Grouptest - Winter Riding Mountain Bike Jackets
8 November 2012 | By AngusMcIntosh | 1 CommentWith winter fast approaching it might be about time to think about investing in a waterproof mountain bike jacket so you can keep riding, even when the conditions aren't in your favour.
We have compiled a mix of jackets on test here from a range of manufactures to cover all eventualities so it's very hard to pin down one as our overall winner, but rest assured we put them through the mill so you don't have to.
We have taken into account the durability, breathability, the features on the jacket, styling, fit, construction and price of each jacket to come to a well rounded verdict.
Before we start heres a bit of science about waterproofness...
How waterproof a jacket is can be assessed by how much water can be suspended above one square metre of the fabric before it begins to seep through. A top score in this test is about 20,000mm, so if the fabric performs anywhere near that you know your onto a winner. The test for breathability is much the same. The figure produced at the end is decided by how many grams of water vapour can rise though a square meter of the fabric in a 24 hour period. Its unit of measure is g/m2/d or just g for short! A good score in this test is around about 20,000g. Not all manufactures produce these figures for all their jackets but if we could get our hands on them we would have the figures for you here, otherwise you will just have to take our word for it!
There probably isn't going to be one magic jacket that will be the best out there for all disciplines of riding, for example a XC racer is going to demand something entirely different from their jacket to a downhill rider on a soggy uplift. The weight and fabrics used to make the jackets are going to need to be completely different to match the completely different styles of riding, but they will need to share one common factor. Keeping you both dry and warm when the rain starts falling.
One Industries Atmosphere Soft Shell Jacket
First up we have the Atmosphere soft shell jacket from the new One Industries Bike range, which isn't advertised as a straight out waterproof jacket more a highly water resistant option.
The jacket is constructed from a soft shell material with a honey comb pattern on the inside to maintain airflow inside. It also features headphone routing from the chest pocket, but you won't be getting your iPhone in there as it's small to say the least. The Storm flap on the jacket is held shut with magnets opposed to the usual poppers or velcro that you see on so many jackets, making it easy to close up your jacket.
The addition of an "optic wipe" in the pocket is something we like. It's always good to have a speedy way of keeping your glasses clean or the end of your camera lens streak free!
We love the stealth and understated styling on the jacket with the black fabric only being broken by the simple white One Industries logo.
The sizing of the jacket felt a little on the big side, with our small test model being more suited for someone or normally opts for a medium size. The jacket is very warm and didn't feel overly breathable but it would be a great option for out on those freezing night rides throughout the winter.
The jacket has an RRP of £90.00 and is distributed in the UK by One Industries Europe.
"A softshell that looks as good on the trail as it does off it. The perfect option for those freezing cold and dry night rides."
One Industries Atmosphere Windbreaker Jacket
Next up we have another offering from One Industries. It shares the name atmosphere with its soft shell brother but instead consists of nylon construction with taped seams throughout for a more water resistant finish.
The jacket is heavily ventilated with a large back exhaust vent and arm pit vents to make sure you don't overheat and keep the air flowing. It also features the handy optic wipe to keep your glasses smear free like the other Atmosphere jacket. It features internal waist adjusters to get a good fit around the bottom but no hood to keep the rain from dribbling down your neck which isn't great with the trail helmet but works brilliantly with the full face helmet.
Out on the trails the jacket didn't feel restrictive in any way but it certainly was pretty warm! All I had underneath for most of our testing was a thin jersey and after a while I started to feel the sweat building up inside. Not having a hood is a blessing in disguise when wearing the jacket with a full face helmet but it somewhat limits how much use you can have for the jacket when your helmet isn't on your head and your waiting for your mates or having a breather. The cuff design is great with both a velcro adjustment and an elasticated cuff gave a really comfortable fit around your wrists and didn't interfere when wearing gloves.
My favourite feature has to be the presstud buckle half way up inside that lets you ride with the zip undone for maximum air flow but without any flapping as the top of the jacket is still fastened. A truly genius piece of design.
Overall the Jacket looks great with its cool understated white on black design. One Industries have certainly got the styling spot on across their entire 2013 range.
Price wise this jacket comes in with an RRP of £69.99 and is distributed in the UK by One Industries Europe.
"Great simple styling and loads of ventilation makes this the DH racers or uplifter's choice."
Dare2b Struckout Jacket
The Dare2b Struckout jacket is a very lightweight and packable option that is constructed from Ared V02 5000 fabric. It isn't the same level of waterproofness as most of the other jackets we have here on test with a rating of only 5000mm, but not all of the jackets we have can fold as small as this one! The Struckout jacket neatly folds up entirety into the left hand pocket of the jacket for ultimate storage and portability when out on a ride.
The Struckout doesn't feature any air vents in the armpits or the rear so I started to feel a bit warm after a short while during test rides, but I personally see this jacket as more of a fold up, emergency heavy rain jacket than an entire epic ride jacket. The only other fault I could find was with the lack of pockets. It only has two front pockets but no internal pockets or gadget pocket with a headphone port to keep your possessions in.
Out riding I was definitely left with a feeling this jacket isn't quite the same quality as some others we have here on test but nothing else was aimed at this price range! The Struckout jacket doesn't restrict movement on the bike and it's as light as a feather but if the rain was really hammering down it wouldn't be too long before you were starting to get wet on the inside.
The Struckout is available in a few different colourways. Camo isn't normally my thing but it looks pretty good in the flesh.
The hood was a welcome addition when used with a trail helmet and even offered a bit of wind protection around the back of the neck but it wasn't so great when used with the full face shuttling runs at the local downhill spot. More of a nuisance.
Price wise this one is an absolute bargain with an RRP of £50 but if you act quick its going for £25 in the sale over at www.dare2b.com
"Our favourite of the super packable variety available in a great range of colours all at a reasonable price."
Dare2b Mindset Stretch Jacket
Next up we have the Mindset Stretch which is the top end jacket from Dare2b. It's the jacket of choice for MTBCut's Joe Barnes, so you know it must be good! It's constructed from Ared V02 20,000 stretch fabric with taped seams that is both breathable and light weight.
It features large arm pit vents for added breath-ability but the zips were tricky to undo while riding. It features a hood that's just about big enough to fit over your trail helmet of choice, and it even rolls up neatly out of the way and is held by a velcro tab in the back of the neck. The jackets mesh lined throughout and has some very deep pockets on the front and even an internal gadget pocket with a tidy cable routing for your headphones.
I would describe the Ared V02 20000 fabric as warm and cosy. Straight from the off as you put it you feel at home with it's soft touch and non waterproof feel, but when the rain starts falling it will keep you more than dry!
During riding I found it pretty warm overall, but if you stop to open the arm pit vents the airflow was definitely making it through inside the jacket to stop me cooking alive.
It's available in this bright green colour we have here and also in black with fluoro-orange zips at an RRP of £100... but once again like the other Dare2b jacket the struckout if you act fast its available over at www.dare2b.com for £60. What a bargain!
Great colours and design constructed from my favourite fabric on show here all at a bargain price. Winner!
Endura Photon Jacket
The Endura photon jacket is a super lightweight and ultra packable nylon waterproof jacket with a waterproof and breathability ratings of 10,000mm and 10,000g respectively. It's of very simple construction with only one pocket on the rear which is just about big enough for your car keys and phone.
The photon, like the elementary particle of light it takes its name from, is tiny! In fact the jacket will pack down to about the same size as a 500ml water bottle, but you do pay a price for this and lose out on some basic features. The lack of any pockets on the front is a bit of an annoyance and having absolutely no ventilation ports makes it a bit on the warm side and considerably less breathable than other jackets, even with the fabrics 10,000g breathability score.
This jacket offers good coverage on the rear to stop mud getting on the back of your shorts and it incredibly lightweight but the sizing wasn't very generous at all, especially around the forearms. Our medium we had on test felt more like a small so it was a bit of a squeeze.
In terms of the jackets durability, one crash and it would probably be curtains. The fabric has very little stretch and is quite thin to the touch, so tearing it would be a real possibility.
This jacket comes in at an RRP of £69.99 and is distributed in the UK by Endura.
"Packs away to virtually nothing, but lacking in basic features such as ventilation and pockets."
Madison Flux Storm
Here we have the Flux Storm jacket from Madison which is their top end offering from the UK's largest cycle distributors own Clothing range. It's constructed from a stretchy material that has scores of 20,000mm breathability and 10,000mm waterproofness, so it's a pretty well specced out jacket! It has an MP3 pocket on the inside with headphone port to keep all your gadgets out of the rain but annoyingly the pocket isn't really big enough to fit an iPhone 4 in without a fight, never mind any other smartphone out there thats even bigger!
We are big fans of the Royal blue colour and it looks pretty cool with all other riding gear!
The Flux is covered in pockets and has some of the biggest and most accesible arm pit vents we've seen on any jacket here on test, so air flow is never an issue and it's even possible to undo the zips on the fly whilst riding with no hassle.
Out riding in the jacket you notice the fit is quite a slim cut and our medium test model was definitely on the smaller side of medium but the stretch in the fabric made this less of an issue. The fabric feels absolutely bombproof and feels like it would last for years. I'm fairly confident that even in the event of a high speed crash your not going to tear or scuff a hole in it.
The jacket doesn't have a hood so it is a bit of a struggle with the trail helmet but feels at home with the full face helmet. It would be the perfect choice for a wet day racing downhill or on an uplift.
The Flux has an RRP of £119.99 and is distributed in the UK by Madison
"Impressively bombproof fabric with loads of pockets but its a shame they are all in hard to reach places and a little on the small side."
Sombrio Vapor
Our most expensive and final jacket we have here on test is the Sombrio Cartel Vapor Jacket. It comes straight out of Sombrios high end "Freeride" range with a slim fit, perfect for when out riding with no excess material to slow you down.
It is constructed from a four way stretch S-Tek II with taped seams throughout that feels lightweight and thin to the touch, yet still maintains high levels of waterproofness with a 10000mm waterproof rating and 10,000g breathability to match.
The Vapour features an Aquaguard waterproof YKK zip that will run as smoothly as it does today in 5 years time but still an internal storm flap just incase the water should make its way through. The jacket features tidy headphone routing through the pocket with a velcro crocodile clip to keep the headphone in check up around the neck.
In the style department this jacket is pretty plain with no real branding on show apart from the zips and cuffs it's just a plain black high quality waterproof jacket.
When actually riding in the jacket it feels very lightweight almost like your wearing a jacket of much less substance than you actually are, which is something not many jackets can pull off! The cuffs are very comfortable especially without gloves and it offers just the right amount of coverage over the rear as to not get caught up in your saddle. In terms of the arm pit vents they were a struggle to undo while riding but they were very large in size and got good airflow through into the jacket. This was the only jacket with a hood that was comfortable with a full face helmet due to the supple fabrics and thin nature meaning the hood just folds neatly out of the way.
This coat has an RRP of £174.99 and is distributed by Hotlines UK
"Fantastic quality jacket with a great fit, but it's no cheap deal."
It's very hard to pick one overall winner as each jacket performs so well in its own field. But if pushed to pick a favourite, it would have to be the Dare2b Mindset Stretch. It's combination of good looks, a fantastic fabric and a cool colour scheme combined with an amazing RRP for all the features never mind the current price you can pick it up in the sale! the Mindset Stretch is miles ahead of the rest.
Ladies and Gentlemen, We have our favourite!
Have you got an opinion on the outcome of our review? Let us know in the comments below...
