Home Reviews ,,,,, Cyclists who train in winter but also simple amateurs who like to spend a few hours on the cold January Sundays on the bike could find great benefits by accompanying physical activity with the right equipment. Of the many accessories that could (and should) buy, we recently tried a thermal jacket and an ultra-light backpack produced by Tomshoo and which gave us the opportunity to train even in winter by being able to carry some items in comfort.
The thermal jacket
The jacket has very simple lines: in two colors (purely black with some areas, in our model, blue in color), it has a collar that covers most of the neck and being very tight it wraps it completely, preventing it from seeping into the body. even the smallest draft of air, also thanks to the classic flap that covers the neck, preventing air infiltration. From this point of view, the jacket is well designed, with tight cuffs and an elastic band around the waist assisted by a rubberized strip (in the images it can be recognized by the white color) that almost “sticks” to the underlying garment, preventing the jacket get on, The non-slip material is really effective and does its job perfectly.
The interior is fully lined with thermal fleece to keep the body warm while the exterior is made of windproof polyester with a water repellent coating. In practice, you stay warm inside and cold air and any rain are repelled very well outside, all in a garment that is very light and not bulky at all. We used it during a winter outing instead of our branded jacket (Gore) and we must say that combined with a thermal shirt it did its job very well with an outside temperature below about 5 degrees.
The zipper felt very sturdy to us, although the base coupling could perhaps have been more solid, and the long buttonhole sewn on the top of the neck that partially covers the zipper both front and back is a choice that we particularly appreciated as it avoids that you can scratch your chin while running or, even worse, that you can get your beard entangled (this has happened several times in the past, with common jackets that are not suitable for the purpose).
There are not many pockets other than a breast pocket for a key and a credit card and two pockets with elasticated closure on the lower back for a bottle of water, a snack and little else, perhaps a smartphone. These pockets are slightly less capacious than others that we find on major brand jackets. This, as we will explain later, is however a shortcoming that is easily forgotten if you combine the jacket with a pouch or a backpack like the one we took for the test. It should also be noted that a jacket like this is designed for urban rather than competitive use and therefore the back pockets could be of little significance for many of the readers
It should be noted that the sleeves end precisely at the wrist, indeed they are slightly short. Not only the type of covers that can be used in case the cyclist does not like gloves. The elastic is of good quality and does not tighten too much. At the rear, the descent towards the lower back is not very pronounced, but it is sufficient to protect the most exposed part of the cyclist's bottom.
The backpack
The backpack is very compact for the capacity actually supported (20 liters). This too is two-tone (in our case it is black and green, but there is also blue and black to match it even better with the jacket or all black so as not to have any visual matching problems with one or more sets) and offers a series of pockets, straps and openings specially designed to make cycling as pleasant as possible.
There are two main pockets: one, external, with some smaller pockets to divide the various objects that can be inserted inside, such as a pair of glasses, a wallet or a mobile phone. The innermost one is slightly larger and has a kitchen pocket on the back designed to accommodate a water bladder. The tube of the latter can be easily passed through the special opening on the upper edge, thus being able to access it easily during the race and without having to stop or temporarily remove the backpack from the shoulders.
Then there are two small pockets with elasticated closure on the sides and two on the bottom of the backpack: one holds the rain bag that can be temporarily fixed above the backpack to keep objects safe during a sudden shower of rain, the other instead has a inside a sort of mesh buttonhole that locks with two hooks on the upper area of the backpack and can be used to lock a jacket externally. Finally, two small pockets on the sides of the belt that locks at the waist are particularly useful for storing small objects to always have at hand, such as a flashlight or the remote control of an electronic gate.
Speaking of shoulder straps: they are light but sturdy, with a breathable area to promote sweating especially in summer and have hooks that allow you to firmly fix the hose of the hydration bladder, so that it is always within reach and does not jump or run away during the bike ride. Then there is a handle and several straps on the back to adjust the thickness of the backpack, which can thus be thinner (even a lot) if there are not many objects stored inside. Another, on the chest, allows the backpack to be securely locked to the body, partially unloading its weight in this area.
The back is semi-rigid: inside there is in fact a thin, probably synthetic core, very flexible, which remains very light but prevents objects inside the backpack, especially if angular, from causing discomfort by pushing in specific points on the back. There are also several openings that improve breathability.
The fabric, as we said, is very light but at the same time the manufacturer ensures that it resists tearing and is water repellent, thus being able to withstand any splashes of water or small showers of rain. Our test sample is missing an additional removable bag that can be attached to the shoulder strap of the backpack and allows you to store a mobile phone and other small items such as a bunch of keys and little else.
We point out that the uncle could perhaps have been completed with a pocket for a laptop or tablet. Even this accessory, like the jacket, could be a good travel companion on city trips between home and work. Or to school and a place to store such a common accessory as a laptop could perhaps have been foreseen.
Conclusions
What struck us about the jacket and backpack is the high lightness of both. For the jacket you hardly notice you are wearing it and yet it keeps the body completely warm: as mentioned, we have tried it in these days when the winter is very rigid and it has allowed us to train without perceiving the slightest draft. air. With the backpack there is really room for everything, even for demanding mountain bike rides: the pockets are numerous and allow you to adapt the arrangement of the contents according to the occasion and the adjustments ensure that the backpack remains glued to the back, cluttering the less possible, ensuring excellent aerodynamics.
Ultimately these are two good products, useful for the cyclist season, especially in the city. We know that in some centers moving by car or even by moped can sometimes be very tiring due to the prohibitions due to the difficulty in finding parking, we also know that in winter it is not easy to have “technical” material available for this purpose. Tomshoo fixes these problems at a modest price.
Retail price
You can buy both on Amazon. The jacket costs 34.99 euros and is available in five different sizes (S, M, L, XL and XXL) and three color combinations (black-blue, black-red and black with red zipper). The backpack costs 39.99 euros and is available in four different colors (black-blue, black-green, black-yellow-red and completely black).
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