Water off a Duck's Back Kezzia

The Kezzia is the new coat from Water off a Duck's Back, an independent company who specialize in designing cycle specific women's outerwear that doesn't scream out TECH!

Their garments are intended to be high performance and well featured, but still look like the sort of coat you'd grab if you were off out to the shops, rather than a club ride.

Rather than the longer coats Water Off a Duck's Back have produced up until now, the Kezzia is a short length jacket, with detachable zip-in warm fleece liner, and is intended to be a versatile smart casual riding jacket.

It's a very good looking coat, with a nice peachskin-esque fabric that doesn't crinkle in a waterproof fabric sort of way, and hangs well. There are a number of neat little features, such as optional button out reflective cuffs, reflective panels on the underside of the collar that can be shown, it's a double breasted design, with a zip fastening and the fabric is fully waterproof. The fleece liner (with sleeves) zips out when not required.

There's a lot to like about this jacket. Looks aside, it was comfortable on the bike, with the breathable waterproof outer/fleece inner jacket making a surprisingly effective commuting combo on cold unpleasant mornings. Even when tackling some hills, I didn't overheat or get sweaty, so it did the job well. The neck fastened well and the jacket was very comfortable to wear. The zipped side pockets were fine for stashing keys and a wallet, but you'd not want to overburden them with anything else.

The website claims that the sleeves and shoulders are tailored for cyclists to be able to ride even a road bike if they choose, but I found the sleeves to be just a touch short in the arm, even on a slightly more upright touring bike, let alone a dropped bar machine.

Wrists were left a little on the drafty side when riding. A similar problem occurred with the length of the body of the jacket. Off the bike, it was a flattering and stylish short jacket, suitable for wear with most outfits, but on the bike, the cut was just a touch on the short side. Not by much, but just enough to allow for some lower back chilling, even on the non-dropped bar tourer.

Once zipped out, sadly the fleece liner couldn't be worn on its own, unfinished inside as it was. Many outdoor coats have similar removable fleece liners, which can be worn as jackets in their own right. It's a shame this one can't, especially at this price. It's something small, but it would also have been nice to have had a hanging loop for the coat. There wasn't one.

The Kezzia is a well-made and great looking jacket from a small independent designer, with plenty of genuinely useful cycle specific features, but it needs a few tweaks here and there to really be real value for money at this price.

Verdict

Great looking and well made, with some nice features, but a few niggles as well.