Vulpine continues to expand its cycle clothing range, and the latest launch is the new Rainy City Collection. It’s aimed at protecting commuters from the rain and wind through the winter, with a new Deluge jacket and Rain Trousers that are intended to “look as good around town as it does in the saddle.” There's also the new Nightfall Jacket which aims to provide maximum visibility for riding at night.
7 highlights from the new Hoy Vulpine autumn and winter clothing range
The launch would appear to be well-timed - it’s currently raining outside the office as I type this - and Vulpine reminds us in its press release that the average rainfall is highest between October and February. Thanks, Vulpine, as if we need reminding.
- Essential wet weather cycle clothing and gear
With its latest Rainy City collection, though, Vulpine reckons it has the solution for this wet weather. The key product in this new range is the appropriately named Waterproof Deluge jacket (£275). It’s made from a material that offers 20k waterproofing and 20k breathability. What’s 20k? Good question, glad you asked. They're both measures of how much water a fabric can hold back, and how much warm air can escape.
For the waterproof performance, the test involves covering a tube with a 1in square piece of fabric and trying to force water through it. The number, 20,000mm, is how much water it could withstand before water would leak through. For the breathability test, it is how many grammes of water vapour are able to pass through a square metre of fabric in a 24-hour period.
- Buyer's guide to the best waterproof cycling clothing
Back to the jacket. This fabric is used in a jacket that comes in men and women’s fit and sizes, and a choice of three colours, charcoal, navy and mandarin. It’s packed with features including a neat venting system to help prevent overheating if the breathability of the fabric can’t cope. The shoulders are reinforced if you’re regularly slinging a bag onto your back, the zips are waterproofed and there are reflective details.
The new jacket is intended to be partnered with the new Tailored Rain Trousers (£150) for the ultimate commuting outfit. They’re made from the same windproof and water resistant Epic Cotton that the company has been using in its clothing for many years, but made to its own exact specifications and made in Italy. The trousers have a cycling-specific cut with stretch where it’s needed.
Lastly in this new range is the company’s now signature Harrington jacket (£250). It’s made from the same Epic Cotton as the trousers so it’s water resistant to deal with most rainfall, short of the heaviest downpours.
The successful London-based company has four new collections lined up for the winter, Indian Summer that we saw back in August and also Rainy City, Nightfall and Luxury Winter. As you probably know, Vulpine has made its mark in the cycling market with clothing that ticks all the functionally and performance boxes when on the bike, but also looks good off it.
“We’re completely committed to urban apparel, not as a fashionable fad, but long-term, and I think it’s this passion for quality and specificity of design that customers can see is so authentic and true,” says Vulpine founder Nick Hussey.
- Vulpine launches Indian Summer clothing range
The other new release from the Nightfall collection is the brand new Nightfall Jacket (£195). It’s a limited edition jacket and has been designed expressly to provide maximum visibility for those cyclists that do a lot of riding in the dark during the winter, and if you’re commuting to the office during regular hours that’ll likely be most of the winter.
The Nightfall Jacket has a reflective print design which somehow manages to look quite stylish, not a word we ever use for reflective garments. It’s made from a waterproof and windproof fabric so it’ll keep you dry and warm, and there are vents under the arms to stop you overheating when racing home for tea. There are plenty of pockets including two waterproofed zipped pockets. Meanwhile, a soft internal lining provides insulation and there are shoulder pads for comfortably wearing backpacks.
It’s available for both men and women, and the fit is cycling-specific, with longer arms and an expanded upper back so it fits well when riding your bike. It’s available in Navy or Mandarin Orange colours.
This jacket “combines visibility with the classical urban style for which Vulpine has become synonymous,” says the company.
All this new Vulpine clothing is available now from their website www.vulpine.cc
See all Vulpine stories on road.cc
David has worked on the road.cc tech team since July 2012. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds.