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Best commuting jacket?

(49 posts)
  • Started 12 years ago by Smudge
  • Latest reply from Greenroofer

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12

  1. Min
    Member

    I love my Surface jacket but I did get mine for less than half price, otherwise it is over £100. It seems to me to be better than waterproof as I do not get the same clammy dampness when riding as with Goretex etc. It is not the sort of garment one stuffs into the bottom of a pannier just in case though.

    I do have a heavy Goretex jacket which is suitable for winter riding and prety damned waterproof that I would be willing to sell you for a trifling sum (say £20) if it fitted and you liked it but A) It is lime green and B) It has velcro all up the front and has a tendancy to velcro your windpipe to your spine while riding. However I will bring it to PY one morning if you or anyone else might be interested?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. Roibeard
    Member

    I used/abused a Freestyle Gore-Tex jacket for many years in my short commute, however I found it warm and insufficiently breathable for summer use. Having ripped it, I bought a Paramo Quito, which does appear to be operating on a quantum level of magic - one can actually breathe through it, yet it remains waterproof (for Scottish, all-day rain meanings).

    It does appear a bit chilly for winter use (it's the light version as most Paramo jackets have a reputation for being very cozy), so I'm planning on getting my Freestyle repaired for use in snow...

    Oh, and Paramo don't do lightweight trousers that are up to cycling abrasion, unfortunately, so back to Gore-Tex for the bottom half.

    Robert

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. crowriver
    Member

    I own two rain capes, plus a number of waterproof cycling jackets, some waterproof trews and a pair of home-made 'rain legs'.

    Rain capes are very good as a 'just in case': they pack up small and are quick to deploy. Not great in high winds, but really good in a heavy downpour. They keep rider and much of the bike dry (bars, saddle, saddlebag, much of the frame inbetween). They let air circulate so you don't get soaked in sweat.

    Jackets are better on a windy day: I prefer if they have a hood, as I rarely wear a h****t. So many don't have a hood though. Tend to get very sweaty inside though.

    Waterproof trews: good at keeping road splash, spray and filth off your keks. However your work trews are likely to be soaked in sweat that has condensed on the inside of the waterproofs, especially if you climb a hill or three.

    Rain legs/cut down waterproof trews: good solution if wearing short/cycling tights to keep the worst downpour off the thighs and knees. Handy for wind-driven rain during an Audax, for example...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. fimm
    Member

    I do actually use a (very cheap out of Lidl) cape when riding my Brompton in the rain. I do do very short journeys on the Brompton, though. I don't find wind too much of an issue, inability to signal is more of a problem for me!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. Dave
    Member

    "has a tendancy to velcro your windpipe to your spine"

    This thread is useless without photos!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. Min
    Member

    Haha! It is not that dramatic, just me cycling along in a lime green jacket, clawing at my throat. How good can that me?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. Morningsider
    Member

    Ha, top that Copenhagen Cycle Chic guy - there are cyclists in Edinburgh that wear capes! I assume along with a top hat, monocle, spats and a handy cane.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. fimm
    Member

    If that's aimed at me, Morningsider, I should point out that it is bright red, and makes me look like a minature tent on wheels. Chic, it ain't...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. cc
    Member

    I've found that on very cold days the most comfy outer covering for me is my leather jacket. Not the most visible thing in the dark mind you.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. steveo
    Member

    Better bbaaad to the bone than chilled to the bone eh.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. Uberuce
    Member

    I've still got enough spare 3M to mark out a skull and crossbones on the back, cc.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. Smudge
    Member

    leather jacket with a scotchlike skull and crossbones, now that has a certain ironic cool about it :-)

    @Min, I'm hoping to make PY tomorrow morning but the bike may well be loaded to the gunnels!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. Claggy Cog
    Member

    Having had two Night Vision jackets, one much, much better than the other, I don't use either. I bought a dare2Be orange waterproof jacket, but although it is waterproof it does not breathe and no pit zips, so the boil in the bag is marked...I now have a dhb EQ2.5 ladies jacket, which is just great and is waterproof, breathable and has pit zips...which I would recommend. Sleeves and body length in dhb products is great too for those taller ones of us.

    Freestyle alas are no longer producing anything, because if they were I would be up for getting a pair of their waterproof trousers which were long enough in the leg, and extremely lightweight, like a shot, great product.

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb/cycle/jackets/

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. Morningsider
    Member

    fimm - I certainly wasn't aiming anything at you. This is the sort of thing I had in mind:

    http://www.esquire.com/cm/esquire/images/opera-cape-0607-lg.jpg

    I hope you realise I was making a joke (badly, obviously) at the absurdity of cycle chic (other views are available).

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. Claggy Cog
    Member

    @smudge, wrong page in last post, they do a men's EQ2.5 jacket, mine is red and I have also had a lot of compliments, so stylish and a great jacket IMO. Not a bad price either £55 notes or thereabouts...As you will see there are other jackets in the dhb range which may suit you better but at the lower price end, and I really recommend their products.

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb/cycle/cycling-waterproof-jackets/

    Posted 12 years ago #

  16. crowriver
    Member

    I think Min means something like this?

    They seem to be popular in Shanghai:

    Posted 12 years ago #

  17. Nelly
    Member

    Saw an ad the other day for Vulpine gear - looks very nice - pricey though

    Posted 12 years ago #

  18. cc
    Member

    Thanks guys for the kind offers to decorate the jacket! Maybe we could have a special Trash CC's Favourite Jacket PY.

    @Morningsider I know one or two people who wear cloaks. They look lovely and warm and quite handsome, though a little theatrical - something in the way the cloak can be swirled majestically over the shoulder.
    But call it a cape and you provoke a quick reply through gritted teeth, "A cape is what Superman wears. This is a cloak."

    Posted 12 years ago #

  19. Greenroofer
    Member

    I've got a dhb Signal jacket. It's very light, but it's not lined on the inside so it feels a bit sticky. Doesn't breathe at all, so I tend to boil in the bag quite a bit. Probably OK to keep for emergencies and certainly packs small, but it doesn't feel very robust.

    Not sure I'd recommend it whole-heartedly, to be honest.

    Posted 12 years ago #

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