The best cycling jacket will keep the nasty heavy rain out, will keep you feeling warm on your commute into work and allow your skin to breathe so you won’t be dripping with sweat. But how do you know which one to buy? What should you look for? Is there any difference between a £50 and a £150 cycling jacket? All these questions will be answered here.
What to look for in a cycling jacket
A lot of people just think “why don’t I just pickup any old waterproof jacket?” There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, it’s perfectly fine and will no doubt work out cheaper. However, if you do cycle often then you are better off with a jacket designed for cycling. The instant difference you will notice with cycling jackets is that they are cut with a longer back to accommodate for forward leaning. Also they feel more comfortable and allow a full range of movement. Here some of the things you should look for when buying a waterproof cycling jacket.
- Light vs. heavy – In my personal experience it is better to have a lighter waterproof cycling jacket rather than a heavier one. The reason being that you soon warm up from the exercise and it is better to have the option to add layers than be stuck with a heavy jacket that makes you sweat. Also it is easier to fold away.
- Neck – a high neck is better to protect from wind and rain
- Waterproof zip – one of the main places water gets in, so look for a jacket that has a flap to keep it out
- Sleeves – these should go right down to your wrists when you’re in cycling position
- Reflective material – anything that helps you be seen by others is useful so pick a jacket that has at least some reflective material
- Hood – when cycling in London or any city cycling a hood can create dangerous blind spots. However if out and about on a trail then it can be useful for keeping you dry.
- Breathability and water resistant – often people buy cycling jackets expecting miracles, like no sweat what so ever. The truth is, if on naked skin there is sweat then there will also be sweat with a cycling jacket. Usually the more water resistant a jacket is the less breathable it is. It’s not a perfect world and you can’t have both!
- Storage – some jackets are better at folding into compact spaces to save space
- Fabrics – every cyclist you ask swears by a certain fabric. Gore-tex is an often mentioned name and this is one of the higher end materials. In all honesty I think you are better off not worrying so much about the fabric and instead looking for a jacket where the seams such as zips and vents are well protected as this is where water is likely to sneak in.
As a general rule the more you spend the less you have to trade off between the above features. Having said that if your just starting out then even the budget jackets are perfectly good.
Popular waterproof cycling jackets
All of these jackets come highly recommended in reviews and are popular choices.
DHB Amberley
This jacket is one of the best bargain options. It received 9/10 in Cycling Plus tests and performed very well at keeping the rider dry thanks to plenty of protection around the seams. I found it at an excellent price on Wiggle. The only problem with it is that it is a bit bulky so it’s not for those that are really tight on space but I think it is a good trade off for the price.
Altura jacket range
Some cyclists swear by the Altura range however I have found the long term quality is not good. Ones I personally avoid are the Altura Night Vision Jacket and the Altura Ergo Fit because they tend to cause much sweating and are ready for the bin within 6 months. The one Altura jacket I would recommend is the Pocket Rocket which keeps even the heaviest rain out and folds into a tiny ball.
Endura Stealth jacket
If you have the money to spend on something more impressive then the Endura Stealth Jacket is highly recommended. It is designed to have a snug fit which is great for windy conditions and features stretchy, quiet material (Perhaps homage to its name?). The jacket looks great and combines good ventilation openings with waterproofing which is a hard match to come across. This is a jacket that will make a lot of people jealous of you. Take a look at it on Wiggle.
I’ve had my Altura jacket for 3 years now, the bright yellow is fading and alot of the relfective stickers have peeled away but it still keeps me dry. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a jacket to use all through the year as it’s not that thick. They also do larger sizes than most cycle companies, so good for the *ahem* fuller figured cyclist.
I’ve had an Altura jacket that’s now going into its third winter. A bit grubby from tyre splash, but otherwise still keeps the wet out and (being yellow with reflective bits) keeps the cars off, too. One thing I would say, however, is that there are no reflective patches on the cuffs or arms. If you are a cyclist on the road who signals, then this would be a useful addition.
I recently bought the Altura Nightvision Evo jacket. Totally waterproof and you can’t miss me in that lurid hi-viz green! Lots of reflective strips on it – you can’t go wrong. Well worth the money.
Looks like I’m the only one with a negative experience of Altura cycling jackets!
> Looks like I’m the only one with a negative experience of Altura cycling jackets!
What didn’t you like about the Altura jackets?
I found that the reflective material faded out really fast making the jacket look tacky. Also I found it was very sweat inducing considering I’m not the type of person to sweat much. Also the pocket on it ripped within maybe 4 months of buying it. All in all was not impressed. But perhaps I had a bad experience and it seems that a lot of other people like them.
Hi Andreas, great article… My only Altura experience was unfortunately negative too. I bought an Altura Crossmax a few weeks ago, & the first time I wore it in heavy rain it leaked at the zip & through the shoulders as well. The website I bought it from said that the seam taping on the shoulders was probably defective, but that the zip was only meant to be ‘water-resistant’ – though fortunately after some cajoling they were good enough to offer me a refund. So now I’m on the lookout for a replacement, will definitely take a look at that DHB one.
Thanks Robin, glad you enjoyed
At least you managed to get your money back. It is weird how so many people have mixed experiences of Altura jackets. Maybe they don’t have good production quality checks so the quality varies. Hope you like the DHB one
used endura stealth jacket since they came out.reasonable water resistance,but not for downpours and the cuff stitching failed on both wrists
Just thought i’d add to this…. Today it is monsoon weather outside: Wet, Windy, FREEZING….
So my cycle jacket got put to the test (yes, i did cycle in. Once you’re out and commited, there’s no turning back).
I have an Altura Night Vision Evo Waterproof Cycling Jacket, and I can categorically state, it is totally waterproof, and windproof. And visible from space. What more can a girl want
Awesome, thanks for coming back and reporting on the jacket you bought! It’s much appreciated
Zip on my Altura Night Vision jacket lasted about six months before catastrophic failure. Not impressed by that.
I have tried most and have not been pleased until I recently purchased a Showers Pass Elite jacket. Nothing compares and it is well worth the price. Most impressive waterproof jacket I have eve owned.
I’d swear on any Gore-Tex Paclite product, I Know it’s expensive, but it has never failed me. I’ve been in torrential rain and everything under my Paclite was dry (except for the sweaty bits). Packs up small, well tailored, fantastic
not sweaty in my showers pass elite. it is the most breathable waterproof jacket I have found, and has multiple features including ventilating cuffs and waterproof zippered pit zips.
Just bought a polaris quantum in black for £85 and am very happy with it. Very waterproof this evening, back pocket can hold compact camera, 2 lights and gloves at a push. Little pocket on front for map etc, nice velcro cuffs. Being black was bit apprehensive but the reflective bits seem to work. Personally I would have designed it with stripes, but hey. Most importantly the zips don’t run out in 3 months like altura. I would definitely recommend. Has a hood too.
Another thing to consider when buying a jacket is the number and size of pockets it has. Can be very useful if you are carrying, keys, mobile, inner tubes, mini pumps etc.
In ProBikekit – Polaris Neutron PBK Exclusive Waterproof Jacket was given 9/10 and a Best Buy award by CyclingPlus Magazine – Dec 2009 – It was on offer for around £50 a month or so a go. so worth watching as may reduce price sometime again.
The colour did not really appeal to me as want to be seen as much as possible.
I’ve got a set of OMM Kamleika Smock and trousers. Very light weight, stretchy and comfortable. The smock has thumb holes in the sleeves so that the sleeves protect the top of the hands too. It also has a deep zip at the front so that you can pull the jacket off over your head without removing your helmet, and provides good ventilation too.
Having gone through 2 Altura Nightvision jackets in recent years, I have to reluctantly agree with Andreas- while well designed, they lost their waterproofing to the degree where I would be soaked in a 10 minute downpour. This was within 1- 1.5 years of commuting, mostly wearing it just in the autumn- spring. With the most recent one, I thought to extend its life a bit by washing it with Nikwax proofing as per the instructions, and over half the membrane washed completely off leaving white bits all over the place.
I’ve ordered an Endura Gridlock jacket this time and will see if that is any better. I would have ordered a DHB jacket but for some inexplicable reason they seem to only produce them in Invisible Black now, the last thing I want to be wearing on a dark winter night in the city.
For me what it works best is a rain cape. About a month ago I bought one in Decathlon in Surrey Quays and it works perfectly fine. It has a heavy and sturdy rubber feel to it and offers excellent rain protection, keeping you well ventilated from underneath. Surprinsingly at the end of the journey the only wet parts are my toes, making me a happy under-the-rain biker.
I haven’t got the mudguards intalled yet so I can’t really ride too fast. I guess that as for a fast commuter a cycling jacket works better.
I thought I’d say that I saw a guy wearing one of these new Proviz jackets the other night – I thought it would be brilliant for commuting this winter. I’ve been thinking of buying a new jacket for this winter and seeing this made my mind up. The glow is amazing – really made him stick out! They’re a new company according to their website http://www.proviz.co.uk they do some cool stuff.
I agree, i saw a cyclist with a PROVIZ Helmet too, it had lights on the front and back integrated into the helmet and it was hi vis yellow, such a great idea. He was wearing a PROVIZ jacket too. Definitely going to get both of these as it sure is getting darker.