Yes!! What I always suspected to be true, is now scientifically proven: women have good reasons to complain. About temperatures that is. Cold temperatures, more specifically. According to Van Marken Lichtenbelt, professor of Ecological Energetics and Health at Maastricht University: ” Women produce less heat than men. They actually have a smaller heater in their body. That’s because women have relatively less lean body mass than men. They have fewer muscles and more fat. “
So, we women feel cold more quickly and there is nothing we can do about it. Or actually there is. Well, at least when we are training on our bikes.
What is it we can do about it then? I was lucky enough to test the AGU* deep thermo winter jacket & merino wool base layer.
The merino wool base layer has a super soft touch. Merino wool is known for keeping your body dry and regulating temperature in a natural way as its natural fibers whisk away your sweat easily. I love this sustainable trend in (sports) clothes which makes use of more natural materials.
We love riding in nature so we need to take care of it, with love, as well!
The thermo winter jacket has built-in electric heat panels. Really? REALLY! The windproof and water-repellent jacket has electric heating on chest and back and with the built-in knob you can adjust the temperature to suit your efforts and regulate your body temperature. There are three different temperature positions. The rechargeable powerbank has a lifespan of 6 hours.
The jacket has a cool look and tight fit, the sleeves even feel more like a longsleeve shirt but the body, due to its padded lining, definitely feels like a jacket. The jacket wears comfortable and feels quite warm due to this padded lining. The wind,- and waterproof material ensure you do not need to wear an additional windstopper. Nice!
A detail of the thermo jacket I really like is that the AGU logo on the chest, is also the knob that you push to regulate the temperature, red being the highest temperature, blue the medium temperature and green the lowest.
Temperature was around 3 degrees as I started my ride. I was wearing only the merino wool base layer underneath the jacket and I set the deep thermo wind jacket on level green. This was the perfect temperature for my warming-up. After about 15 minutes I turned off the heating as I felt warm enough. Mind you, temperature was just above zero and I had the wind in my back. I rode my usual route and did not feel the need to turn the heating on again.
It was not until I stopped for a coffee afterwards that I realized how cold it actually was. The best thing to actually do then is to take a hot bath. Since the Cafe did not have a bathtub, turning on my thermo winter jacket was the second best thing I could do. Lovely to feel the warmth on my tummy, chest and lower back. Felt like having a hot jug without loosing sense of style 😉
My opinion? The merino wool base layer kept me perfectly warm and dry underneath the thermo winter jacket without the need for an additional layer in between. In the conditions that I went for a ride (3+ degrees) the thermo winter jacket was ideal for keeping me warm during my warming-up and not cooling me down during my cooling down and coffee break!
To me this jacket sort of falls in the category of intelligent or smart clothes. Being able to regulate the temperature of your (sports) wear/clothing with wires powered by a powerbank. Pretty smart. The next step might be a bluetooth connection with your smartphone? And why not equipe regular jackets with this feature? I am sure a lot of people will be thrilled (e.g. soccer or hockey moms). Perhaps further in time.
For now I will look closer in time: the cold winter days and rides in the weeks ahead. Those days are over for me. Hello to warm winter rides! No reason for this woman to complain.
And as for complaining men? There is a version for men as well.
For the Dutch, biking is second nature. That’s why at AGU they are so crazy about biking : it’s in their genes. And they want to ensure that everyone enjoys biking as much as they do. So whether it’s a racer in the Tour de France, a commuter, or bicycling friends on Sunday morning, AGU keeps cyclists dry on rainy days and provide protection and comfort during those many hours in the saddle. This way, regardless of their condition, destination or ambition, every cyclist can head out each day in comfort and safety.
KimQ76 