The Madison Sportive Softshell Jacket holds many similarities with the Endura Windchill Jacket 2. Actually, minus the lack of colour choice and logo, we’d say they’re almost the same. The Madison weighs in at £79.99 which is slightly on the cheaper side, although everything else from the performance to the aesthetic is almost identical.
In fact, while writing this review we had to stop to check that we’d actually changed jackets. So it’s unsurprising that the review has come out identical.
Summer is just around the corner, the weather is beginning to slowly change it’s mind. When you head out in shorts and a jersey, occasionally the dark cloud or grey day encourage you to take a light windproof jacket. Grabbing yourself a solid windproof jacket is a fantastic idea to carry you through until the sun really comes out to play.
A windproof jacket is a favourite amongst commuters and mountain bikers. Although the morning and evening commutes being on the light side at the moment, they can carry quite a chill! And a jacket that can be used right through to the end of the year would be a benefit to most of us.
At £79.99 retail, this jacket isn’t on the cheap side. At the time of writing this Cyclestore.co.uk are stocking the item at £59.99. This puts the Madison Sportive Softshell Jacket in the middle of the range for the average windproof layer. If not slightly on the cheap side compared to other jackets of this high quality.
Aesthetic:
With a choice of two different colours this jacket is made to suit all riders. The general scheme of the jacket is a simple, slick design with reflective stripes on the upper sleeve and the Madison badge on the chest. The Madison logo features on the sleeve of the jacket too. Accompanied by a generous lapel pocket, seamlessly hidden in the the chest of the jacket. The Madison Sportive Softshell Jacket doesn’t look too dissimilar to most other active wear, minus the pockets on the back.
Despite being plain, the quality of this jacket greatly improves the aesthetic. The materials have been well chosen to add to both quality, function and aesthetic. We felt that Madison could have been more adventurous with the designs of the jacket. Although it has to be said that the sleek, safe design does work well. If it’s working for Endura, it’s also working for Madison. The question is, who started this war of similarity.
The rear of the jacket has been kept plain with with a simple Madison badge on the scruff of the neck. I wonder where I’ve seen that before? In terms of visibility the jacket is quite poor. With only the reflective strips on the side, the black version of the jacket could have had more done to improve the rear visibility. The green is visible in most environments and the other two options are more visible in daylight.
Performance:
Despite concerns of visibility and safety, the Madison Sportive Softshell functions exceptionally well. With three deep pockets on the rear for nutrition and any repair kits you may carry. A large, secure zip pocket on the front allows any valuables to be carried out of the way.
The openable under 
arm vents allow moisture to escape from the jacket without letting too much rain or water into the layers underneath. Regulating the interior temperature is done well here and is always one of the harder tasks of a windchill jacket. The jackets material expels all windchill from the front of the jacket, allowing you to keep warm right through the ride. The long arms and high collar allow extra protection at these external points.
It’s nice to see Madison have considered these points, even if we know where it came from. Compared to many of the high end windproof jackets the thermal fabric holds its own in Madisons Sportive Softshell. It’s a very versatile jacket and comes out one of the best on test for stopping rain as well as wind.
Verdict:
For a price tag of £60, this jacket successfully holds its own against any others out there on the market. A jacket that performs in the racing world, despite coming at often over half the cost. It’s safe, simple design doesn’t appeal to the more stylish rider, but performance is again at the top of the agenda for this garment. We enjoying testing this jacket and consider it great value for money, definitely worth looking into. And if it’s out of stock, you know where to look
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Value - 89%89%
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Aesthetic - 79%79%
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Performance - 85%85%
