Jack Wolfskin Bike Commute Mono Jacket Women’s

The Jack Wolfskin Bike Commute Mono Jacket Women's is casual enough that it looks good off the bike, but seriously performs on it, too. It's probably one of the most technical casual jackets out there, with a high degree of waterproofing and a dropped rear hem to keep spray off your back. The only complaints I have are the lack of colour choice (and minimal reflectives, given its dark fabric) and the sleeves being really long.

> Buy now: Jack Wolfskin Bike Commute Mono Jacket W for £220 from Jack Wolfskin

If you're new to cycle commuting, check out our buyer's guide to the best cycling clothes for commuting, and our beginner's guide to cycling to work.

Living in Yorkshire has its perks. There is plentiful beautiful road riding, and you're never that far from a stabby hill. The downside is that the weather can often be sub-par. Of course, when testing a waterproof jacket in summer, there's no better place to be. And I'm very grateful for the Bike Commute Mono for keeping me dry throughout this year's monsoon season.

The jacket uses Texapore Ecosphere Core fabric, which includes recycled material, and is labelled as waterproof to 10,000mm. If you're familiar with Jack Wolfskin's waterproof fabrics, it has a claimed performance on par with JW's Texapore 02+ tech, the difference being the Ecosphere Core uses recycled materials, and it's more feature-laden than the Texapore basic fabrics. I think it works really, really well. I've ridden to the shops in heavy rain, and walked the dog in downpours, and it's just beaded on the jacket and kept me pretty damn dry.

It's not a boil-in-the-bag affair either, which you can often experience with properly waterproof jackets. It's not the most breathable fabric out there – it's rated to 6,000g/m2/24hrs – but I think the rating is doing it a disservice. Even wearing a long sleeve top underneath and in 10-15°C weather I still wasn't getting any sweatier than I would be without the jacket on.

Fit and sizing

I tested the size small, and found it to be quite big. It's designed for sizes 8-10 but I'd say it definitely leans more towards the 10. I like the semi-tailored design, and especially the dropped rear hem.

The only issue I have with the fit is the sleeve length – they're really long. I don't have short arms, but I found myself having to constantly push the sleeves up over my wrists when I was riding, and when off the bike they hang nearly over my fingertips.

Design-wise, I really like the jacket. It looks like it means business but without being flashy. The pockets are well designed – the rear one is actually high enough to be accessed above a waist bag, which to me suggests it might even work as a mountain biking jacket. Importantly, the front pockets are big enough for a giant smartphone (I have a Google Pixel 8 Pro), and the hood fits snugly over a helmet.

There are also vents in the rear of the jacket so if you were to wear a rucksack, there's a little bit of extra air flow there to stop you getting a big old sweat patch.

The only thing I'm not massively keen on from a design perspective is the minimal amount of reflective material. There is only this one colour choice, and without turning this into a debate on road safety, I like to have plenty of reflective bits on dark clothes (or to wear a brighter colour in the first place). Essentially, where there are zips, there are reflective lines, but I'm not sure how effective they would be in the pitch black.

Value and conclusion

Overall, the Bike Commute Mono is pretty much everything you want from a waterproof commuter jacket. If you get the right size and don't mind a dark colour, then there's not really anything to pick fault with. It is, however, rather expensive. You can currently pick it up for a bit less, but the RRP of £320 is a lot for a jacket.

Compared with something like the Gorewear Everyday, which Emily reviewed last winter, the Jack Wolfskin does offer better rain performance, but it comes at a big price increase. The Gorewear jacket has gone up by a tenner since Emily's review, but it's still 'only' £169.99, and it also comes in brighter colours.

That said, you can pay even more for something that's premium in performance, style and designed for road cycling – the Le Col Women's Hors Categorie Jacket II is £330 – but one major benefit of the Jack Wolfskin is that it's great for wearing off the bike, too, so it's more versatile than a typical road cycling jacket.

> Buy now: Jack Wolfskin Bike Commute Mono Jacket W for £220 from Jack Wolfskin

Verdict

Not cheap, and could do with more reflectives, but stylish enough to be worn off the bike and works really well in the wet