Jackets

The dhb Sync cycling jacket is an impressive piece of kit; a full-on waterproof and windproof outer layer, giving excellent protection against the elements. In design, it's more like a jacket for hiking or hill-walking, so may well appeal to people looking for versatility - although it has a bit of an urban flava as well, so may be useful for commuters. It also looks similar to the understated jackets from brands such as Rohan aimed at stylish world travellers.

Cyclite men's hardshell jacket brings electroluminescent technology to the more performance end of the spectrum while still being a great commuting, touring, or riding round town jacket.

Before I start talking about the Rapha City Rain jacket here's a large space for all you Rapha haters to fill without having to make the effort of scrolling down to the bottom to the comments section and saving you the bother of even reading the review (actually they will have scroll down to the bottom - ed - so might as well read the review on the way… except on Facebook where they can jump straight in… i'll stop now).

The EQ2.5 Jacket from dhb is designed to keep you warm and dry when cycling in cold and wet weather - and it does just that, very well indeed.

Rapha continue to expand on their capsule women's range of products with the addition this season of a fully waterproof jacket. True to form, it's really not cheap, but it also displays all the attention to detail, high quality construction and innovative design that Rapha have become known for.

Nice jacket, this. I'm just not sure it's a great cycling jacket. Everything positive I want to say about it I have to qualify with a niggle.

Aimed primarily at commuter cyclists, the Proviz Electroluminescent Hi-Viz jacket may lack the tailored cut of racier garments but even so it doesn't billow like a builder's tarpaulin and protects your back and vital organs particularly well if you are riding a tourer, crosser or similarly upright road bike and thanks to four integrated electroluminescent strips it's highly visble too.

Polaris is a manufacturer with a huge range of clothing for all types of cycling, and this Sapphire jacket is described as being suitable for road, trail or urban use. It's a nice piece of kit, but can it really be so versatile?

The Altura Pocket Rocket is the lightest, least frills waterproof jacket in the Altura range. It packs away really small, weighs next to nothing (110 grams for size medium - without stuff sack - 128g with) and is - surprisingly - actually waterproof.

Features include a (non-waterproof) full-length zip, a full-length stormflap, some reflective trim and detailing and thumb-loops. I'm not sure I see the point of the latter, but they didn't get in the way when not in use, so didn't bother me.

With the Pulse, Polaris have put a strong case forward for spending a little extra, and getting something that you can wear without feeling like you're boiling in a bag.