Vectrum999 wrote: ↑2 Nov 2022, 8:47am
Thanks for the suggestion people - looking at sub £100 so some suggestions way over my budget.
Just want something that's easy to pack to chuck on on the way home after work if it's started raining. Pack-a-mac I suppose. A fairly good one
Specifying the budget at the start may have avoided a lot of the suggestions on here of £200+ jackets which are clearly pointless!
Your usage suggests a more "in case of emergencies" jacket rather than something you plan to wear for all day riding through any conditions that may come your way so something like this is probably perfect: https://www.rapha.cc/gb/en/shop/mens-co ... TLW01XXBLK
Check the sizing guide but those Commuter Jackets are specifically cut much more relaxed than Rapha's more expensive "pro training" offerings.
Vectrum999 wrote: ↑2 Nov 2022, 8:47am
Thanks for the suggestion people - looking at sub £100 so some suggestions way over my budget.
It's the fit more than the style I guess - all XXL cycling gear seems to be tiny, no matter what it is and who it's made by.
May look at generic Mountain Warehouse/Trespass - I know the XXL fits there.
Just want something that's easy to pack to chuck on on the way home after work if it's started raining. Pack-a-mac I suppose. A fairly good one
I asked the same question years back for my long distance touring. The perfect waterproof cycling ie lightweight, breathable etc is like looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I eventually settled on Montane (I've looked and can't see which version it is) , loads of ventilation as suggested included pit zips, I think I paid about £60 in a sale. Its survived a few long distance trips getting stuffed in and out of a pannier, I also wear it as a walking jacket. I'm usually a L but required XL.
soapbox wrote: ↑31 Oct 2022, 9:40pm
I've always thought Gortex overrated. A far better alternative in my opinion is Paramo. The styling and detail isn't great, but for keeping you dry both from rain and sweat it beats Goretex. It's not cheap either, but can be re-proofed again and again.
Yes, but...
Paramo stuff works in part by means of a liner that's about the same thickness, weight and not dissimilar thermal properties to a microfleece, which isn't a problem if you'd be wearing a mid-layer anyway, but if you'd find that a bit on the hot side then you'll cook. Being more breathable is a bit of a moot point if you're sweating twice as much in the first place...
This means it's rather optimised for cold and wet and relatively un-fast riding.
Another advantage is if you rip it you can just sew it up and it'll still work. It doesn't need seam taping.
Mick F wrote: ↑31 Oct 2022, 4:12pm
Goretex.
Full stop.
You'll find them on various websites, and they come in wide variety of sizes too.
Goretex is a good (range of) product(s) but it's certainly not the only game in town, even if it is the market leader. There's plenty of other membrane technologies that are generally as good (I have eEvent and Barricade jackets which aren't clearly any worse).
And one needs to remember that however good a fabric is, we wear garments rather than fabrics. A perfect fabric in a garment that doesn't fit is less use than a good fabric in a garment that does.
One plus for Gore is they exercise considerable QA oversight over anyone they license their fabrics to. Assuming you have an appropriate design and size it's damn hard to get a "lemon".
Vectrum999 wrote: ↑31 Oct 2022, 3:42pm
I'm 6ft 2ins, 16 stone and 48" chest and having real trouble finding a half decent lightweight waterproof jacket to fit me.
I know I'm not the typical pencil thin cyclist, but I didn't think it would be this hard to find a cycling jacket.
Any suggestions gratefully received please? (and I don't mean go on a diet or do more cycling or anything unhelpful like that).
Personally I'm not a huge fan of most "cycling" waterproofs, and I find walking/mountaineering kit suits me better, even on a bike. There's also a bigger choice and it's easier to find to try on, and the market seems to treat larger people (in all dimensions) rather better
Unless you particularly want rear pockets I'd go and have a trawl in your local hillwalking supplier.
In our house my wife has a gossamer thin Marmot jacket which is less than 200g, both of us use a Rohan "Momentum" jacket (currently in their bargain bin, see https://www.rohan.co.uk/offers/mens-mom ... rance&p=dp) at 275g and I have a similar weight OMM Kamleika jacket. All work fine on a bike 'cause it's the same rain!
One downside of walking gear is the hoods don't go over helmets, but then the lid helps keep the rain off anyway and you retain better vision all around without it. You can get around that with a climbing jacket, but they tend to be heavier duty. Walking and climbing jackets generally have better hoods for if you're not wearing a lid (including off the bike) with stiffened brims.
Went for a Mountain Warehouse lightweight water resistant XL in the end - one of those grey ones that turn reflective bright white in headlights. Perfect fit - packable and half price at £30.
We shall see.
If you run on the hot side, like I do, there is no such thing as a jacket that keeps you dry. You can keep the rain out, but you'll still be soaked. Gore-Tex is for people who barely sweat, or walkers.
rogerzilla wrote: ↑15 Nov 2022, 8:03am
If you run on the hot side, like I do, there is no such thing as a jacket that keeps you dry. You can keep the rain out, but you'll still be soaked.
I've ridden with people that say this; turns out they're usually very damp even on dry days!
Vectrum999 wrote: ↑14 Nov 2022, 9:20am
Went for a Mountain Warehouse lightweight water resistant XL in the end - one of those grey ones that turn reflective bright white in headlights. Perfect fit - packable and half price at £30.
We shall see.
"Water resistant" is useful in short showers or dreich but it relies on surface tension to keep the water out, and once the water has worked its way through you get very wet very quickly, so for heavy and/or prolonged rain it's not much use. On the upside, it'll be more breathable (i.e. comfortable) than a formal waterproof for merely damp conditions.
Another thing to note is that Mountain Warehouse work on the sofa sales pricing model, i.e. you'd have to really try to buy anything full price. This doesn't mean you have a bad item but it's probably a good £30 jacket rather than a twice-as-good jacket you scored for an amazing price.
Vectrum999 wrote: ↑14 Nov 2022, 9:20am
Went for a Mountain Warehouse lightweight water resistant XL in the end - one of those grey ones that turn reflective bright white in headlights. Perfect fit - packable and half price at £30.
We shall see.
"Water resistant" is useful in short showers or dreich but it relies on surface tension to keep the water out, and once the water has worked its way through you get very wet very quickly, so for heavy and/or prolonged rain it's not much use. On the upside, it'll be more breathable (i.e. comfortable) than a formal waterproof for merely damp conditions.
Another thing to note is that Mountain Warehouse work on the sofa sales pricing model, i.e. you'd have to really try to buy anything full price. This doesn't mean you have a bad item but it's probably a good £30 jacket rather than a twice-as-good jacket you scored for an amazing price.
Pete.
IME, one of the important parameters here is the length of the ride. ie If it's eg a 30-45 minute commute then with perhaps something to protect your chest in all but the coldest weather, then just add more layers of jumpers etc. If it's longer than that, then the cooling effect of the evaporating moisture is likely to make you increasingly cold and miserable and a waterproof will keep you warm inside, even if warm = rather hot and sweaty.
Ride duration is certainly a factor in deciding what is sufficiently water resistant. The crucial thing is that you must not get too cold, and being wet for too long can lead to you being cold. If you are wet but warm, that doesn't matter so much. It is on longer rides, where maintaining a vigorous pace isn't possible, that getting really cold is a big danger. And that is where having a waterproof rather than water resistant jacket is more important.
This was hammered home for me about twenty years ago when I attempted my first Bryan Chapman Memorial Ride (620km from Chepstow to Menai Bridge and back) and had to withdraw due to the onset of hypothermia as my ability to generate my own heat was overhwelmed by the rain seeping in through a water resistant jacket. At first I had difficulty steering due to shivering, but then I noticed the shivering had stopped and I was feeling numb and lethargic, which I recognised as the next step towards a life threatening situation. When I got home I ordered a Goretex jacket and never had that situation again. Yes, it still got sweaty riding with that jacket, but better that than being too cold.
I am not saying Goretex is the only effective waterproof membrane, because it isn't, but at that time it was a reliable name that I knew.
(Drifting off the topic a little, it is my experience that waterproof / breathable membranes such as Goretex can work well on clothing, but don't work well for very long in footwear. I have had several pairs of non-cycling shoes/boots that have been reliant on membranes for waterproofing, and all have failed within a year. If I want waterproofed footwear I go for leather or something else that is waterproof on the outside, and not reliant on a thin membrane beneath the surface. The worst boots we have had were some Peter Storm hiking boots my wife bought early in the summer, which let water in the first time she walked across wet grass. When she returned them to Blacks the man behind the counter apologised, refunded, and said they had to sell them but they knew they were rubbish and wished they didn't have to.)
To state the obvious, the duration of any ride can be unexpectedly extended by problems such as punctures, including those sustained by others. And that's when a rider won't be generating much body heat so an emergency jacket can be useful.
