Hi
I'm hoping that some of you will be able to share recommendations for a commuting jacket. I'm looking for something that
Has front pockets for phone, wallet etc.
And a chest pocket (rear pocket is nice but not essential)
Has good ventilation (ideally 'pit zips)
Is waterproof (or at least very water resistant
Isn't Hi Vis but has reflectives
Is suitable for wearing in the pub as well as for getting there
I have been using for Altura jackets for ages but their build quality has become incredibly flimsy with zips breaking as soon as you look at them. I'm currently trying to get a refund on my latest one and won't be using them again.
I also like Showers Pass, I have a six year old Elite which is probably not what you're looking for and a few month old Refuge which might be.
But there's loads of choice and much of it is excellent, and there's probably as much variation in opinions as in jackets. My own is that buying cheap or expensive can be great value in their own way, but there's a whole range in the middle that's often disappointing.
I have a jacket that fits the bill, but it is an Altura. It's a few years old, the quality must have gone down hill recently, or you have just been unlucky.
Madison (https://www.madison.cc/) do some nice (imo!) commuter-ish jackets, esp. good on the 'pockets' and 'wearable in the pub' criteria. The one I have (the 'Roam') is fairly thick, though, and doesn't have pit-zips, so is good for winter and/or fairly gentle riding, but might be a bit too warm otherwise.
(I also have a Showers Pass jacket, and would recommend those too!)
If you drop the reflectives criterion you will have a much bigger range to go at. I'm not against reflectives as such - on the contrary - but some of the reflective piping on jackets is little use. What looks great if you shine a torch on it in your living room will be a lot less conspicuous to a driver out on the road. This is why hi-viz togs have such broad reflective stripes. Also, the angles of reflection involved mean that anything on your feet or ankles is considerably more conspicuous.
Would anyone suggest jackets that meet 4+ of the 6 bullets, plus a current non-scammer seller and price, please? My current roubaix jacket (windproof front, breathable back, mesh pockets that double as vents) has a failing zip, is faded and worn, and is no longer sold!
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
mjr wrote: ↑12 May 2021, 11:46am
Would anyone suggest jackets that meet 4+ of the 6 bullets, plus a current non-scammer seller and price, please? My current roubaix jacket (windproof front, breathable back, mesh pockets that double as vents) has a failing zip, is faded and worn, and is no longer sold!
4 of the 6 will include just about any out door quality jacket, I have a trespass walking jacket that hits five of the points and I could hit 6 if I stuck some high viz on
Cost me 35 quid three years ago and looks good for another decade of use.
As for scammers, cycling specific gear seems to carry at least a 100% mark up as a gullible fool tax
jo' bo wrote: ↑12 May 2021, 12:34pm
4 of the 6 will include just about any out door quality jacket, I have a trespass walking jacket that hits five of the points and I could hit 6 if I stuck some high viz on
Cost me 35 quid three years ago and looks good for another decade of use.
So why not tell us which one it is of the 132 listed on their site?
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
jo' bo wrote: ↑12 May 2021, 12:34pm
4 of the 6 will include just about any out door quality jacket, I have a trespass walking jacket that hits five of the points and I could hit 6 if I stuck some high viz on
Cost me 35 quid three years ago and looks good for another decade of use.
So why not tell us which one it is of the 132 listed on their site?
Doesnt work like that, get down to tkmax and see what they have on offer
Trespassing is really good quality outdoor clothing, pick one you like the look of that's fits you criteria.
I'm not a big fan of black clothes when cycling but it does have reflectives. Endura themsleves are out of stock in most sizes but you should find it elsewhere. You may need to go up a size, I find their stuff a little small-sized.
The Showers Pass Refuge jacket PH suggested is probably the jacket that ticks more of the OP's boxes than any other. And so it should given that its RRP is three times the price of the Endura jacket mentioned above (although Showers Pass offer a 10% discount to new customers, and a larger discount when they have a sale at other times of the year, e.g. Black Friday). Since the OP has not suggested a budget or price limit, I would say get the Refuge jacket.
I'd agree, the Showers Pass jacket is almost undoubtedly better than the Endura one at a third of the price, but as the OP currently has an Altura jacket, the Endura one would seem to be much closer to his price point (no offence intended OP!). As it's for commuting and going to the pub, it seemed like a good, reasonably priced option.
Hi
thanks everyone for the really helpful advice. After much dithering I bought myself a Transit jacket from Showers Pass. Very impressed with how well put together it is compared to the flimsy quality of the one it is replacing