Santini has released a new waterproof cycling jacket which is made with a new 100% recycled polyester membrane. The Magic jacket is one of the new breed of jackets moving away from PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) based membrane technology, as used on now discontinued cycling waterproofs such as the popular Gore-Tex Shakedry range. PFAS are now banned in clothing in many areas worldwide, and that has meant that most established membrane fabrics need to be replaced.
To make the Magic jacket Santini has teamed up with Polartec, and the new jacket uses the new Polartec Power Shield RPM 2-layer polyester fabric. RPM in this case simply stands for ‘recycled polyester membrane’, and the membrane itself is made from 100% recycled consumer plastic.
> How green is your waterproof cycling jacket?
It’s an interesting fabric. Most of us will have some kind of membrane outer layer in the cycling wardrobe, and often they’re quite a rigid fabric, with not a lot of stretch.
The Magic jacket is quite the opposite. The fabric has a soft feel, and it’s very stretchy in both directions. The upshot of that is that it’s quiet on the bike, and well-fitted. You can pick a size that’s small enough to be close-fitting when you’re just wearing a base layer underneath, and it’ll stretch to accommodate more layers as the temperature drops.
At the launch Santini was suggesting that you could think of it more as a jersey, and certainly there are similarities with gear like the Castelli Perfetto, which was well received here when we reviewed it back in 2022. That’s more of a showerproof than a full waterproof though, and with a 10,000mm hydrostatic head the Magic jacket rates as a proper raincoat.
Breathability is even more impressive. Polartec claims a rate of 30,000g/m2/24hrs for the fabric, which is very high for a full waterproof. At less than 100g/m2 it’s also a very light fabric, and the jacket is extremely packable, folding into its single pocket for easy stowage if conditions improve. A medium jacket weighs just 155g.
I’ve had the opportunity to ride in the jacket once, at the launch, on a short loop which was helpfully partly dry and partly rainy. With plenty of hills to work up a sweat, it does feel like the Magic jacket copes very well with transferring moisture, and once the rain set in there was no evidence of it making it through the fabric. It’s also a very comfortable jacket to wear, and quiet on the bike. These are all first impressions, and you can look out for a full review on the site in due course.
The jacket is available only in black at launch, in sizes from XXS to 3XL. It’s a 2-layer fabric though, so you’re not tied to black like you are with fabrics like Gore Shakedry; some brighter colours are coming to the range in the spring. The Magic jacket retails for £180 in the UK.
39 thoughts on “Is this the more environmentally-friendly cycling waterproof we’ve been waiting for? A first ride in the new Santini Magic rain jacket”
Great idea to make it black,
Great idea to make it black, especially now the dark nights are upon us.
fizrar6 wrote:
Assume you think the same about black cars?
Or the grey ones. The way
Or the grey ones. The way that some of them can blend into various shades of tarmac is quite incredible. It is a strange fashion.
Have that argument with the
Have that argument with the black car once it’s hit you when wearing this jacket in the rain.
It’s ridiculous to wear black on a bike in ANY weather, let alone in rain.
I tend to have the argument
I tend to have the argument with the driver rather than the car.
cardch wrote:
I would have the argument with the driver rather than the car, and if the driver has hit a cyclist because “they didn’t see you” that would be because the driver had not looked properly, no matter what colour the cyclist was wearing. A driver who makes the proper checks will see a cyclist in daylight, raining or not, no matter what colour they are wearing, a driver who doesn’t won’t.
When I’m driving, I find it
When I’m driving, I find it helpful when cyclists wear bright clothes.
Even one of the country’s highest-trained drivers, former police pursuit instructor Reg Local, commented that he found it helpful when cyclists wore bright colours.
I prefer having small bright
I prefer having small bright blinking lights on my bike then I can wear what I like. Making myself visible from as far a distance is my priority…if motorists then cannot plan or make the right decisions once they are nearer to me, what I’m wearing makes no difference what so ever.
Lights and reflective stuff
Lights and reflective stuff on ankles and knees is the best way to go.
That pretty much sums up my
That pretty much sums up my set up, especially now the nights are drawing in…reflective bands on my ankles…a couple hanging off my bag and a couple of lights front and rear…touch wood, I’ve never been in a collision yet.
I find it helpful when
I find it helpful when cyclists wear bright clothing—even if they have lights—when I’m driving.
While I use lights when I’m cycling, I recognise they can be lost in a sea of car headlights.
When I’m in the car driving seat, I find cyclists who combine lights and bright clothing the easiest to spot early, aiding my forward planning.
I find when I’m driving, what
I find when I’m driving, what really helps me notice cyclists and pedestrians is having a mindset of expecting to see cyclists and pedestrians without them having to resort to hi-vis and crazy colours and patterns…you know, actively looking for other road users other than motorists.
NotNigel wrote:
Me, too. Nonetheless, I find it helpful when cyclists wear bright colours (ideally combined with lights).
Let’s not dismiss bright clothing when someone like me—I cycle most days and hold advanced driving qualifications—finds bright colours helpful. Moreover, the police advanced driving instructor I mentioned—someone with exceptionally well-trained observation skills—said the same thing about a little bright colour being a lot of help.
Let’s consider the opposite situation: how to avoid being seen. Colour is one of the things—alongside shape, shine, etc.—used in camouflage. There’s a reason I didn’t wear bright orange in my infantry days.
Another_MAMIL wrote:
Several studies have shown that visibility, as one would expect, is highly dependent on background: in different circumstances white, coloured or indeed black clothing shows up best (e.g. against the backdrop of a white building a rider in black is more visible than one in white or yellow). I do think there’s an element of confirmation bias in drivers’ perceptions of different colours: if they spot a cyclist wearing bright colours they think they’ve seen them because of that, if they spot one wearing dark gear they think they’ve seen them despite that. Equally, if they make a mistake and miss a cyclist in dark colours it’s the dark colours that are to blame, not the fact that they didn’t look properly. The fact remains that anyone who looks properly during daylight hours will see a cyclist no matter what colour they’re wearing and those who don’t, won’t. I have a couple of dark jackets and several with fluorescent/reflectives and ride 8000-10,000 kms a year, 90% in heavy London traffic, and I can honestly say that I get exactly the same number of SMIDSYs in the bright gear as I do in the dark. Completely different question at night of course where I wear Proviz and am lit up like a Christmas tree (three lights front, three back, two side and light on helmet), but in the day I honestly don’t think it makes that much difference and certainly not the amount that the anti-cyclist (for the avoidance of doubt I’m not suggesting you are one) brigade claim.
The fact remains that anyone
The fact remains that anyone who looks properly during daylight hours will see a cyclist no matter what colour they’re wearing and those who don’t, won’t
Happened to me this morning in bright sunlit daylight, on my way to the nutter food shop in Lancaster. Roundabout in the centre of Garstang, I was already well round it, dimwit on loud rubbishy Harley type bike with feet out front, would be a Trump supporter if he was American, coming in from the entrance I’m passing, looks to his right but doesn’t slow so I’m suspicious and, sure enough, I had to take evasive action. Useless old bugger, but younger than me. People like that don’t look and don’t see.
maybe you should pay more
maybe you should pay more attention on the road.
Mybike wrote:
Let’s not dismiss bright clothing when people with well-trained observation skills find it helpful.
I actively look out for cyclists as I cycle most days, plus my driving observation skills have been trained and tested to a more advanced level than most car drivers. Nonetheless, I find it helpful when cyclists wear bright colours.
The police advanced driving instructor I mentioned—someone with exceptionally well-trained observation skills—said he found a little bright colour a lot of help.
Let’s not dismiss bright colours when even highly-attentive and well-trained car drivers find them helpful. We should help the drivers who are looking out for us when we cycle.
Another_MAMIL wrote:
I’m not worried about the drivers with good observation skills when I cycle, the problem is with distracted drivers not looking. I usually go for bright green cycle clothing (usually with black shorts/tights) myself, but I really don’t think it makes much difference to my safety on the roads.
Another_MAMIL wrote:
A highly-attentive and well-trained driver should be able to spot a cyclist in broad daylight whatever colour they are wearing. Anyone who’s incapable of spotting a cyclist in normal daytime conditions, be they wearing black, brown, yellow, white or pink, or any combination thereof, shouldn’t be driving.
buy a light just like the
buy a light just like the blk cars have lights so you can see them in the dark
Agreed – a jacket designed to
Agreed – a jacket designed to be worn in conditions where visibility is lower and the launch colour is black seems daft (unless of course there is a decent amount of high vis on the back).
To then talk about black cars smacks of whataboutism.
I’ve never fully understood
I’ve never fully understood the almost uniquely British phenomenon whereby many men feel that black is the most acceptable ‘colour’, with anything more intersting than navy treated as a bit jaunty. I assume it’s a weird collective insecurity that someone might question their sexuality that doesn’t exist in other cultures.
As much as I understand not everyone wants to wear hi-viz, and that many who ‘didn’t see them’ wouldn’t have seen them if they were dressed up as a Blackpool Illumination, the determination to stick to black for clothing intended to be worn whilst cycling doesn’t just strike me as boring/insecure/repressed, but oddly beligerant.
And yes I am also scathing of black & grey cars that blend into the road and an overcast sky. Black being particularly bad at absorbing heat. And white cars get dirty too quickly. As someone who can only afford 2nd hand cars, I hate the trend.
Or how about people just wear
Or how about people just wear what they want/are comfortable wearing without being judged…?
FionaJJ wrote:
So why do so many women like black clothes as well then, presumably you don’t think it’s because they are worried their sexuality will be questioned if they wear bright clothes? Why do some of my gay friends frequently wear black? Cyclists wear black because they are insecure, repressed and belligerent? An analytical overreach that could span an ocean here I think.
My comment was a bit tongue
My comment was a bit tongue in cheek, and apologies if it didn’t come across that way, but even if I were 100% serious there’s no need to get worked up at a different opinion unless you actually are insecure about how people see you. And when I said ‘collective insecurity’ that doesn’t mean every individual – just enough to shift the dial on what is fashionable, and what is available. And you don’t have to go far to find men who will poke fun at (and sometimes actual abuse) men who wear something slightly interesting.
Women wear black because it’s supposed to be slimming, as in it makes your body and/or wobbly bits less visible.
Back to practical matters, it will depend on where you are cycling, but if you are cycling in bright sunlight there’s a fair chance you’ll be cycling in shadows at some point on your ride, and black isn’t a great colour for that. I know other colours can disappear too, but a colour that drivers don’t associate with tarmac or being a shadow is going to result in a higher (but I know not absolute) chance of being seen a bit sooner. I take the point that it doesn’t show grease, but the ‘black is just as visible as red’ just isn’t true.
It’s fine saying ‘don’t judge people for what they wear’, but there are a lot of cyclists who get very judgy to the point of vocalised anger at other cyclists for wearing hi-viz and/or cycle helmets, and then insist on wearing the colour that’s least likely to be seen in most circumstances.
More to the point, a company making cycling clothing should really be giving people the choice of a non-black colour, and it’s entirely reasonable for cyclists to complain that they haven’t been given that option. At least those who love black get to wear the colour of their choice. Those who don’t want to wear black are excluded from buying the product.
FionaJJ wrote:
Men have wobbly bits too! I would love to wear more of Rapha’s hot pink, but it’s not that flattering in a tight jersey. I do wear a pink gilet though.
Also, I did genuinely get a sneering “like your pink t-shirt” this week from another bloke. No, I don’t care about someone questioning my sexuality, but it does happen.
quiff wrote:
I don’t really get how colours become gendered, but it’s almost certainly just a cultural invention: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20141117-the-pink-vs-blue-gender-myth
However, I prefer taking the stance that pink doesn’t exist: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/consciousness-and-beyond/202305/perception-reality-and-why-pink-doesnt-exist
Just came across this meme which seemed appropriate:
FionaJJ wrote:
Oh come now, that’s rather a weak defence of your comments. I’m neither “worked up” at your opinion nor am I insecure about how people see me. I just thought your suggestion that men wear black because they have “a weird collective insecurity that someone might question their sexuality” and because they are “boring/insecure/repressed, but oddly beligerant[sic]” was extremely silly and so said so.
Thanks to the generosity of visiting Indian in-laws I have a number of shirts that one might, I think, describe as “slightly interesting” – lots of vibrant orange and saffron colours. I do have a black one from them but it has red and green embroidered flowers on it and bits of mirror stitched in so…I must move in the wrong circles as I’ve never had any man abuse me for wearing them.
That’s extremely patronising and generalising towards your sisters, don’t you think? Just asked my wife, who is 5’7″ and 54kgs so certainly doesn’t need to choose clothes that make her look slim, why she likes black clothes: “Because black is chic and has been since Coco Chanel, because it’s hard wearing and doesn’t show the dirt when you’re commuting on trains and stuff and because it goes with absolutely anything.” Further questioned as to why she likes black cycling gear, “Because it looks cool, fast and mean.”
Being offered an anorak in the colour of your choice isn’t really a fundamental human right, you know. If you don’t like the colour or colours being offered by one company, there are hundreds of others from which you can choose. You’re not being “excluded”, for heaven’s sake.
FionaJJ wrote:
Except that they are being given that option – they’ll just have to wait a little longer for it.
I like wearing black AND
I like wearing black AND bright colours depending on my mood, on or off the bike. But honestly i don’t care what anyone else thinks of my choice.
That being said, some colours of clothing do work better depending on the colour of bike, which is a whole other conversation!
These sorts of jackets only
These sorts of jackets only reveal their worth after a few months or more of use. They all start out as magic, the water rolling off them as off a duck’s back, but I’ve never had one that didn’t start to wet-out after some regular use. They tell you to follow various rituals employing magic potions, but even these lose their effect. At that point, well before their price would suggest, they become – at best – either breathable or waterproof but not both at the same time.
Maybe this one will be different? But it will take several months of testing at least to know.
If it’s got a membrane then
If it’s got a membrane then wetting out is no problem, the membrane will still stop the water coming through
the membrane stops the water
the membrane stops the water coming through from the outside, but a wetted out jacket stops any breathability
(though, in wet conditions, no jacket has much breathability because there is de minimis difference in humidity inside and outside the jacket)
In my experience all the
In my experience all the waterproof breathables, from the original Gore-tex on, are either one or the other, but at different times. If it’s honking down they don’t really breathe, they only really breathe when it’s dry and you are working hard. Maybe this one will be different, but I ain’t holding my breath.
Yup, sort of makes my
Yup, sort of makes my carrying a gortex active in the bag for the big rain a bit pointless, means I’m getting damp whatever.
I’ve had a Polartec Magic
I’ve had a Polartec Magic Jacket (coincidence?) by Ornot marketed as waterproof and it was useless. The sleeves would wet out after 15min of moderate rain and you’get cold.
Waterproof softshells are a good idea for the marketing departments but not so great for the end users.
Well, I for one am counting
Well, I for one am counting myself very lucky that I still have two goretex shakedry jackets. None of this latest generation of PFAS free fabrics come anywhere close, sadly
PS- a lot of my stuff is
PS- a lot of my stuff is black, because that’s what Aldi sells and it doesn’t show the dirt and oil!
Had the same to bad only
Had the same to bad only black though at first..
I wear a white poc helmet with reflective decals, with a light on the back.
You can wear whatever you like, if drivers look on theire phone and not at you
Wich seems to me is the case with 90% of drivers ..
Colour does not help.
Other issue is the back ground, put on all the lights you want but that light gets ‘ lost” in a back ground of rear or front lights from cars around you in traffic.