has a better lower garage design.
More than anything else, the Habu is more comfortable than any other jacket I can think of. It might be from the racing line that's meant to be more aerodynamic but the extra stretch of Airblock.888 makes that irrelevant. In fact, Airblock is so good I'd love to see it used for an updated Ultraz jacket.
If you are buying a jacket for seriously bad weather, there are few that are better than Assos. Warmth combined with rain resistance is sorely lacking in the industry. When you do find it, with options like the Rapha Pro Team Insulated Gore-Tex Cycling jacket, they almost always lack quality pockets. The Assos Equipe R Habu Winter Jacket S9 represents a new best all-around choice from Assos. If you need to handle some rain, and some cold, and you want to stick to only a base layer underneath, this is an excellent choice.
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Testing scorecard and notes
Design and aesthetics
Design is good but would benefit with less breathability and more warmth. Aesthetically this is not the strongest Assos has. Despite these critiques it’s still an excellent piece.
8/10
Thermal management
Assos uses their own fabrics and they are the best of the best.
10/10
Storage
Absolutely excellent. Plenty of stability and space. Other brands should take notes.
10/10
Comfort and fit
Perfect sizing and incredibly comfortable.
10/10
Value
The competition is Rapha and the pricing is the same. This isn’t a bargain but it makes sense where it is.
8/10
Overall
Row 5 - Cell 1
92%
Tech Specs: Assos Equipe R Habu Winter Jacket S9
Price: £310 / $410 / €350 / AU $630
Weight: 509 grams in size medium
Size availability: XS-XLG and TIR (XLG but wider)
Colour Options: blackSeries, Fluo Yello
Materials: Airblock.888 3-layer membrane and RX Evo softshell fleece
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Josh hails from the Pacific Northwest of the United States but would prefer riding through the desert than the rain. He will happily talk for hours about the minutiae of cycling tech but also has an understanding that most people just want things to work. He is a road cyclist at heart and doesn't care much if those roads are paved, dirt, or digital. Although he rarely races, if you ask him to ride from sunrise to sunset the answer will be yes.
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 140 lb.
Rides: Salsa Warbird, Cannondale CAAD9, Enve Melee, Look 795 Blade RS, Priority Continuum Onyx
