The Assos Tactica vest is stylish, comfortable and warm. It's kept me feeling good on gravel and road rides when worn as a top layer or kept in a pocket to put on when needed. Another quality piece of kit from Assos.
Pros
+
Stylish Assos aesthetics
+
Packs down to easily fit into a pocket
+
Handy zippered pocket
+
Soft and comfortable insulated panels
Cons
-
The front panel material occasionally snags the zipper
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Assos added to its Tactica gravel series earlier this spring. The Tactica series is a collection of cycling kit that falls into the Swiss company's Adventure collection. It comprises pieces that, as you might imagine, don’t have a pure performance road focus, something that has become a bigger part of the Assos offering in the last few years.
The series contains pieces like cargo bib shorts, technical riding t-shirts and more casual baggy shorts, and, to give it its full name, the Tactica Shell Vest T5, which I am reviewing here.
The Tactica vest or gilet is a lightweight, packable gilet for changing conditions that uses a lightly insulated and windproof front section to add warmth. Assos cite it as being for gravel and singletrack riding, but I've also been riding with it on the road, and it works very well there too.
It comes in two colours: black, which is what I have been testing, and the classy-looking bronze ash colour, which is a sort of light brown. Both are priced at £160 / $200 / €180.
In the UK, the weather has generally been pretty good lately, and so I’ve been testing the Tactica against a lot of competitor gilets. Head to our best cycling gilets guide for lots more excellent options.
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The Tactica has a more relaxed fit than works well with looser kit if you want to wear it that way, here i'm wearing it with a technical riding t-shirt(Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
It looks smart on or off the bike, note the lack of tight elastic hem which helps in this department(Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
Design and aesthetics
As you might expect from long-running Swiss outfit Assos, the Tactica is a classy-looking piece of kit. I’ve been testing the black version in a size M, although this is closer to a small in most other brands. I’m 176cm and 63kg for reference.
In terms of branding, there’s an ‘Assos’ wordmark and rubber badge on the collar, an Assos roundel on the left-hand chest, and another larger one on the lower back.
The gilet also has a zippered pocket on the bottom right of the back, which is handy for stashing all sorts, depending on what else you are wearing. It’s zippered with a little patch which reads ‘weather proof’ next to it. Both the pocket and main zipper have metal Assos ‘A’ zipper pullers which are concave on one side, allowing your fingers to just grip them comfortably every time. This is a typical bit of Assos design.
There are reflective shoulder details on each side, and a soft zipper cover flap at the bottom of the zipper to prevent any irritation, which I really like. Lastly, a small flap says ‘Tactica’ about a third of the way up the left-hand side of the vest.
Given the range that the gilet sits in, it has a more relaxed cut and fit, but it’s very nicely done. It reminds me of the Castelli Unlimited Puffy in the way it’s roomy enough to go well with more relaxed gravel or even XC MTB riding, but it’s not so slack and flappy that it looks or feels out of place on the road bike with tighter fitting kit. It’s very well done.
I think this is important. Granted, you can technically use any kit for any kind of riding, but in reality, things are often a bit more specific than that. I like that you can wear this not inexpensive piece of kit comfortably across a range of disciplines.
The entire back of the gilet is comprised of a thin mesh, the brand calls this a Sens-Air warp-knit textile, which also provides UPF 50+ protection. It provides good breathability during harder efforts or warmer weather and moves very freely.
This mesh material extends right round to the double-layer front of the vest, which uses the Assos ‘Breaker’ material on the outside, which you may have guessed, is used as a windbreaker. It also has a DWR treatment to combat light rain and spray (the rear panel wouldn’t be good in the rain), but there’s some light protection and water beads off it well.
Internally, an insulating Breath textile adds warmth and comfort. Together, this twin layer adds enough protection to help warm you up and keep you comfortable and snug whilst keeping things lightweight and compact enough to comfortably pack down into a jersey pocket.
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The raised collar adds warmth and comfort (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
The insulated front panel material is soft, snug and adds a surprising amount of warmth (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
There's minimal branding, mainly just some smart Assos roundels, but it's enough to let people know what you are wearing(Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
Performance
My riding of late on road or gravel has featured colder mornings and evenings with warmer temperatures in the day: perfect gilet weather. I’ve started lots of rides with the Tactica vest on, or carried it in a pocket and put it on to ride home in the evening after a ride.
Like nearly all Assos cycling kit I have ever used, it’s just a really nice thing to put on, the fit is great, and it feels a little bit special and certainly high-end, which is reassuring given the fairly high retail price.
The vest has kept me comfortable and warm when paired with a light base layer, jersey and arm warmers or thicker winter base layer and long sleeve jersey in colder temperatures, I’ve taken it on and off a few times in a ride depending on the temperatures, from freezing or just above to up around 15 degrees it has kept me comfortable.
Freezing or close to it in spring is a different kind of freezing from the depths of winter, I find; it never feels quite as cold, especially when the roads are dry. I would wear more on a freezing December day, for instance.
This to me is the kind of gilet that will be going on and off as a layer to keep you protected so I can understand just the single pocket, I like the positioning and you can reach it easily on the bike if you need to, which I did regularly on a new bike shake down ride when I needed to reach for my multi tool to make tweaks. Keys and even smaller mini pumps also fit into it nicely.
The collar is also cut nice and high on the Tactica vest, which I like. It keeps you feeling a little more protected and snug, but it’s not tight, there’s plenty of room to move, and it’s very comfortable. The standout for me, though, are the front insulated panels; the double-layer material is super soft on the inside, and it combines with the soft, windproof outer layer to help you feel snug.
Some lightweight vests feel barely there and don’t feel like they are doing much for you at times, but you feel protected in the Tactica vest. It’s perfect for a range of cool and warmer weather rides to regulate temperature, and the front panels have kept the wind and cold at bay on some colder, blustery rides.
Performance has been pretty faultless, the only minor issue I have run into is when zipping the gilet when not wearing it for washing or packing, I have occasionally snagged the slightly looser front windproof fabric in the zipper. Look out for this if you invest in one.
On this thin windproof fabric, I can see overgrown summer trails, undergrowth and brambles snatching at it and potentially nicking it, so bear this in mind if that sounds like your local off-road trails. Hopefully, by then, it will be warm enough in the UK that it will be sitting safely in my rear jersey pocket for those dry summer evening rides.
The vest also goes well with more dedicated road jerseys or arm warmers and i've worn it like this as well (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
Value
At £160 / $200 / €180 the Tactica vest isn’t the cheapest gilet you can buy, but it sits in a similar price bracket of insulated gilets to a range of brands like Castelli, Rapha, etc.
In my experience, you can stand by Assos when it comes to longevity and quality, so if you are considering investing in one yourself, you can rest assured this would be a nice investment that, if looked after, should look after you for years to come.
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The single zippered side pocket is handy for all sorts(Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
The back is a single piece of mesh which is more relaxed in cut (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
It's easy to keep the vest in a tighter road pocket, it packs down small (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
Verdict
This is a good quality, stylish vest from Assos that, as mentioned, will work well when worn with more relaxed kit, or for more fitted, performance road wear.
It does a great job of keeping the cold and wind at bay on cooler spring or summer days and is very comfortable as well. A great quality option for all kinds of riding scenarios.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Design and aesthetics
A stylish design that's well thought out, the fit is well measure for off road, relaxed outfits as well as for tighter on road kit
9/10
Thermal management
Good, makes a difference when you need to keep the chill at bay or feel that little bit warmer
8/10
Packability
Very good, comfortably fits into nearly all jersey pockets
9/10
Comfort and fit
Very soft and comfortable, front panels feel snug and inviting. Fit works well on and off road
8/10
Value
Pricey, but this is Assos. Quality is assured and this piece should last years, it's also versatile and downright useful
Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
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