Velocio Alpha Zero jacket review: The last word in warmth for winter riding

My schedule of testing the best winter cycling jackets is coming to a close, but it’s definitely finishing on a high with a flurry of excellent options. I’ve recently finished reviewing the Assos Equipe R Habu winter jacket, and while it’s utterly marvellous for most of the riding I do, I appreciate that it doesn’t necessarily tick the box for those of you who are after the warmest setup possible at the expense of all else.

Luckily for you a new version of one of my favourite jackets this year was released, the Velocio Alpha Zero Jacket, and in my experience it is essentially impossible to beat if you want to stay warm above all other considerations.

It’s not perfect, and it won’t suit everyone, but if your winter riding tends to be longer, zone 2 base miles rather than shorter intense efforts then it could well be right up your street. I’ve given it both barrels in weather I believe it was designed to tackle: very cold, at the same time as being damp, and it handled it with aplomb. Almost too well for me, but I am quite a hot-blooded individual.

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Design and aesthetics

You can have any colour you like, as long as it’s blue.

I don’t actually mind this, as 1) it’s a very handsome blue that, in general, will go with most options, 2) it’s the same blue as the women’s version, so no lilac or turquoise, and 3) this reduces textile waste through unsold unpopular colours. It’s winter, it’s freezing, and there’s a chance of rain. Would you rather have a choice of colour or a jacket that’s going to stop you from getting hypothermia? Thought so.

The Velocio Alpha Zero is one of the most relaxed fitting I’ve come across, and while aero junkies may lament this, it has huge benefits for layering strategies as I’ll expound on shortly. The exterior is a stretchy, Polartech Power Shield fabric which purports to have 20k/20k waterproof and breathability figures, which are decent numbers on paper but please don’t be fooled into thinking this is a contender for the best waterproof cycling jackets. There are no taped seams, and while I found it performs well in damp weather I wouldn’t reach for it in actual rainy conditions.

• Waterproof fabrics explained

Inside the Alpha Zero the insulation is the brilliant Alpha Direct high loft fleece. If you’ve not come across it before it's essentially super fluffy fibres woven onto an extremely open mesh backer, to create plenty of insulation thanks to all the trapped air, whilst remaining somewhat breathable.

This Alpha Direct insulation isn’t used on the entirety of the jacket though, and only features on the leading edges: The two front panels, the forward-facing section of the sleeves, and also the entirety of the collar to keep the whole neck warm. The rest of the jacket - the back panels, and the inside of the arms - is uninsulated plain softshell material.

You get your three standard rear pockets, elasticated and rather roomy cuffs, and a two-way zipper covered almost entirely by a storm flap save for a short section at the bottom, presumably to allow more easy use of the lower zip tab and help actually do it up initially in the first place.

Unlike do-it-all solutions like the Assos Equipe R Habu, this is a jacket that’s for layering up under. The cuffs can accommodate really large winter gloves within them, and inside you’d be able to fit any jersey you like, plus a decent mid-layer like the Velocio Alpha Long sleeve, which is effectively just another layer of Alpha Direct but in jersey form.

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Performance

While the Assos Equipe R jacket was comfortable in a second skin, supportive way, the Velocio Alpha Zero jacket is comfortable because it is entirely unrestrictive. The fabric has a pleasing stretch, and it’s got a fit that screams big, all-day miles in the cold. The fleece lining is extremely soft, and especially when it’s wrapped against your neck it leads to an extremely cosy feeling.

I’ve spent long hours in quite miserable weather in this jacket: bleak, misty, foggy, damp; the sort of weather that, once you get cold, it’s nearly impossible to warm up in. Happily the Alpha Zero kept me super snug, perhaps too snug. I previously was a huge fan of the brand’s Alpha Meino Air jacket, which had an even more cosy merino loft insulation, but with a thinner, more breathable face fabric. This was more comfortable for me as a relatively warm person, but it didn’t perform so well in the damp.

The decision to use Polartech Power Shield as the face fabric means the breathability is reduced, and as such the warmth has increased, but unless you’re very cold-blooded I wouldn’t recommend this as a jacket for doing intense rides in, it’s just too toasty.

Layering up properly inside it, with a good winter cycling base layer, a thin merino jersey, and a fleecy mid-layer, I cannot think of conditions that would exceed its capabilities in the scope of normal road riding. Beyond the capabilities of this jacket, you’re looking at riding in a down jacket, at which point temperature regulation becomes a nightmare.

My acid test is whether I need gloves or not. If the jacket is keeping me sufficiently warm I’ve often no need for gloves, even down to around zero degrees. The Alpha Zero jacket definitely passed this test.

If the temperature does climb, the looser fit, in combination with the dual zips, encourages a greater degree of airflow than is possible with more form-fitting competitors. Even when I found things a little too hot, which for me was approaching 10ºC/50ºF, the dual zips were sufficient to stop me from red-lining. This is beyond the stated temperature range, and while I think you'd have to really get your layers right to be comfortable in -17ºC / 1ºF, I think it could be possible.

The rear pockets are extremely roomy, but they don’t feel the most secure, with only a thin hem at the top. I’d advise that, given this will go over a jersey, these are kept for things you want too hand (snacks, layers) and valuables should go inside. Even so, for the price, there’s actually quite a lack of additional features. No reflective details, extra pockets, adjustment, valuables pocket. It is just a very good, very warm winter shell, so your storage solutions will have to come from within.

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Value

I’m going to wager that if you’re reading this then you have struggled to stay warm in the cold. With an RRP of $329/£258 it’s not as expensive as some jackets I’ve tested, and as an investment in staying warm it’s not an unreasonable price by any stretch.

Do factor in that, in order to get the warmest setup though you probably need a capable mid-layer, which is going to add some cost. You may already have one that works, but just bear in mind that while I think this is a very cosy jacket indeed, it’s only the warmest as part of a total system.

I would also say that the lack of additional features does knock it down a smidge in terms of value. When you have jackets like the Van Rysel Winter Road Cycling Jacket Endurance with 10 pockets (yes, ten) for under £70 it perhaps isn’t too much to ask for somewhere safe to stash your keys and card at the very least.

Verdict 

If you struggle in the cold, especially if you ride somewhere cold and damp, prone to fog, mist, and drizzle for days on end, then the Velocio Alpha Zero should be on your radar. As a final layer in a super-warm layering system, I think it’s probably unmatched at the moment, and while it lacks features, the fact that it’s so clearly an outer layer to be worn with a jersey (and mid-layer) underneath does make me forgive the lack of extra details.

If you’re doing shorter, harder rides, or are particularly keen on aerodynamics even in the winter months then look elsewhere, but for long, slower days in single-digit temperatures with moisture in the air, it’s fabulous.