Waterproof cycling 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).

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.

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.

This has to be a great idea. The Mavic H2O is a top-notch waterproof that also doubles as a reflective garment for bad weather or night time riding. Since having this on test I have to admit that I don't bother packing anything else for either commuting or training in either bad weather or at night. I've been delighted with its performance in every regard.

Look at the spec and Madison's Prime waterproof jacket looks like just another decent quality entry-level technical model to add to the pile. Look at the jacket though and you've got a really versatile jacket that doesn't, as the blurb puts it, "scream cyclist" and is ideal for round-town duties and other outdoor activities too.

The Gironde comes from Campagnolo's Heritage range, home to clothing that has a classic look to it rather than using traditional fabrics. There is a little bit of wool in the Heritage lineup but this jersey is all synthetic - polyester, polyurethane and elastane.

We've had plenty of Shutt's clothing in to test at road.cc and it's mostly been very good, but the Race Cape left me a bit cold. Not in the literal sense though, and that was kind of the problem.

Montane's bike-specific Featherlite Velo H2O Jacket gets that balance between waterproofness and breathability pretty much spot on. It's an unavoidable truth that any fully waterproof garment won't be totally breathable. And any fully breathable garment won't be totally waterproof. There always has to be a balance - especially when it comes to performance road cycling.

'Shrink it and pink it' is the approach some manufacturers take towards women's cycle clothing. While the female version of the Polaris Aqualite is available in dark pink, it's not just a smaller gents: it has a women's specific cut that fits very well around the body. The back of the jacket is longer than the front and there's an elasticated hem, so there's no flapping fabric when you're on the move. The sleeves also have elasticated cuffs, although the more generous cut around the upper arms means there is a bit of flap here when riding into a headwind.