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Best commuter cycling jackets 2024: warm and waterproof outer layers that look good on and off the bike

The best commuter cycling jackets will keep you comfortable on your ride, without extra bulk

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Best commuter cycling jackets

Buyer’s guide to the best commuting cycling jackets.

When looking for the best commuter cycling jackets, there are conflicting needs. You want a jacket that protects you from rain and cold winds, but also one that’s not too warm to use in a summer downpour.

Fortunately, like the best waterproof cycling jackets , the best commuting cycling jackets use technical fabrics that provide a high degree of water and wind resistance without sacrificing breathability. Along with a pair of the best waterproof cycling trousers, they'll keep out the weather if it's raining on your commute.

Other features including visibility are important if you’re commuting too, so there’s a whole range of factors to consider when looking for the best cycling jacket for commuting.

We’ve highlighted what you should consider when looking for a jacket for commuting in our buyer’s guide lower down this page, but first, here’s our pick of the best commuting cycling jackets that we’ve reviewed here at Cycling Weekly . 

1. Chrome Industries Storm Salute Commute Jacket

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

The Chrome Industries Storm Salute Commute Jacket is a snug-fitting waterproof coat and a reliable option for the daily commute.

The jacket has a 10k waterproof rating, meaning that it’ll keep you dry in everything barring the most extreme downpours, at which point you can expect some water to permeate the material. It's also pretty breathable, especially so for a stylish jacket. This is largely thanks to the generous mesh vent at the top of the back, the lightweight polyester material and the two-way main zipper allowing venting from below. 

Pockets-wise you're easily covered too. There are two mesh hand pockets, a mobile phone-sized chest pocket and a spacious rear cargo compartment.

The cuffs are reflective, as is a band across the back, but that doesn't necessarily make up for the rest of the jacket's dark tone - it's stealthy, and looks smart once you've arrived at your destination in the city, but there are commuter cycling jackets that perform better when it comes to riding visibility. 

Essentially, this is a fantastic stylish waterproof and breathable option that'll keep you comfy so long as you don't mind compromising visibility for style. 

Read more: Chrome Industries Storm Salute commuter cycling jacket full review

2. Velocio Recon Snap Jacket

Velocio has acquired a knack for producing some of the best (and most costly) cycling garments on the market, and its transition into the commuter range has been a seamless one with the Recon Snap Jacket.

It not only keeps you warm and dry but it keeps you looking stylish, whether you’re getting from A to B via bike or walking into a bar. A note here though: this is most certainly a city bike jacket, one to be used for pootling around town, not for a ride where you’re smashing yourself and trying to get Strava PBs. 

It could have more reflective panels and it doesn't come cheap, but for cycling around town in well-lit areas en-route to work or social events, this is a fantastic jacket that won't let you down.

Read more: Velocio Recon Snap commuter cycling jacket review

3. Castelli Commuter Reflex Jacket

The Castelli Commuter Reflex jacket uses Castelli’s exclusive 3-layer allover reflex fabric for heavy duty weatherproofing. The stats are 20,000 mm for the water column and 20,000 MVTR for breathability – which puts it amongst the highest levels, generally found in ski gear. Taped seams, a long rear, the cut to fit over other layers and a front gaiter all aid in its excellent functionality. 

The jacket is covered in reflective dots which light up spectacularly in gloomy conditions. Although there are also black and blue color options, this fiery red is particularly good for daytime visibility when the reflective detailing isn’t on show. 

In use, the jacket is superbly waterproof with no rain getting through even in pelting rain conditions. The windproofing means that even with limited insulating material, windchill is never an issue and the jacket keeps you surprisingly insulated. That said, breathability is fantastic and even if you do get too warm it is very easy to unzip and rezip, thanks to the gaiter at the front keeping the jacket from flapping. 

The front zip pockets are very practical for a commuter jacket but the addition of a hood would be appreciated.

The price is high at $239.99 / £280.00, but it is readily available online for significant reductions and the performance does seem to warrant the price – although you can get by with cheaper and less tech-heavy jackets. Size-wise, extra layers are already factored in, so there’s no need to size up above what you would take in the rest of Castelli’s range.

Read more: Castelli Commuter Reflex commuter cycling jacket full review  

Rapha Men's Commuter Lightweight Jacket

4. Rapha Commuter Lightweight Jacket

The Rapha Commuter Lightweight Jacket has been designed to "keep you cool in a rush, and dry in a rain shower", and weighing in at 226g (medium) it is light enough to keep in a workbag ready for any eventuality. There are five colors in the mens range, two of which are highly visible and there are three colors for the ladies. Both sets include the High-Vis Pink option.

The jacket is nicely made with plenty of room underneath for a T-shirt and a jumper. It is highly breathable with extra shoulder vents to aid cooling. It withstood a 20 minute shower easily too. The hood can be tied back with a strap to stop it 'parachuting' out behind you. It can also easily be worn underneath a helmet with enough room to turn your head with peripheral vision being excellent too, however hearing is a bit muffled with the hood up.

The two zip-able pockets are a little low for cycling, as they will knock on the top of your leg if overladen, but then you've probably got a work bag for stuff? Also a pocket can become an integrated stuff sack although the garment will roll smaller if you fold, then roll it up.

A great commuter jacket and after all the best waterproof is the one that you have on you isn't it?

Read more: Rapha Commuter Lightweight commuter cycling jacket full review

5. Specialized/Fjällräven Räven Anorak

We found the Specialized/Fjällräven Räven Anorak is fully at home both on and off the bike. It has a large number of pockets with secure storage - however none of these are on the back, which does lead to some dangling when riding road and gravel bikes with their lower front ends.

The Raven is stylish and versatile, but it is more 'water resistant' than 'waterproof'. For showers and splashes it held up fine, but in proper rain you would be better off with a hardshell rain jacket. 

Despite not having a full length zip, the half length one at the front and the long zippers one each side make it possible to pull on over a helmet. Although it doesn't offer much in the way of additional fleecy insulation, the stretchy material and generous fit means it's easy to add layers underneath.

The Raven Anorak works as a casual jacket, making it perfect for commuting to the office in. It is also quite breathable, meaning you won't accumulate sweat on your way to work. It's not cheap, retailing at $300/£265 but with this you get a jacket that's versatile for everything from commuting to gravel riding to actual hiking, which goes some way to justifying the hefty price tag. The jacket has the quality you'd expect at this price point. 

Read more: Specialized/Fjällräven Räven Anorak full review

6. Altura Grid Parka Waterproof Jacket

Altura’s Grid Parka Waterproof Jacket is designed to be both functional and fashionable, serving its purpose for your ride in, yet also looking good for when you’re far away from your bike. It serves this purpose well – as long as you’re happy with the olive colorway, which is the only option Altura offers.

The 10K waterproof rating is pretty standard for waterproof jackets and, sure enough, our tester found that the Grid Parka shrugged off downpours without wetting out or letting any water in at the seams. The breathability is good, too, for a more casually styled jacket. 

The coverage is long, so there is some bunching at the front when riding. On the other hand, your rear is fully protected, as you can tuck the hem under you, helping keep your work attire – or any attire – smart and dry on soggy commutes.

The chest pocket is large enough to accommodate a large phone and the hand pockets are generous with plenty of capacity for daily use. The hood isn’t designed to go over a helmet, but when off the bike it does work well. 

On the downside, there is limited reflective detailing and there aren’t any options for brighter colors. Of course, there is a balance to be struck when designing a jacket for everyday use, but a smart blue or burgundy would stand out a little better – and there is room for more reflectives without it becoming overwhelming.

On the whole, the Altura Grid Parka Waterproof Jacket is an excellent yet understated commuter jacket that performs well both on and off the bike.

Read more: Altura’s Grid Parka Waterproof commuter cycling jacket full review

7. Chrome Industries Two Way Insulated Shacket

A really stylish commuter jacket that looks right at home in any type of social event, but unfortunately fashion has been placed over practicality.

While it may offer decent protection against the wind and light rain, and while the reversibility feature allows you to decide whether you want to sport a black or green look, the lack of reflectivity and zipped pockets really bring this down. 

If how you look is of upmost importance, however, don't wait a single second more.

Read more: Chrome Two Way Insulated Shacket commuter cycling jacket full review  

8. Altura Grid Field Jacket

Surprisingly for a cycling brand, Altura's Grid Field Jacket performs a little better off the bike than on. The four pockets are roomy and offer plenty of space (especially the lower two) and the un-taped seams do a better job against the rain when simply walking around - rather than when cycling and speed and hitting the rain with more force. 

To be fair, Altura doesn't make any claims beyond 'water repellency' for this jacket, although some retailer sites do make the leap to 'water-proof'.

The long sleeves and reflective details do support its claim to being a cycling commuter jacket, although the lack of give in the cotton can be a little restrictive in certain positions on the bike and those larger lower pockets can get in the way of your thighs if loaded up to any degree.

In all, it's a smart jacket that works well as a casual outer layer, providing your commute does involve more walking than it does riding.

Read more: Altura Grid Field Jacket full review

There's plenty to think about when looking for the best commuting cycling jacket and we'll guide you through the most important features to consider when looking for your ideal choice.

What should I look for in a commuter cycling jacket?

The key question to consider is what you are going to use your jacket for. If you’re going to use it every day, particularly if it’s a jacket that you’ll use all winter , you’ll want something that’s rugged, windproof and waterproof and possibly with some insulation for when it’s cold. 

If, on the other hand, you’re looking for an emergency jacket for warmer weather use, to protect you if there’s a downpour when you need to ride to work or home again, you’ll want something a lot lighter that’s packable and that you can take with you in a backpack or luggage , without it taking up too much space when not in use. 

How much waterproofing do I need?

If you’re going to commute on a regular basis, sooner or later you’re going to need to ride in the rain, so a waterproof rating will be important. 

The waterproof qualities of a fabric are usually measured in millimetres head of water that they can support without leaking. Anything over 2,000mm is considered waterproof, but the best cycling jackets for commuting will have a much higher rating. Most will be rated at least 10,000mm, but the best will have a rating of 20,000mm or higher.

Also look out for taped seams, which prevent rain from penetrating the stitching of the seams and getting you wet.

Is breathability important?

Windproofing is often even more important than water resistance, but wind and waterproofing without breathability can quickly feel uncomfortable, so most commuting cycling jackets will use a breathable fabric.

Like waterproofing, breathability can be measured, in this case as grams of water vapour that can pass through a metre square area of fabric in 24 hours. Look for a breathability number of at least 10,000g/m2, while the best cycling jackets for commuting will have figures of 20,000g/m2 or more. 

Do I need a hood?

If you’re cycling in the rain, a hood can make it more comfortable and will stop water from running down your neck. It may significantly impact your ability to see behind you and to the sides though. 

It will also need to be large enough to fit over a commuter cycling helmet . Some hoods include features like a volume adjuster and drawcords to help make sure that there’s the right fit. 

In general, we’d advise against using a hood unless the conditions are really wet. Some commuting cycling jackets will have a removable hood, so you can decide whether you need it or not.

What visibility features do the best commuting cycling jackets have?

A commuter jacket should have a high level of visibility day and night. You’ll almost certainly encounter a significant amount of traffic at some point on your journey and the easier it is for others to see you, the safer you’ll be. Most commuting cycling jackets major on reflectives, but if you don’t like the hi viz look, it’s worth seeking out a jacket with more subtle reflective detailing like pixelated fabrics.

Some of these jackets have very large expanses of reflectives, which don’t look too obtrusive in the daytime but are very effective at night. They’re a good supplement to bike lights for commuting , which are advisable in daylight and essential at night. 

What other features should I look for?

It’s easy to work up a sweat when cycling, so in addition to breathable fabrics, it’s worth looking for other features to increase airflow. Some of the best commuting cycling jackets will include pit zips, which will let extra air in without too much exposure to rain. 

Others will have gill vents, consisting of mesh panels with a flap over them, usually at the upper back, which will help with airflow. These may not be effective if you’re wearing a pack to commute though.

Look out for a high collar to help keep wind and rain out, ideally with a fleeced inside for comfort. A waterproof front zip and/or a flap behind the zip will prevent wind and rain ingress, as will cuffs which include elastic or have velcro adjusters. Some commuting cycling jackets will have double cuffs that fit both over and under a pair of cycling gloves.

Do I need more than one commuting cycling jacket?

Your needs for a cycling jacket for commuting will be very different at different times of the year. In the summer, you don’t want too much bulk or warmth. Shedding heat and water vapour will be priorities, as will packability. Daylight visibility will be important too, so bright colors are useful.

In the winter, on the other hand, you’ll probably need extra warmth and you may be travelling in poor ambient light or at night, so a fleece lining and reflective details are important. It’s unlikely you’ll want to take your commuter jacket off at this time of year, so packability won’t be a factor in your decision.

So a year-round commuter should consider investing in two different commuting cycling jackets to cater for the different conditions they’ll encounter.

How do I look after my commuting cycling jacket?

A jacket used day in, day out for commuting may soon look dirty. It’s important to keep it clean not just for cosmetic reasons but so that it continues to work effectively. Breathable water resistant fabrics rely on a durable water resistant (DWR) outer coating to keep them working effectively. 

The DWR layer stops the outer fabric from wetting out, so that water vapour from the inside is transported through them effectively. If the jacket is wetting out, its DWR layer can usually be restored by washing it. But it’s important to use specialist washing products for technical gear. Don’t use standard washing products and never use fabric conditioner, as these leave residues in the fabric that will make it even more prone to wetting out.

If the DWR layer has ceased to be effective and can’t be refreshed by washing, a reproofing product can help to rejuvenate the fabric. 

There are more details and recommended products in this piece on how to re-waterproof your cycling gear . 

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After winning the 2019 National Single-Speed Cross-Country Mountain Biking Championships and claiming the plushie unicorn (true story), Stefan swapped the flat-bars for drop-bars and has never looked back. 

Since then, he’s earnt his 2ⁿᵈ cat racing licence in his first season racing as a third , completed the South Downs Double in under 20 hours and Everested in under 12 .

But his favourite rides are multiday bikepacking trips, with all the huge amount of cycling tech and long days spent exploring new roads and trails - as well as histories and cultures. Most recently, he’s spent two weeks riding from Budapest into the mountains of Slovakia . 

Height: 177cm

Weight: 67–69kg

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• As it happened: Narváez defeats Pogačar to win opening stage of the Giro

Best commuter cycling jackets of 2024: Ride comfort meets office style

Stay warm, stay dry, save money and ride to work in style

Best Overall

Best budget, most stylish, most visible, best wind jacket, also tested, how to choose.

1. Quick list 2. Best Overall 3. Best Budget 4. Most Stylish 5. Most Visible 6. Warmest 7. Best Wind Jacket 8. Also Tested 9. How to choose  

Riding to work on one of the best commuter bikes instead of driving can be hugely rewarding. Not only do you save money on fuel, parking, and potentially a lot more if you ditch the car entirely, but you get bonus health benefits too. In the winter though it can be a pretty miserable affair, but it doesn't have to be.

Luckily for you, I spend a lot of time riding to and from the office, as well as around town, to friends... I don't have a car, so every journey is a chance to find out what works and what doesn't.

Commuter jackets have to work well off the bike too. Sure, if you're zooming into work and bagging KOM/QOMs en route then you may well be better off with one of the best winter cycling jackets , or one of the best waterproof cycling jackets (in which there are a few commuter-oriented pieces already). Here though I've focussed on jackets that'll allow you to ride in comfort and not have to think too hard about bringing an entirely separate wardrobe; the less you can carry the more enjoyable your commute will be in my eyes.

One last thing - Commuting means you'll be mixing it with rush hour traffic, so safety first; be sure to check out our guides to the best bike lights and the best commuter helmets , and make sure you've got one of the best bike locks so you don't end up on a bus home. 

Sturdy, protective, dependable, and with a visual package that works as well around town as it does on the bike. Pit vents help keep the temperature down, and the colours are great too, even if my one is all black.

Read more below

For the price this jacket packs a lot in. The colour selection is a little reduced, but you still get a stowable hood, reflective tail, well sealed cuffs, a waterproof zip and a vented back. It's not the most breathable though, so don't hammer it too hard. 

A product I was sceptical of and have come to use almost daily. A windproof exterior, and a front insulated inside with amazing Polartech Alpha, in a package that looks this good is really hard to beat.

If you want to be seen then there isn't really anything that comes close to the Provis Reflect360 Plus. It's not the most comfy, or the most breathable (despite hundreds of perforations), but you'll shine like a beacon.

A pared-back version of the brand's thicker down jacket. It's meant to be designed for bikepacking, but I love it on frosty commutes, and it stuffs down very small indeed if you don't need it on the way home. 

If you just need something to take a bit of the chill off then the POC Motion Wind Jacket is perfect. Thin, stretchy, surprisingly breathable, and unlike many wind jackets it doesn't feel like wearing a bin bag.

The best commuter cycling jackets available today

You can trust Cyclingnews Our experts spend countless hours testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

A commute by bike encompasses many different demands. For some, it's a smash fest and a normal road jacket suffices. For others it's a slower affair, or electrically assisted, so the same level of breathability isn't needed. Some will be riding only a short distance and will want to be able to step off the bike straight to their desk, so it has to look 'normal'. Some will only commute in dry weather, so don't need a waterproof at all. I've tried to cover all the bases, and I've tested more or less every one of these scenarios over the last few months.

1. POC Motion Rain Jacket

Specifications, reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

The POC Motion Rain Jacket is my pick for the best commuter cycling jacket. As usual for my pick of 'best overall' it takes the top spot because it does many things pretty well, rather than doing one thing exceptionally. 

The main thing that endears me to it is its dependability; commuting is harder on jackets than normal riding. Backpacks rub, they get stuffed into bags, hung on handlebars in office bike stores, run over by swivel chairs, and generally misused. The face fabric of the Motion is thicker than you'll find on road waterproof jackets, and it really holds up to daily use. 

The hood doesn't have any adjustments, but much like the hood on the Motion Wind Jacket (more on that later) it's snug fitting and works well under a hood by dint of it being free from toggles and elastic. 

If you're hunting Strava segments then you'll probably get a little warm, but for more normal commute efforts it's spot on for breathability, and the pit perforations do help a little too. The fit is casual, without being too baggy, and POC always does a decent job of making the arms long enough. You can easily layer under it on a cold day, and it'll never look out of place if you head to to the pub after work for a drink. 

I am not a mountain biker, but it certainly has the feel of a jacket that would work well on the trails too. There are no side pockets, which isn't a massive issue for commuting, and means if you are wearing a backpack with a waist belt or a hip pack, then the webbing isn't going to be pressing a zip into your hips. 

My only real bugbear is that the main zip isn't waterproof. The internal storm flap, folded neatly to stop it catching in the zip, does keep water out, but it would be a pretty easy swap to make on the design room floor. 

2. Rapha Commuter

Our expert review:

Sadly the colour palette for the Rapha Commuter jacket has reduced somewhat since my tester landed. I have a handsome red, and many other colours were available, but now it's only three. Two monochrome, and one highly visible pink option.

Regardless of the reduced colour options, this is to my mind the best budget commuter cycling jacket. For the price, you get a decently protective shell, which is the main thing. It's not something I'd want to ride for hours in the rain in, but if you're only commuting for half an hour it's perfectly adequate. The cut is trim, but not anything approaching 'race' so you can throw it over your officewear, and the tail is long enough to keep your rear end dry, provided you're on a relatively upright machine and not a slammed road bike with classic drops on.

The cuffs do a great job of keeping the elements out without needing a cinch, though the elastic can get a bit soggy in heavy rain. The winning feature for me though is the cinchable hood. Most jackets don't have this, and it's transformative when using it just as a wind jacket; no more wind sock dragging your neck back. It's not the best hood stowage, but it's a darn sight better than nothing. 

If you're only commuting relatively infrequently, even more so in inclement weather, then you can probably get away with a cheaper jacket for those 'just in case' days, but for more frequent rides paying a little more is going to net you something more enjoyable to use. My main bugbears here are the zip (very sticky, though well waterproofed), and the lining, which is very clammy against bare skin. 

Head to our Rapha Commuter Jacket review for all the finer details. 

3. Rapha Insulated Overshirt

While this isn't a 'jacket' in the truest sense, the Rapha Insulated Overshirt almost immediately became a wardrobe staple. From the outside you wouldn't know it's a garment designed for cycling; it is simply a neat, well-tailored overshirt. The navy-only colour scheme, including all the finishing hardware, keeps things neat, but I would like to see some other colour options down the line.

Inside though, the lining of the leading edges (the arms and the chest panels specifically) are insulated with Polartech Alpha, the latest and greatest in fleecy tech. It does an excellent job of keeping the wind off and the heat in while flying through the city, which it's open-pile enough to breathe when the time comes. Easy poppers mean you can dump heat if necessary, and the back is uninsulated, to help avoid the almost impossible to avoid sweaty back when riding with a backpack.

The cuff poppers are neat, allowing you to seal more wind out, though the arms are a little short for me - Nearly every top I test has this issue though as I have long arms for my size. 

If you are after something you can throw on over a shirt to keep the chill at bay and walk straight into a meeting in, this is the one for you*

*I have no idea what your office dress code is, so if you get written up then it's on you!

4. Provis Reflect360 Plus

If you've already begun your commuter journey, or come to think of it if you drive in a place with plenty of cyclists, you've almost certainly already seen one of these. It's by far and away the most visible cycling jacket on the market, and in a segment of cycling where safety is a greater priority, this alone warrants its inclusion in this list. 

As a jacket, it's not hugely pleasant to wear. The material rustles, the fit is baggy, and it's not all that breathable, but the times when I used it at night I did feel safer, which went a long way to offset the increased sweatiness. When any light source hits you, be that a bike light, the headlights of a car, or even bright street lighting, the all-over silver coating lights you up like a Christmas tree to all viewers. The reflectivity is created by loads of tiny beads - pictures don't do it justice I'm afraid. 

The 'Plus' model is the one to go for rather than the standard. It's twice as waterproof (10,000mm vs 5,000mm), and more breathable too thanks to perforations in the outer fabric. 

One thing that is also worth applauding is the huge size range on offer. Cycling is oftentimes not inclusive to all bodies, especially at larger size ranges. To offer a 5XL is commendable, and will undoubtedly help open active transport up to more people.

5. Rapha Explore Lightweight Down Jacket

If you read the words 'explore', 'lightweight', and 'down', you'd be forgiven for assuming you've stumbled on a bikepacking-focused buyer's guide. This is, technically speaking, a jacket aimed at those who take the #RoadLessTravelled and #PackLightTravelFar, but I have found it works brilliantly on my #Commute.

Often my commute is a tale of two very different rides - A frosty morning chill, and a more temperate afternoon spin home. For the cold starts, I find the Rapha Explore Lightweight Down Jacket to be the perfect thing to chuck on, especially if your commute is short enough that you never really get time to properly warm up.

The fill is pretty minimal in thickness by mini puffy jacket standards, but if it was any thicker it would be too hot for anything but sub-zero riding. The hood is free from insulation entirely and fits great under a helmet if you need a bit of extra wind protection. Likewise, the cuffs and shoulders are down-free. The former means the down doesn't get waterlogged if the cuffs peek out from beneath a waterproof, and the latter means that your backpack straps don't crush the feathers to the point of uselessness. 

All of this means it packs down very small into its included stuff sack, meaning if you only use it on your morning commute it can very easily get chucked in your backpack for the homeward leg.

Finally, as with many of the jackets here, it looks great off the bike too, so if your dress code allows it's not going to mark you out as a cyclist as you discuss #Synergy and #MergersAndAcquisitions over the water cooler. 

6. POC Motion Wind Jacket

In much the same way as the Rapha down jacket in this list, the POC Motion Wind Jacket has really shone on days with cooler starts and warmer homeward journeys, just the overall temperature range is warmer. It does a fantastic job of taking the chill off, without leaving you nearly as prone to overheating as if you threw on a waterproof shell.

It looks great, it's brilliantly stretchy which makes it extremely comfortable, and the fit is great too, especially if you're long in the arms like me; POC is great for us lanky types. The cuffs are also angled so more material covers the back of your hand. This makes more sense on a flat bar bike but also adds a slightly more techy aesthetic.

A double zip helps you access jersey pockets if it's going over 'proper' cycling kit, though I found it better for temperature adjustments. I find a little bit of undone top and bottom is far more preferable to a lot of undone from the top, which ends up creating a windsock effect.

Speaking of which, the hood is great under a helmet, but as it's a jacket you'll primarily use in the dry the hood could really do with a way to stow it away. In all honesty, I could do without it altogether, though I do like the way it looks from an aesthetic standpoint.

In terms of versatility, you could well use this on gravel rides as well as wandering around town, but for me, it works best both visually and in terms of performance, with some cycling trousers for urban riding.

7. Endura Pro SL Waterproof Shell Jacket

I'm sure many of you reading this are coming to cycling to work with a solid grounding in road riding. If you're looking for a jacket that will cover you for both the Mon-Fri commute to the office and keep you dry on the Sunday club run, then look no further. 

You'll want to go for the highly visible option because it'd be daft to make yourself less visible if you're commuting regularly. This visibility, along with the durable feeling outer fabric, is why I gave this jacket the nod over many others. It's also frequently discounted, which certainly helps if you're prone to trashing your gear on commutes. 

The waterproof rating is more than ample for rides of commute length, and it's certainly more breathable than many of its competitors. The fit is slim but isn't what you'd call race fit, so you can layer up underneath with normal clothes if the need arises. 

My main issues were in the shoulders, which felt rather tight under the armpits (which will be less of an issue if you're not riding a very aero position), and the cuffs, which are elasticated but rather loose without gloves. This allows air up into the sleeves which can make you a bit more chilly. 

Head to our Endura Pro SL Waterproof Shell Jacket Review for all the juicy details. 

8. Duer Stay Dry Denim Jacket

So you work freelance in a hip co-working space, awash with hanging plants, speciality coffee, and organic networking interactions. You don't have a dress code and enjoy the music of Bruce Springsteen. Step right up; performance denim is here.

I've tried riding in a denim jacket before, a standard Levis one, and on anything but an upright bike it's a pain as the thick cotton doesn't stretch in the shoulders. This model from Duer, the Stay Dry Denim Jacket, has ample built-in stretch and so is significantly more pleasant to ride with, especially if you've got an aggressive position. It's still cut like a denim jacket, so expect your lower back to be exposed if you aren't wearing either a long t-shirt or trousers cut for riding, but it does open up double denim riding opportunities, as I have done in the past in combination with Duer denim shorts.

To go alongside the stretch the jacket also features a DWR coating, and in my experience, it can just about hold off a shower. I suspect it was designed with rugged lifestyle or rugged lifestyle aspirationalists in mind, but it's an excellent feature for us cyclists too.

Other than the stretch and the DWR it's a relatively standard denim jacket, albeit a comfy one. This colourway, 'Galactic', is more or less out of stock now, and has been replaced by a darker, unfaded mid-blue, but the salient features remain.

9. Chrome Two Way Insulated Shacket

The Chrome Two Way Insulated Shacket is perfect if you want more than one option. One side is black, with quilted stitching, and the other side is olive with twin chest pockets. I tended to wear black side out, but neither feels like an 'inside' as can be the way with reversible garments.

The insulation is light, so it's not nearly as warm as the Rapha down jacket that's in this guide. It feels much more like a wind jacket, just with a little more heft, than a truly insulated option, which to be honest makes it far more usable when riding. 

The cuffs aren't adjustable, and so are fairly wide-set, but as an overshirt style jacket, it doesn't feel like a piece you really want to hunker down into. It was great as a throw-it-on piece in much the same way as the Rapha Insulated Overshirt was.

My main issue with this one was the fit - it's just not cut right for riding a road bike. The material has no stretch, which is fine in and of itself, but there isn't any extra room in the shoulders that you normally find by way of pleats or some such. Because it's reversible they can't be stitched in, and so this is a jacket reserved for more upright bikes.

10. Altura Grid Parka

In much the same way as the Duer Denim and the Rapha Overshirt the Antura Grid Parka works well because it's just as good off the bike as it is on it. Given its length, you're going to want to use this with an upright bike or you'll have a lot of material flapping around your front, but on the right bike (a Brompton being a perfect example), the extremely dropped tail ensures no water runs down your back and onto your trousers.

Yes, it only comes in olive green, and the hood has to go under the helmet to be in any way useful, but it's a parka, so it has to be in olive green. Them's the rules I'm afraid.  

To stop you from overheating it's got a big back vent, though this is negated if you're wearing a cycling backpack. To help there are also two pit zips, though I actually found I rarely needed them. The hood is fine, but it has to go under the helmet which I don't like, so it tended to only get used when strolling around the city singing Champagne Supernova to myself. 

The waterproofing is perfectly adequate, all the seams are taped and you're not going to get wet unless you let the DWR wear out. That wasn't the thing that impressed me most though. That, oddly, was the cuff fasteners. They use a pliable plastic hook-and-loop fastener rather than a fabric one, and they allow you to really seal your wrists away better than most other options out there. 

11. Chrome Wind Cobra

The Chrome Wind Cobra has easily the best name of any jacket in this guide and answers many of the questions the POC Motion leaves me asking. It has pockets, which are always good - two at the sides, with zip closures, and one at the back that doubles as a stuff sack - and it doesn't have a hood. I tend to find hoods annoying on a wind jacket, but the lack of one may be a negative in your eyes.

It is black, but a big CHROME logo on the lower back in reflective print helps matters in that department. It's also slightly cheaper than the POC Motion wind jacket. 

For me where it fell down against the POC is in the fit. The arms aren't long enough for me (I'm relatively gangly), and the material is more rigid and doesn't allow me to move as freely on the bike. Oddly the wrists have a mesh panel,  so if you get cold hands this isn't going to help in that department. 

All in all, though it's a decent option, and as with Chrome gear in general it feels built to last in a way that many wind jackets don't - it's not flimsy, so if you're hard on your gear then maybe this is a better pick for you.

12. Altura Grid Field Jacket

The Altura Grid Field Jacket is one that I have actually become rather fond of, despite it not necessarily being the best for anything in particular. It serves a similar purpose to the overshirts insofar as it's not insulated, but it's far more durable feeling thanks to a heavy cotton construction.

It takes the form of what I think of as a classic safari jacket but in navy blue rather than khaki. The four front pockets are all pretty enormous, and I think you'd be hard-pressed to fill them all on a day-to-day basis unless you're trying to ditch a backpack entirely. If you are wearing a backpack the chest strap and hip belt will sit over all of the pockets, so bear that in mind.

On the bike though it moves far more freely than it looks. The cuffs, with poppers rather than Velcro, tighten well over gloves, and the more casual fit means the shoulders rarely feel tight. On a road bike, the front feels baggy, even more so with full pockets, but if you're riding a hybrid or something more upright it makes way more sense.

The final thing I really like is the elbow patches. Not only do they make me feel like an esteemed professor, but they are also reflective. Having gone through the elbows on some jackets in the past when I've had an unscheduled lie down it makes me wonder why more jackets don't have elbow patches...

Commuting means different things to different riders. For some it's a rain-or-shine way of life, for others, it's a way to make the most of a sunny day, and as such commuter jackets have to span a lot of use cases. Before you commit to a jacket, be sure it's going to fit your needs. 

If you're a fairweather commuter then there's no point worrying about the waterproof options, and if you need something that'll stand you in good stead year round then something that won't hold the rain at bay is pointless. 

What is a commuter jacket?

In reality, any jacket you use to commute by bike is a commuter jacket. They do tend to differ from your standard waterproof or winter jackets though. More durable materials, more pockets, more visible colours and a greater reliance on reflective details are the key differences, and many are styled in such a way that you can wear them out and about on foot as well as on the bike.

Do I need a reflective jacket for commuting?

If safety is a big concern for you, and given the behaviour of some drivers I'm not surprised if it is, then reflectivity should be high on your list. The Provis is second to none in this regard, but no jacket, no matter how reflective, is a substitute for a set of the best bike lights .

Are commuter jackets worth it?

If you're regularly commuting then the added cycling-specific functionality really makes sense. That being said, especially if you're not riding a bike with an aggressive position, if you're only commuting by bike on occasion then a non-specific jacket can work just as well, especially if it's not raining. 

How do we test commuter cycling jackets?

Well, I don't have a car, so riding to work is the norm for me. It's an hour each way, usually with a backpack on, and a mix of busy roads and cycle paths so as real-world testing goes it's hard to beat. I have also ridden them all around the city while I'm doing other things over the winter months, so I've got a great feel for the details that work and those that don't.

All the jackets in this guide I'm happy to recommend, depending on the specific use case. 

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Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. There are very few types of cycling he's not dabbled in, and he has a particular affection for older bikes and long lasting components. Road riding was his first love, before graduating to racing CX in Yorkshire. He's been touring on a vintage tandem all the way through to fixed gear gravel riding and MTB too. When he's not out riding one of his many bikes he can usually be found in the garage tinkering with another of them, or getting obsessive about tyres. Also, as he doesn't use Zwift, he's our go-to guy for bad weather testing... bless him.

Rides: Custom Zetland Audax, Bowman Palace:R, Peugeot Grand Tourisme Tandem, Falcon Explorer Tracklocross, Fairlight Secan & Strael

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The Best Cycling Jackets For Riding in Any Weather

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As a dedicated all-weather bike commuter , I truly believe that, as Alfred Wainwright wrote in Coast to Coast Walk , “there is no bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” Stashing one of the best cycling jackets in your pack or pocket ensures you’ll be prepared, no matter which way the weather turns.

More Gear For Cool-Weather Rides: Best Winter Cycling Caps ● Best Tights for Cold Weather ● Best Winter Cycling Gloves

The Best Cycling Jackets

• Best Overall: Rapha Brevet Wind Jacket
• Best Value: Pearl Izumi Quest Barrier Convertible Jacket
• Best for Men: Assos Mille CT Wind Jacket
• Best for Women: Assos Uma GT WindJacket
• Best Waterproof: Showerspass Elite 2.1 Cycling Jacket
• Best for Racing: Assos Equipe RS Targa rain Jacket
• Best Mountain Bike Jacket: Patagonia Dirt Roamer
• Best Reflective: Proviz Reflect 360+
• Best Overall new arrival cycling jacket (winter): Ostroy No Trainer Summit Winter Jacket

The Expert: I’ve worked as a journalist and gear reviewer for 15 years, specializing in cycling and outdoor equipment for publications like Dirt Rag Magazine , Adventure Cycling , BBC Travel , Popular Science , Fodors , Popular Mechanics , Bicycling, and many others.

A NYC-based cyclist, I commute regularly across the city, no matter what the weather. I also participate in long group road or gravel rides every weekend. My cycling jackets really get put to the test on my bikepacking trips: I’ve ridden through Central Asia, Georgia and Armenia, most of Europe, Pakistan, and, most recently, the Himalayas in northern India and Nepal. I always keep a jacket handy because you never know when the weather will take a sudden turn, especially while riding in the mountains.

What to Consider in a Cycling Jacket

You should wear a cycling jacket, rather than other kinds of outerwear, because of how it’s cut. Cycling jackets feature a shorter hemline in the front to accommodate a bent over position, and a longer, drop tail in the rear for protection from road spray and rain. They often feature lightweight materials and a packable construction, making them easy to stow and transport in a jersey pocket. In addition, jackets take all kinds of design features into account, even down to small details like zipper size and pocket placement.

.css-1f6aja5{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;background-color:#ffffff;border:0;border-bottom:none;border-top:0.0625rem solid #E8E8E8;color:#000;cursor:pointer;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:flex-start;justify-content:flex-start;padding-bottom:0.3125rem;padding-top:0.3125rem;scroll-margin-top:0rem;text-align:left;width:100%;}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1f6aja5{scroll-margin-top:3.375rem;}} .css-jtmji2{border-radius:50%;width:1.875rem;border:thin solid #6F6F6F;height:1.875rem;padding:0.4rem;margin-right:0.625rem;} .css-jlx6sx{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;width:0.9375rem;height:0.9375rem;margin-right:0.625rem;-webkit-transform:rotate(90deg);-moz-transform:rotate(90deg);-ms-transform:rotate(90deg);transform:rotate(90deg);-webkit-transition:-webkit-transform 250ms ease-in-out;transition:transform 250ms ease-in-out;} Waterproof or Water-Resistant?

Many manufacturers call their jackets “waterproof,” but offer a wider range of water-resistance depending on the design, the fabric, and other factors. For cyclists, waterproof is always relative: In my experience (and the experience of my bike messenger friends), most every waterproof jacket will eventually let some water in if you’re out in a driving rain all day. Given that, I recommend looking for a jacket that balances waterproofing and breathability, so you can stay as comfortable as possible on your ride.

The most waterproof jackets feature a “hardshell” design, which is made using multi-layer bonded fabrics – usually a nylon or polyester exterior fabric fused to a  polyurethane  or  polytetrafluoroethylene  waterproof membrane, which gives them a stiffer, plastic-like feel. The best options also feature taped seams to ensure water doesn’t get in through weak points in the fabric. They will eventually get soaked over a long day in a downpour, but in most cases they feel truly waterproof.

The most waterproof jackets often aren’t the best cycling jackets, though. Hardshell jackets provide better weatherproofing, but don’t necessarily make the best cycling jackets because they aren’t very breathable. If you’re pushing hard up a hill or mountain, the membrane that keeps the rain out will trap your sweat inside the jacket, so you end up just as soaked as if you’d been caught in a downpour.

For most circumstances, I prefer (and recommend) a softshell jacket with water resistant properties, especially if most of your rides are recreational and/or training. Single-layer softshells wick moisture treated with  durable water repellent  (DWR) to make them more weatherproof. 

Not only does the thinner construction allow these jackets to be more breathable, but they are generally lighter and more packable. If heavy rain is forecast to last all day it's a pretty good bet that your group ride will be canceled. For sporadic, occasional, light showers during the day, a softshell should be more than adequate.

I use my hardshell primarily when commuting, or on a multi-day (or week) bikepacking adventure when it’s very important to stay as dry as possible. Rolling into a campsite after a day of pedaling in the rain and attempting to dry your clothing is often a losing battle and showing up at work completely soaked is rarely ideal. (Those restroom hand dryers never really dry anything).

Packability

If you’re looking for a jacket to carry with you on days when the weather could possibly take a turn for the worse (or for the better), you’ll want to make sure that there’s an easy way to pack it and put it away. Many cycling jackets are designed to pack down small into a pouch or large pocket, either of which could fit into a pocket in your  cycling jersey.

Seasonality

You do not necessarily need a different jacket for every season and occasion. A lightweight, weather-resistant shell can work across a wide range of temperatures: In cooler weather, you can always wear an extra  base layer  underneath, rather than switching to a heavier jacket.

That said, if you ride outside through the winter–through snow and freezing temperatures– you should also get at least one insulated  winter cycling jacket .

Cycling brands make jackets in a few different fits, including slim/racing, regular, or relaxed. A slim or “racing” fit is designed to be tight, and leaves little room for layers under it. “Regular” fit jackets feature a tapered silhouette, but aren’t skin tight. Relaxed fit jackets have a broader cut, so you can comfortably fit layers underneath them.

Picking the right one comes down to personal preference. That said, a tighter fit–Slim or regular–minimizes loose fabric to make you more aerodynamic, so it’s generally better suited to competitive events.

How We Selected The Best Cycling Jackets

I have a jacket problem. It’s the type of clothing I buy most often, and I have no idea why. (Maybe a fear of being caught out in the rain?) At any rate, I own entirely too many cycling jackets, which means I’ve spent tons of time comparing features and determining which designs work best and why. (There may have even been a spreadsheet.)

In addition to my own personal testing, I’ve spoken to many of the cyclists I ride with across all kinds of disciplines (road, gravel, mountain, messenger, and commuter). Everyone has strong opinions, and I’ve done my best to pass along their recommendations and steer clear of their disappointments.

Rapha Brevet Wind Jacket

Named (and presumably designed) for competitive long-distance cycling events, the Brevet Wind Jacket is exceptionally light and packable, making it a great choice for long days in the saddle when you’re likely to ride through a range of temperatures.

It features hi-visibility reflective strips across the chest and back, as well as the brand’s recognizable left arm reflective stripe for visibility while riding in low light. There are also reflective details on the back of the sleeves above the wrists and lower left back.

In the women’s jacket, mesh side panels add breathability, while the elasticized cuffs and bottom keep unwanted drafts from creeping in. Instead of the mesh, the men’s version features laser-cut perforations on the sides, which provide less ventilation.

Successfully completing a brevet event involves pedaling for extended periods of time, including through the night. This jacket is durable, functional, and a perfect fit to meet that challenge.

Pearl Izumi Quest Barrier Convertible Jacket

The Pearl Izumi Quest Barrier Convertible jacket feels like a bargain because you effectively get two garments in one. The lightweight, water-resistant jacket is perfect for days when there’s a chill in the air. (Some of the best kind of days, in my opinion.) When you start to sweat, you can remove the sleeves and wear it as a vest to protect your core from the wind, or as a high-visibility garment on evening rides.

I usually wear this jacket with a light wool base layer on late autumn or early spring days in the Northeast, when the weather is beginning to transition from cool to cold. When mornings are chilly but the afternoon sun is warm, I shed the sleeves. Either way, it’s very light–8.2 ounces–and easy to pack into a jersey pocket when it gets too warm.

The zippered side pockets give you enough space to securely stash your money, phone, and a snack or two. There’s also a two-way front zip and upper mesh panel in the back for ventilation control.

My only complaint is the choice to make the sleeves in the women’s version snap-off, as opposed to the zip-off designed use in the men’s version. If you’re out on an excessively windy day, these openings make it susceptible to the parachute effect. Despite this, it’s still one of my favorite jackets and the one I tend to reach for if I’m not sure what the weather may do on a given day.

Shop Men’s Shop Women’s

Assos Mille CT Wind Jacket

The Assos Mille CT wind jacket is perfect for in-between weather days, shifty forecasts, unexpected showers, and winds that pack some chill. It’s light, so you can shove it into a jersey pocket and forget about it if the day turns warm and sunny.

Assos calls this jacket “acoustically innocuous” which is both accurate and a rather satisfying way of saying it doesn’t emit any annoying rustling noises while descending. You may think that the noisiness of a jacket shouldn’t matter, but wait until you wear one that crinkles and rustles loud enough that you can’t sufficiently hear the sound of a vehicle (or fellow rider) about to overtake you.

The Mille CT has elastic at the cuffs and bottom for a secure fit and breathable, stretchy knit side panels to comfortably accommodate movement, and a dual-layered collar that has elasticity so you don’t feel as if your jacket is choking you when bent over in a riding position. It also comes in Fluorescent yellow and orange , in case you plan to ride at night and need extra visibility.

The only potential downside is the lack of pockets, but the packability, breathability, and comfort of this jacket will more than make up for that for many riders.

Assos Uma GT Wind Jacket

One of the best things you can say about a jacket is that it performs well in a wide range of situations, theoretically eliminating the need to buy lots of different options for varying types of weather. While it isn’t my only jacket, Assos’ Uma GT is highly weather-resistant, but also very breathable, which is a relatively rare combination that would allow me to buy fewer cycling jackets if I were inclined.

At 3.7 ounces, it’s extremely lightweight and stowable. It’s constructed with Assos’ DWR-treated ultralight Foil Ultra fabric in the front, which is water-repellent and exceptionally windproof. The side panels, made from a stretchy warp-knit material, allow for layering underneath without feeling restrictive. The back panel, made from a stretch mesh, provides significant breathability.

There are two rear vents that allow you to access the pockets of your jersey underneath, and elastic at the wrists eliminates any wind getting in. If someone insisted that I edit my cycling jacket collection to only a few, the Assos Uma GT would be on that short list.

Showers Pass Elite 2.1 Cycling Jacket

While I participate in group road cycling rides every weekend, I am, first and foremost, a bike commuter. When I say I ride my bike everywhere all the time, I am not exaggerating. Errands, work, social engagements, interviews, appointments – I cycle to all of them, no matter what the weather. My Showerspass Elite cycling jacket is the one I grab when there’s rain, snow, sleet, or hail in the forecast.

The zippered chest pocket accommodates a cell phone, and the zippered full side vents regulate body temperature. As anyone who has worn a rain jacket knows, they’re usually not very breathable, causing you to sweat enough that you end up just as drenched wearing it as you would be not wearing it. Thanks to these side vents, a generous back vent, and body-mapping that maximizes breathability, this is not the case with this particular jacket.

One of the best things about this jacket, though, is that there’s ample room in the neck when zipped entirely closed to eliminate any choking sensation. I find this a rare thing in a jacket; especially cycling specific ones that always seem to lean towards a tight, constrictive fit in the neck area.

Shop Men’s Shop Women’s Hood Sold Separately

assos Equipe RS Targa Rain Jacket

Assos specializes in fitted, high-performance racing gear for cyclists. Case in point, the RS Targa rain jacket features a slim, tapered fit with long, fitted arms made from the brand’s proprietary Schloss Tex fabric–an ultralight hydrophobic material that pulls water away from your skin, while staying stretchy and breathable. It keeps you from getting wet to the point of feeling waterlogged or soggy (neither of which is helpful while racing), without restricting your freedom of movement.

The chunky two-way zipper gives you the ventilation you need, and is easy to adjust mid-ride. The elastic hem keeps it securely where it should be and a panel in the sleeve hem prevents drafting and flapping. These small considerations can make a big difference on a rainy race day.

Available in black or orange, the RS Targa also features a reflective strip down the back for visibility and a generous drop tail hem to protect you from road spray. In lieu of pockets, there are two vents in the rear panel that give access to your jersey pockets. That’s less than ideal for everyday riders, but exactly what you need when you want to post your best time.

Patagonia Dirt Roamer

Made from a stretchy, 100% DWR-coated nylon, the Patagonia Dirt Roamer provides a comfortable fit and feel for navigating technical trails. I consider it my Goldilocks jacket: It’s neither too heavy, nor too light, and it perfectly straddles the line between being breathable and weatherproof.

It functions as an excellent wind shell for cool mornings and adequately resists water throughout a ride that includes perpetual drizzle. Very little sweat builds up inside while climbing, which is a testament to its surprising breathability. Your body heat passes through the jacket and out into the world, as opposed to building up inside the jacket and rendering you a sweaty mess.

I also love its knit interior, which feels much better against bare skin than the plasticky inner linings on many weatherproof outerwear. The hood, a rarity among the top cycling jackets, is also a highlight: It’s large enough to fit around your helmet without blocking your view, and you can roll it down when you don’t need it.

I wish this jacket had one or two front side pockets for additional storage, especially since the rear one is difficult to reach under a backpack.

Last summer I spent two and a half weeks mountain biking across Madagascar, during which I experienced a full range of Malagasy weather. It was supposedly the cool, dry season, but that apparently depends on where you are in the country. I found temperatures ranging from the upper 40s/low 50s to the low 80s, and many mountains – sometimes all in the same day. And there was rain, light and heavy. I wore my Dirt Roamer through all of it. It even made it through a rather bad fall on a rocky downhill without ripping or tearing.

Shop Men’s Best Women’s

Proviz Reflect 360+

If you plan to ride at night, you need to wear reflective gear to make sure cars and other riders will see you. Even among reflective cycling jackets, which are designed to stand out, the Proviz Reflect 360+ shines bright. It’s made almost entirely from fabric made with tiny reflective glass beads. When a light hits any part of it, the entire jacket lights up, transforming you into a literal beacon of light for all to see.

Proviz 360 jackets provide breathability via zippered underarm vents, a back flap vent, and zippered front chest pockets that double as vents when needed. For comfort, there’s a soft, cotton mesh lining and a fleece lined collar. Water- and windproof, it’s a reliable commuter cycling jacket that’s ready for all sorts of inclement weather. Plus, there are ample pockets for storing a phone, keys, money, and other sundries.

Originally only available in silver, the company recently released it in a wider range of high-visibility colors . All of them feature the same reflective technology, though, and shine bright in the spotlight (or, more likely, a car’s headlights.) While it isn’t my personal favorite only because I don’t really care for the color choices, riders who spend a good deal of time riding in traffic will appreciate that this jacket gives you an extra bump in the visibility department.

Ostroy No Trainer Summit Winter Jacket

I just brought the Ostroy No Trainer Summit Winter Jacket on a short bikepacking trip through a portion of the Himalayan mountain range–Leh to Manali–where there was snow and freezing morning temperatures. Though it looks thin, this jacket’s fleece-backed “fusion fabric” kept me warm through the bitter cold. Water-resistant with four-way stretch, my movement was never hindered and snow never penetrated the outer layer.

There are three back pockets for storage and a hefty 2-way zipper for ventilation when climbing. I also appreciated that the sleeves were longer than those of many of my other jackets, as well as their stretch-knit cuffs, which kept wind from creeping in.

The neck’s a little tight, likely for the same reason, but you can always soften that with a neck buff. Plus, the no trainer logo and olive color suit my personal style perfectly (I’m the cyclist you see pedaling to work in the sleet or snow). I own several pieces from Ostroy and have always been impressed with the quality and fit. This jacket is no exception.

Q+A With Cycling Jacket Aficionado Vanessa Nirode

How do you stay warm while cycling in the cold.

The secret, whether you’re riding or standing still, is to dress in layers. As the temperature drops, start adding extra pieces to trap more heat: A wind-blocking cycling jacket is a good place to start, then a moisture-wicking base layer, then a long-sleeve thermal jersey. On especially cold days (temperatures well below freezing), I’ll switch the wind jacket out for a winter specific jacket with a thermal lining or a polyester fiberfill.

The tricky part for cyclists, of course, is balancing the need to insulate your body heat with the equally important need to vent water vapor when you start to sweat. The best solution is to wear less clothing at the beginning of the ride to reduce sweating. (Though I am rarely, if ever, successful in this.) In winter weather, you should  always start your ride cold .

How Do You Stay Warm While Cycling in Wet Conditions?

In cool or cold conditions, layering and ventilation are your friends. A moisture-wicking layer and a waterproof cycling jacket with good ventilation usually provides enough protection. Hardshell waterproof jackets will block wind and water, keeping you warm and dry.

That said, wet does not always mean cold. I rarely don a rain jacket when cycling during the summer. On a hot, steamy day, a rainshower may be just what you need to cool down. And even if it isn’t, no waterproof jacket will offer enough ventilation to compensate for the extra sweat you’ll build up while riding in 75 degrees or more.

When Should I Consider Wearing a Cycling Jacket?

It depends on how sensitive you are to the cold, but the team at  Runner’s World  offers a good rule of thumb for any kind of cold-weather exercise: “Dress like it’s 15-20 degrees warmer than it actually is.” Personally, I usually take a jacket with me if it’s 55 degrees or cooler.

Can I wear a road cycling jacket for gravel?

You can, though you should be aware that some road cycling jackets are made with super thin, lightweight materials that will not hold up well when scraped against a tree branch (or the ground!).

Vanessa Nirode is a freelance writer who covers wellness, culture, outdoor adventure and travel for Hearst , HuffPost , PopSci , BBC Travel , and Threads , among others. She’s also a pattern maker and tailor for film and television but most of the time, she’d rather just be riding her bicycle.

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Best Urban Cycling Jacket: Top 15 Bike Commuter Jackets in 2023

By Pete Reynolds

Updated Dec 08, 2023

This post may contain affiliate links, which help to keep Discerning Cyclist rolling. Learn more .

With your bag packed and your bike ready to ride, you’re all set for your commute to work. Off you go, speeding through the streets without a care in the world, when all of a sudden, your worst nightmare sets upon you: rain.

Without a good cycling jacket to soak it up, you arrive at work looking like a drowned rat. Your possessions may be kept nice and warm inside your bag, but not you. So, what can you do?

It’s in case of scenarios like these that a proper bicycle jacket is essential. Below, we’ll take a look at some key features of the best bike commuter jackets , run through three of the best for both men and women, and answer some important FAQs on the matter.

Urban Cycling Jackets [ Men ] [ Women ]

Rapha Men’s Commuter Jacket

A sleek and practical cycling jacket, designed for urban commutes and adverse weather conditions.

Chrome Two-Way Insulated Shacket

A versatile and stylish jacket that can be worn as a shirt or a jacket.

Velocio Recon Snap Jacket

A lightweight and breathable cycling jacket, designed for performance and all-day comfort.

Helly Hansen Ride Hooded Cycling Jacket

A waterproof and windproof jacket, perfect for intense outdoor activities.

Ministry of Supply Composite Merino EcoFleece Jacket

A sustainable and comfortable jacket, perfect for everyday wear.

Chrome Merino Wool Cobra 3.0

A warm and durable cycling jacket, designed for urban riders and commuters.

PROVIZ Reflect360 Plus Men’s Cycling Jacket

A highly visible and reflective jacket, ideal for night-time rides.

Rapha Commuter Lightweight Jacket

A sleek and breathable cycling jacket, designed for urban riders and commuters.

Chrome Storm Salute Commute Jacket

A waterproof and durable jacket, perfect for rainy commutes and outdoor activities.

Mission Workshop Eiger Jacket

A versatile and stylish jacket, designed for all-day comfort and outdoor adventures.

Rapha Packable Down Jacket

A lightweight and compressible jacket, ideal for travel and outdoor activities in cold weather.

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Bike Commuting Jacket: Key Features

Of course, your first port of call should be waterproof and water-resistance, because getting drenched by the heavens en route to work is nobody’s idea of fun.

But that should hardly be your only concern when picking the right jacket for you. Is it breathable enough? Does it offer much in the way of stretch? What kind of fit does it provide? Is it as effective as a summer cycling jacket as in the depths of winter? And how many pockets does it have for that extra bit of storage?

You may also be on the lookout for a more stylish cycling jacket, because why just stop at functional when you look great, too? And if you’re keen on giving your head a little extra cover, what about coats with hoods?

Hopefully, you’ll find something for you in our top three of both male and female commuter jackets. Let’s dive in:

Discerning Cyclist’s expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing cycling products so you don’t have to.

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Cycling Commuter Jacket for Men [Top 11]

• Rapha Men’s Commuter Jacket [ REVIEW ]
• Chrome Two-Way Insulated Shacket [ REVIEW ]
• Velocio Recon Snap Jacket [ REVIEW ]
• Helly Hansen Ride Hooded Cycling Jacket [ REVIEW ]
• Ministry of Supply Composite Merino EcoFleece Jacket [ REVIEW ]
• Chrome Merino Wool Cobra 3.0 [ REVIEW ]
• PROVIZ Reflect360 Plus Men’s Cycling Jacket [ REVIEW ]
• Rapha Commuter Lightweight Jacket [ REVIEW ]
• Chrome Storm Salute Commute Jacket [ REVIEW ]
• Mission Workshop Eiger Jacket [ REVIEW ]
• Rapha Packable Down Jacket [ REVIEW ]

Looking for women’s jackets? Click here to skip straight to them.

1. Rapha Men’s Commuter Jacket

Prices are approximate

Waterproof Rating:  Fully waterproof

Waterproof membrane

Rear illumination

Sealed seams

Designed explicitly for the daily commute (and with a lower riding position than other offerings from Rapha) this jacket manages to be both lightweight and durable with no compromises made on either side.

Waterproofing is top notch with sealed seams to prevent water ingress and a special membrane on the inside of the jacket. The membrane keeps water at bay but it’s light and airy so you won’t have to worry about sweat building up. A mesh lining up the back helps with ventilation.

You also get welted zip pockets (enough to hold essentials like your keys and phone). The zipper is made using “Aquaguard” technology – in laymen’s terms that just means that it’s super waterproof and not a single drop of moisture can find its way inside.

A looped fastening makes the jacket easy to access so you won’t have to spend hours grappling with the zip, something that can be a big problem with cold hands.

Small touches are what make this jacket so special. The zip is slightly off centre so you won’t have to worry about chaffing on your chin and a reflective gradient dot pattern lights up on the back. Since these jackets are mostly worn at night or in bad weather, that illumination makes a big difference. The Rapha will keep you safe, dry and, above all else, comfortable.

2. Chrome Two-Way Insulated Shacket

Material(s):  100% recycled polyester

Natty design

100% recycled polyester

We’re on familiar ground here with a jacket – sorry, Shacket – from city cycling experts Chrome Industries.

This jacket’s party piece, and one that you won’t find on any other jackets in our list, is its reversibility. On one side, a more stoic black and on the other a pleasing olive green. Irrespective of which way the shacket is worn it will provide warmth, protection against wind and an element of water resistance – all within a lightweight package.

We particularly like the design of this one – the traditional collars, the semi-quilted fabric pattern and the chest pockets give the garment a natty feel.

Like some other urban cycling brands, Chrome Industries has introduced recycled materials into its lineup of cycling apparel. The Two-Way Insulated Shacket is made from 100% recycled material.

3. Velocio Recon Snap Jacket

Material(s):  50% Polyester. 50% Polyamide

Top of the style stakes

Extra insulation

DWR coating on the outside  and  the inside

Although style is subjective, there’s no doubt in our mind that  Velocio’s Recon Snap jacket  is the best-looking item on our list. The high collar, the slim fit, the button closure and even the elbow patches – own one on you’ll scream suave and sophisticated.

This isn’t to say that the Recon Snap isn’t up to the task of performing either, indeed the jacket is packed (literally) with some of the most technologically advanced material around. The outside is made from Pertex Quantum fabric, a superlight material with plenty of stretch. Stuffed inside the jacket is insulation from well-known provider Polartec.

With a standard DWR coating present and correct the Recon Snap will ward off the odd shower. But top marks to Velocio for adding it to the inner of the jacket too. That way if it does get soaked in an unexpected downpour on the way to work, it should dry out in time for the return leg.

Name a more chic cycling jacket – we’ll wait!

4. Helly Hansen Ride Hooded Cycling Jacket

Adjustable hoo

Dual layers

Chest pockets

Waterproof, windproof, breathable and lightweight, the Helly Hansen offers everything you could want from a cycling rain jacket. Better still, it crams all of these features into a bright yellow package that stands out vividly in even the poorest light.

Reflective strips boost visibility even higher and ensure that you won’t ever be missed. The jacket is designed specifically  for urban cycling  and engineered with an articulated cut for extra mobility as you nip through the traffic.

Waterproofing is, of course, the big area of interest and the Helly Hansen doesn’t disappoint. The combination of Polyamide shell and Polyester lining offers two layers of protection and also gives the jacket its windproof credentials.

The two part design is lightweight and pleasantly breathable (this is one of the lightest jackets on the list at just 450g). Chest and hand pockets offer plenty of room to store essentials.

This jacket comes with a hood. Fortunately (and unlike many other cycling rain jackets) the hood and hem are fully adjustable so you should be able to find a configuration that fits. With a few adjustments, it’s quite easy to stop the hood from flapping in the wind and get a secure fit.

Having a hood further boosts the jacket’s all weather credentials. Throw in some reflective strips and we’d say that the Helly Hansen offers everything you could need to get through the winter.

5. Ministry of Supply Composite Merino EcoFleece Jacket

Material(s):  54% Merino Wool, 33% Polyester, 13% Nylon

Relaxed fit

Clever use of biodegradable wool

Large, oversize collar

For city cyclists searching for a jacket that won’t look out of place at the water cooler or in the lunch queue, go for Ministry of Supply’s Composite Merino EcoFleece. The fit of this jacket is relaxed; very relaxed when compared to the other jackets in this list.

Ministry of Supply makes great play of their jacket’s use of wool. This wholly natural material is growing in popularity again after decades in the apparel wildness. Wool is a great insulator, so this jacket will keep the rider toasty during a leisurely pedal around town. But that’s not the extent of wool’s abilities. Should any of the wool fibres from the jacket make their way into rivers, lakes or oceans they’ll degrade in a matter of months. Microplastics in polyester jackets will take centuries to degrade.

One final feature of this jacket is the large, oversize collar. Worn flat it’s a style feature, but popped up and supported by a tug of the zip, the collar provides some simple protection from inclement weather.

6. Chrome Merino Wool Cobra 3.0

Material(s):  53% Merino Wool, 44% Polyester, 3% Spandex

Cycling-specific hoodie

Made from merino wool, recycled polyester and spandex

Thumb holes in sleeves

Chrome Industries get their second entry on our list, with the Merino Wool Cobra 3.0 Hoodie. As the name suggests this is the third iteration of the garment. It has a cycling-specific fit with a drop tail for extra coverage when riding, an athletic (slim) fit to prevent it from flapping in the wind and a nice high collar to keep the wearer warm and comfortable, whatever the weather.

Cycling hoodies are definitely not ten-a-penny, especially ones made from merino wool. Like the option from Ministry of Supply, this cycling jacket is made from a blend of merino wool and polyester, but unlike the EcoFleece the Merino Cobra also has Spandex in the material. This triumvirate of materials delivers warmth, breathability and stretch respectively.

A feature not seen on any other jackets in our list, Chrome’s Merino Wool Cobra 3.0 has thumb loops (or holes) in the sleeves. A simple but clever solution to prevent sleeves riding up or a pesky gap appearing between gloves and jacket.

7. PROVIZ Reflect360 Plus Men’s Cycling Jacket

Reflective from all directions

Machine washable

ProViz is a big name in the sports world, and their Nightrider jacket doesn’t disappoint. This is the jacket to go for if you’re worried about visibility. Not only is the jacket itself glaringly bright (you can choose between neon pink and the even more vivid yellow) but it comes with massive reflective strips around the shoulders, back and waist. Quite simply, it’s the brightest cycling jacket you’ll find and will ensure that you’re visible in even the lowest light.

That’s not all, though. The material is fully waterproof while retaining breathability and the zip is engineered to prevent water ingress. It also comes with a small “zip garage” at the top. That might not sound like much, but it’s a feature that anyone who has ever experienced neck chaffing will certainly appreciate! Even the cuffs are adjustable. You can widen them for increased airflow in the summer or tighten them to keep the water out in winter. That, of course, makes the jacket an all-season choice.

The collar comes with a soft microfleece. It’s warm and snug and the material is so soft that it’s hardly noticeable – you won’t experience any chafing. Waterproof pockets and an adjustable waistband complete the package.

8. Rapha Commuter Lightweight Jacket

Reflective lighting

Optional hood

Another Rapha variant, this jacket is slightly cheaper than their other addition on the list but it’s still designed with the commute in mind. The jacket is cut loose enough to be worn over a shirt, jumper or blazer, so it’s ideal on the way to the office. It even accommodates backpacks, with a mesh covering around the shoulders for extra breathability. Two pockets offer ample storage space and there’s an optional hood. It can be attached, detached or worn underneath a helmet.

This jacket is all about convenience. It folds down into a  compact stuff sack  that will fit inside any bag. You also get some reflective dots along the lower back for increased visibility behind. These dots are designed to appear just below any rucksack and at the eye level of motorists, so you should have no problem cycling in low light. The jacket even has an integrated hanger hoop for additional convenience.

Water and windproofing are of course top of the range. The 100% polyester is fully waterproof while remaining breathable. The zip pockets are protected against liquid incursion by stay-down pullers. Seam stitching along the rest of the jacket will keep any moisture out. With its relaxed fit and lightweight fabric, this jacket is the perfect commuter companion.

9. Chrome Storm Salute Commute Jacket

Reflective sleeves

Seam sealed

It might come with a hefty price tag, but the Storm Salute more than justifies the outlay. Waterproofing is top of the range due to a 2.5, fully waterproof rain shell.

The pockets are similarly protected to prevent even light water ingress. At the other end of the weather scale, ventilation along the back of the jacket will keep you cool and sweat free.

You also get plenty of storage with a spacious back cargo pocket and an interior one for your phone. The latter is easy access for added convenience. The Storm Salute is one for the style conscious cyclist. Its laid back, clean cut looks give it a modern aesthetic that’s unmatched across other jackets.

That Storm Salute has been able to pair style with functionality is a triumph. The jacket is fully seam sealed, has the second highest waterproofing rating of any on the list and even comes with a fully adjustable storm hood.

A drop tail hem offers protection against splashes from the rear wheel and there are visibility strips along the sleeves, cuffs and lower back. To top things off, this jacket comes with a 365 day warranty. When it comes to style fused with functionality, you can’t go wrong here.

10. Mission Workshop Eiger Jacket

Waterproof Rating:  ePTFE

Military grade materials

Temperature regulation

This might well be the best bike commuter jacket ever made. So why is it not #1? Because it’s  maddeningly  expensive.

Made using Swiss engineered, military grade materials it’s the only ePTFE waterproof/windproof and breathable jacket on the list.

This jacket is more than weatherproof. The Schoeller fabric uses a special membrane to regulate body temperate while keeping water and wind at bay. It will keep you dry and warm (but never too warm) and it’s incredibly breathable.

Full seam tapering keeps even the worst weather at bay and there are premium touches everywhere. You get Italian Riri and German Prym metal snaps, as well as YKK weatherproof zippers. These do more than just give the jacket a stylish look. They guarantee complete imperviousness to water. A wool outer shell completes the package with another warm layer.

It almost goes without saying that a jacket this expensive has a style like no other. The military yet modern aesthetic ensures that it stands out from the crowd.

We love the subtle detailing around the shoulders and the clean lines. If you want a luxury, top of the range jacket that’s likely to last a lifetime, then the Eigar is the best on the market (as long as money is no object!).

11. Rapha Packable Down Jacket

Material(s):  Main: 100% polyester. Insulation: 90% goose down, 10% feather. Lining: 100% polyester.

Packed with ethically sourced down

Two-way zip

Detachable hood

Whether a down jacket constitutes a cycling softshell is up for debate, but Rapha’s Packable Down Jacket, is definitely worthy of a place on our list – it’s not a hardshell jacket that’s for sure!

If you’ve owned a down jacket you can attest to their comfort and warmth. Purchase this jacket and you’ll happily rely on it when cycling in cold weather. The jacket has a relaxed fit designed with comfort on the bike in mind and unlike some other items on our list, the jacket packs down into a stuff sack. A DWR coating will keep the wearer dry in the event of a brief shower.

There are two further features that caught our attention. First, a two-way zip might not sound like the most complex or noteworthy of features but it’s something every cyclist will relish using if they start getting too hot under the collar. Unzip the bottom to enable a cooling waft of air. Further to this, if you ride in a traditional cycling jersey with rear pockets, this feature allows easy access to items stored back there.

The second notable feature is the hood. Now obviously it’s not going to go over a helmet, but it will provide extra warmth should the situation demand it. It’s also detachable.

Best Women’s Commuter Cycling Jackets (Top 4)

Rapha Women’s Commuter Jacket

A stylish and practical outerwear option for cycling in all weather conditions. It’s waterproof, breathable, and reflective.

Helly Hansen Women’s Ride Cycling Jacket

A lightweight and durable outer layer designed for optimal comfort and protection while cycling. It’s windproof and water-resistant.

PROVIZ Nightrider Women’s Cycling Jacket 2.0

A highly reflective and waterproof jacket that ensures maximum visibility and protection during night rides.

A breathable and waterproof layer designed for comfortable and stylish cycling in any weather.

Best Women’s Bike Commuter Jacket

1. rapha women’s commuter jacket.

Waterproof Rating:  Waterproof

5 colour options

Full length waterproof zip

Rapha are well known for producing high quality stylish cycle clothing and this women’s commuter jacket is no exception.

Described as “the definitive jacket for riding to work in wet conditions”, they’ve opted for a durable but lightweight fabric with a hydrophobic membrane.

The seams are also all sealed and the inside of the fabric has a dry touch print so it is breathable. In addition to this the hem is elasticated, and the cuffs have internal storm binding to keep water out.

On the outside, there is a full length waterproof zip which they’ve strategically placed off centre to avoid it rubbing on your chin when zipped up.

A handy hood is also included which can be worn underneath a helmet. This is particularly useful for very heavy rain as it also has an integrated drawcord. The hood can also be easily packed away using a reflective strap.

With regards to visibility, the jacket has a reflective gradient dot print on the tail which is another thoughtful placement so you can wear a backpack and still be seen, especially by drivers as it is in their eyeline.

Available in five colours ranging from grey blue to peach and in sizes XXS to XL, it caters to a wide range of women.

2. Helly Hansen Women’s Ride Cycling Jacket

Drawcord adjustment at hip

Back yoke with ventilation

Weighs only 400g

A Discerning Cyclist tried and tested product, Helly Hansen’s jacket was described in  our review  as a “great all round waterproof and windproof cycling jacket for commuting or leisure riding” that is “versatile and well thought out” thanks to it being lightweight, waterproof and stylish.

Made from 100% recycled materials, this breathable and windproof 3 layer jacket is aimed at urban riders and commuters so it is good for both you and the planet.

They’ve carefully considered and integrated specific features for cycling including ventilation to keep you cool, a comfortable wicking collar and a trail drop hemline which can be easily adjusted.

Available in white or black, it also has a hood to help during heavier downpours, spacious pockets and reflective elements to keep you visible during darker rides.

3. PROVIZ Nightrider Women’s Cycling Jacket 2.0

Highly breathable

Quick-dry mesh lining

Waterproof storm zip

PROVIZ are world renowned for their cycling jackets so it is no surprise that their Nightrider Women’s Cycling Jacket 2.0 has made this list.

Bursting with features and also colour as it is available in 8 different options, this is another stylish but durable option.

This jacket is particularly suited for riding in the dark as it features PROVIZ’s infamous retro-reflective REFLECT360 material which they have positioned to optimise visibility.

On top of being seen, you’ll also be comfortable and dry as the jacket is both highly breathable and waterproof with sealed seams.

In terms of the design, it has a micro fleece lined collar to keep you warm, quick-dry mesh lining, an adjustable waistband and velcro cuffs, and a waterproof storm zip.

From a practical perspective it has side pockets, is machine washable and only weighs 440g.

4. Rapha Commuter Lightweight Jacket

Waterproof Rating:  Resistant

Integrated stuff sack

Roll down hood

Reflective elements

Another excellent product from Rapha, their Commuter Lightweight Jacket is versatile both on and off the bike.

Featuring a new breathable fabric and a mesh panel over the shoulders, this windproof and water resistant jacket will keep you cool, comfortable and dry if you get caught in any showers en route.

You’ll also be visible on your ride thanks to a reflective pixel print pattern and oversized dot on the lower back which, like their other commuter jacket, has been placed so you can wear a backpack and still be seen. This jacket also has reflective cuffs for when you’re signalling.

Practicality is built into every element of this jacket. Two concealed pockets with zips with stay down pullers mean you can securely store your supplies. A roll down hood means you can stop your hair from getting wet.

When you arrive at your destination, a strategic stuff sack allows you to quickly pack the jacket away and pop it into a bag. Or if you prefer to hang it up, it even has an integrated hanger loop ready to show off the wonderful colour choices of pink, mauve or blue.

Urban Cycling Jacket – FAQs

What is a commuter jacket.

A commuter jacket is a jacket that has been to be practical and functional while you commute to work by bicycle. Typical features of commuter jackets include water resistance, breathable materials, a dropped hem at the back, zipped pockets and stretchy material.

What is the best waterproof cycling jacket?

It depends on your preference, of course. If you’re into style and looks, the Velocio is probably the mens’ best bet, and the Storm Salute from Chrome Industries for women. For something built to last, the Endura coat is ideal, too.

But as a great all-rounder, and one which caters for both genders more than adequately, the Rapha jackets are the best jack of all trades (in our humble opinion, anyway).

What to wear under cycling jacket?

More breathable gear specifically designed for wearing while cycling (i.e. Lycra). 

Riding with a cotton T-shirt underneath will soon leave you saddled with pools of sweat, as they simply don’t have the ability to ‘wick’ it anywhere near as efficiently.

What’s the best way to wash a waterproof jacket?

Brush off any loose mud or dirt, and close any zipped compartments. In a washing machine, don’t wash your waterproof jacket with other items or more than two clothes at a time.

Then, wash and rinse at about 30 degrees, before either air-drying or tumble-drying (only tumble-dry on low or medium heat, though.)

But of course, always check the clothing label for advice, too.

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Best Urban Cycling Jackets

Just because you want to stay warm and dry on your ride doesn’t mean you can’t look good too.

Find stylish cycling jackets for everyday life by reading our reviews and style guides below.

Whether you’re an urban commuter or just like riding your bike around the city, your jacket is one of the most important clothing considerations make.

Regular jackets often don’t fare well when cycling as sleeves ride up your arm, the material is too short on your back and therefore exposing your rear, while warm jackets can often prove too hot when you’re cycling.

Therefore, finding a good commuter cycling jacket can help dramatical improve your comfort on rides.

But Discerning Cyclist isn’t focussed on just functionality. I also love clothes that look good and don’t scream: “CYCLIST!” every where you go. I focus on the sweet spot that combines practicality with style, showcasing products that you can enjoy on your ride and that look great at your destination.

In this guide, I’ll help you find the best urban cycling jackets for stylish city commuters, looking at what features and materials you should look for in a casual cycling jacket, as well as look at the different types of gear available, such as waterproof bike jackets, breathable cycling jackets , packable jackets, hi-vis and reflective cycling jackets, as well as hardy winter cycling jackets.

I’ll also show you some of the best urban cycling brands and places to buy stylish cycling jackets – regardless of whether you live in the UK, Europe, America or Canada.

READ: Best Waterproof Cycling Jackets for Stylish Urban Riders

To kick start your search for the best bike jacket for your needs, I’m going to take a look at some special features and materials to look out for.

Features and Materials to Look Out For

Weather is a key factor to consider when you want to buy a commuter cycling jacket. Do you want to keep the rain off? Do you want to stay warm? Do you want to be visible? Do you just want a waterproof cycling jacket you can throw in your bag in case of a surprise downpour? Or do you just want a good all-round jacket to get your through the cooler months?

Getting a jacket that fits well for cycling is also important, as regular jackets can often ride up on the sleeves and back and provide little in the way of stretch – which is useful for cyclists.

Another useful feature for cyclists is finding jackets with reflective material. This can range from full on hi-vis cycling jackets, to more subtle reflective detailing on the jacket.

Hoods are often over-looked on jackets for road cyclists as these types of cyclists often want to stay as aero-dynamic as possible, but for the everyday commuter cyclist going through a city – a hood – ideally a packable hood – is a very welcome feature and one that you’re grateful for in an unexpected downpour.

The last feature I want to discuss is pockets. Pockets are so often overlooked when designing urban cycling jackets. But having a good couple of hand pockets – ideally with zips – are hugely useful for commuters and something I consider integral when I’m picking out a new bike jacket.

What’s the Difference Between Waterproof and Water-Resistant Jackets?

When it comes to waterproof cycling clothing (or waterproof anything for that matter) it’s important to understand that this is not a black and white feature, but instead a scale. Just because something’s water resistant doesn’t mean it’ll keep you bone dry in a heavy down pour.

But there are pros and cons of waterproof cycling jackets too, as, typically, is something is waterproof – it normally isn’t breathable – meaning you may be dry on the outside but wet from sweat on the inside – an equally uncomfortable feeling. With water resistant jackets though, it’s possible that the material can also breathe more. It’s therefore important to figure out where to draw your own line on keeping water outside and staying cool inside.

In particular, what do the IPX ratings actually mean? Well, the IPX ratings range from IPX0 to IPX8 and below is a breakdown of what each represents.

IPX Rating System Summary

What is IPX0? – This is not at all water resistant. Like paper.

What is IPX1? – Provides minimal protection from dripping water (up to 1mm rainfall per minute).

What is IPX2? – Provides minimal protection from dripping water (up to 3mm rainfall per minute) when at a 15 ˚ angle.

What is IPX3? – Protects from spraying water (at any angle up to 60 ˚) of up to 0.7 litres per minute with water pressure 80-100kPa.

What is IPX4? – If you want to stay dry in “normal” rain, this is what you should be aiming for. IPX4 protects from splashing water in any direction, dealing with up to 10 litres of water per minute (with water pressure of up to 80-100kPa).

What is IPX5? – VERY waterproof clothing. Can deal with a storm in any direction. Tested by having water jets sprays at it for three minutes with 12.5 litres of water firing at it per minute.

What is IPX6? – Overkill for cycling. Can go swimming in this stuff.

What is IPX7? – See above.

Basically, if you want to stay completely dry on the outside, IPX4 or IPX5 gear will do so. IPX2 and IPX3 is what you’d call “water resistant” with most water rolling off the surface of the material.

The alternative to the IPX rating system is the Waterproof Rating (mm), which some other cycling brands use. Below is a summary of this system.

Waterproof Rating System Summary

Rating 0 – 1,500 – Not resistant. Fine for dry weather.

Rating 1,500 – 5,000 – Light resistance and snow proof. Okay for light rain and dry snow.

Rating 5,000 – 10,000 – Waterproof under light pressure and rainproof. Okay for light to moderate rain and average snow.

Rating 10,000 – 15,000 – Waterproof and rainproof unless under high pressure. Okay for moderate rain and quite heavy snow.

Rating 15,000 – 20,000 – Waterproof and rainproof even under high pressure. Okay for heavy rain and wet snow.

Rating 15,000 – 20,000 – Monster. Is very waterproof and rainproof in the most extreme pressure. Okay for any weather on Planet Earth.

Types of Urban Cycling Jacket

While there are some good all-round cycling jackets out there, finding the best cycling commuter jacket is more of a personal thing – depending on your needs. Obviously features can be combined, but generally cycling jackets go in certain directions, i.e. waterproof jackets, lightweight and packable jackets, reflective cycling jackets and cosy winter bike jackets. Below I’ll take a look each type of bike commuter jackets.

Waterproof Cycling Jacket

Having a really waterproof cycling jacket is an important piece of gear to have for any cyclist who lives in wetter climes – i.e. Britain.

But just because you want something to keep you dry, doesn’t mean you have to cycle around looking like you’re wearing a bin bag – or even wear a bin bag, come to that.

There are loads of stylish urban cycling rain jackets out there, but you can find some of my favourites – and contenders for the best waterproof cycling jacket – by following the link below.

Lightweight Cycling Jacket

When cycling in the spring or summer, a lightweight cycling jacket can help take the slight chill out of the air in an evening and ensure you keep enjoying your rides.

Lightweight bike jackets are normally made out of materials like, while you can obviously find jackets that also combine water resistant properties, such as the polyamide nylon, and reflective detailing, such as Resolute Bay’s LS2 jacket – which features discreet reflective pin striping across the jacket, as well as IPX5 waterproof properties and even a detachable hood.

Breathable Cycling Jacket

Just because something’s light doesn’t mean it’s breathable… and so it’s important to know whether you want a lightweight jacket that will simply keep you warm or a breathable cycling jacket that also helps your body breathe on your rides.

Breathable bike jackets come in many different forms, but they typically aren’t found in waterproof materials – although special vents under the arm pits and on the back and chest can help provide.

Packable Cycling Jacket

The quintessential packable jacket is the Kag in a Bag, something I always associate with school trips. But packable cycling jackets have come a long way from these waterproof emergency jackets – you can get some really stylish packable jackets now that you can easily throw in a bag in case of an unexpected downpours.

One of my favourite packable cycling jackets that is great for a light shower is the UNIQLO Pocketable Parker Jacket , which features a cool pattern and can easily rolled up and thrown in a bag. It’s extremely lightweight, water-resistant, looks decent and has two front zipper pockets – and all for a reasonable £24.90.

If you want a waterproof packable jacket though, rather than just a water-resistant light rain number, Blacks have a number of packaway jackets for both men and women.

Of course, you can really go cheap by using disposable waterproof ponchos (the kind of things you often see at festivals) and you can get these for just a few quid on Amazon, but if you do, make sure you get biodegradable ones so that they’re not still lingering on the planets hundreds of years after you used it once or twice.

Reflective Cycling Jacket

When you say reflective or hi-vis cycling jackets, people will often think of a bright yellow jacket similar to what a steward would wear. And while you can get super practical and safe hi-vis jackets like this from the likes of Proviz , there are also stylish reflective cycling jackets available, which disguise their hi-vis functionality in daylight to look like regular jackets.

The Resolute Bay LS2 is one such example of this type of jacket, with the reflective detailing in this jacket hidden in vertical pinstripes, and they don’t become apparent until exposed to bright light – in which moment they do a fine job of making you visible.

Also, as an alternative to reflective or hi-visibility cycling jackets, a few brands now create cycling jackets with lights on, meaning you’re not reliant on third-party light to be seen. LUMO is one such brand that has stylish cycling jackets with flashing lights, although they do cost a pretty penny.

Winter Cycling Jacket

If you’re exposed to freezing cold conditions in winter, then you may well need a no-nonsense winter cycling jacket for commuters, something that will keep you warm and dry whatever the weather.

A thermal cycling jacket is one option, which could come in the form of a simple fleece, but a proper winter bike jacket you really want to be ready for anything.

Soft Shell Bike Jacket

While some people prefer hardy waterproof cycling jackets, soft shell bike jackets are also popular as they are better suited to day-to-day life, while offering a basic level of water-resistance. The materials use in a softshell bike jacket are typically softer – as the name suggests – and also more breathable. Which is an important consideration to make, because although you may be keeping the rain out, you’ll likely be creating your own moisture as your body cannot breathe. Hence, apart from in extreme rain, it’s typically better to wear a softshell cycling jacket instead of a waterproof bike jacket.

Hooded Cycling Jacket

When it comes to road cycling jackets, many of them don’t have hoods as they look to stay as aero-dynamic as possible, but that isn’t such a high priority of urban commuters who just want to arrive dry at their destination.

There are plenty of waterproof cycling jackets with hoods around, although I especially like hoods that can be zipped or buttoned away on my rides – so you’re not fighting headwinds more than you need to.

Again, the Resolute Bay LS2 reflective jacket is a great option as it has a removable hood – giving you the best of both worlds.

Best Urban Cycling Jackets for Men

In terms of multi-functional men’s cycling jackets that look good, I have two favourites that I use on a regular basis.

The first  is the Resolute Bay LS2 jacket , which I’ve previously discussed. This jacket tickets a lot of boxes with lot of reflective detailing, a waterproof/resistant outer, plenty of vents to keep it breathable, as well zipped pockets and removable hood. You really can’t ask for much more from a lightweight urban bike jacket – and that’s why it’s one of the very urban cycling jackets for men.

My second favourite isn’t highly functional. Nor is it particularly water resistant. But it is light as anything and can be packed away into a tiny bag that it comes with. It is though, less than £25 and looks pretty chic for a packaway jacket. It is the UNIQLO Pocketable Parker and it comes with me pretty much everywhere I go – especially on those will-it-won’t-it cloudy days in spring and autumn.

• Best Waterproof Cycling Jackets: Top 5 for Stylish Riders
• 4 of the Best Waterproof Cycling Jackets under £35 That Fit in Your Pocket
• 5 Stylish Cycling Jackets this Winter for Men

Best Urban Cycling Jackets for Women

Women’s cycling jackets with lots of functionality and style are possibly even more plentiful than the options for men, as I discussed in our Stylish Waterproof Cycling Jackets for Men and Women post .

Bike jackets for women are in no short supply, with brands like As Bold As, AGU and Craft leading the charge for stylish female cyclists .

Cheap Urban Cycling Jackets

Unfortunately, with great multi-functional products also comes great price tags. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t affordable and even cheap urban cycling jackets out there that pack in some useful functionality.

With stylish cycling clothes in general, I always recommend checking out UNIQLO if you’re on a budget. Although not built specifically for cycling, lots of the UNIQLO range features breathable and stretchy material, but for a very reasonable price.

The UNIQLO packable jacket is one of my favourite items and I have it in my bag (or on back) nearly all the time. At just £24.90 it’s one of the best cheap rain jackets for cycling (that actually looks good) you can find.

Another cheap place for cycling clothes is Decathlon. In particular, if you’re after something a cheap hi-vis cycling jacket, the B’TWIN 500 Hi Vis Waterproof Urban Cycling Jacket is an absolute warrior (although not the prettiest) and costs just £34.99.

Urban Commuter Cycling Jacket Reviews

With Discerning Cyclist I’m always reviewing urban commuter cycling jackets, and you can read some of them below to get a more in-depth view of these products.

These have been some of the best urban cycling jackets for commuters that I’ve reviewed…

• Resolute Bay LS2 Jacket – Review
• LUMO Clissold Bomber Jacket – Review
• MUXU Town Jacket – Review

But these are also worth checking out:

• B’TWIN 500 Hi Vis Waterproof Cycling Jacket – Review
• LUMO Herne Hill Harrington Jacket – Review
• Oliver Sweeney Langton Cycling Jacket – Review
• Helly Hansen Universal Moto Jacket – Review
• Adidas adistar Pluvius Jacket – Review
• Bianchi Men’s Modica Jacket – Review
• Vulpine Lightweight Harrington Jacket – Review
• Vulpine Softshell Jacket – Review
• Rapha Rain Jacket – Review

Find Stylish Urban Cycling Clothes for Commuters

Discerning Cyclist was created to help bridge the gap between and style and functionality – and showcase the most stylish urban cycling clothes for commuters . Thanks for reading this guide on the best cycling commuter jackets, but you can read more about other topics in the links below.

READ: Best Cycling Jeans for Men + Women

READ: Best Cycling Chinos and Urban Trousers

READ: Best Urban Cycling Trousers for Stylish Commuters

READ: Best Urban Cycling Shorts

READ: Stylish Cycling Shirts for Men

READ: Best Urban Cycling Shirts + Tees

Where to Buy an Urban Cycling Jacket

Of course, when you’re buying an urban cycling jacket online, it’s important to make sure you’re shopping appropriately for your area and won’t be stung by slow delivery, expensive delivery costs and customs charges.

In the tables below, I’ve put together some of the best places to buy urban cycling jackets in the UK, US, Canada and Europe.

Best Places to Buy Urban Cycling Jackets

• Chrome Industries
• Ministry of Supply
• Mission Workshop

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The Best Men’s Jackets for Biking to Work, According to Cyclists

The perfect jacket for biking to work has to keep you warm, dry , visible, and, in some cases, looking like you didn’t just ride through the rain over the Williamsburg Bridge. Sure, lots of us are still working from home. But for the people who do go into work at actual offices, schools, and stores, biking has become a much more popular way to commute. Depending on your job, the jacket you wear might have to take you from fighting your way through traffic right into a meeting in style.

Seeing as this is a very tall order, we talked to men who’ve been biking to work for years (many of whom still bike to an in-person job), so you can benefit from their wisdom. Here are their secrets, from mastering layering to fitting your helmet in your hood to keeping from getting hit by a taxi to preventing your gloves from getting wet. And of course, there are also some pretty great jackets you should check out right now.

“The best jacket to wear when cycling to work is a trick question, because there are two,” says Mike Radenbaugh, co-founder and CEO of electric bike company Rad Power Bikes . He starts with a down jacket as a base layer and recommends Patagonia’s Micro Puff Hoody because it’s warm and windproof and the cuffs have elastic that keep water and wind out. For the outer shell, his pro tip is to find a jacket that is  waterproof and reflective with arms long enough to go over your wrists so that water will not trickle down into your gloves. And make sure it has a hood. “When conditions get very tough, I have enjoyed having a jacket with a large hood (actually designed for skiing and snowboarding) that is large enough to go over my bike helmet.” Although his original recommendation, Mountain Hardwear’s Superforma jacket, is sold out, this one from Mountain Hardwear is very similar.

Jonathan Lee, a cycling coach and elite cyclist/cycling commuter in Reno, California, agrees that buying two jackets that you can wear separately or layer together is a solid investment. His go-to for dry and moderately cold conditions (45–60, degrees he tells us) is the Black Diamond Coefficient Fleece Hoodie, and for similar temperatures with rain or other precipitation, he uses the Rapha Men’s Hooded Rain Jacket. When it’s colder out, he uses them together. “The CoEfficient Fleece Hoodie breathes extremely well and stops me from arriving at work in need of a shower, and the Hooded Rain Jacket does a fantastic job of keeping me dry, allowing me to use the hood with a helmet, and acting as a wind barrier on those particularly frigid mornings,” he says. The fit of the CoEfficient Hoodie is slim, he says, but not uncomfortable, and the longer cut of the Hooded Rain Jacket is very effective at keeping road splash to a minimum. Finally, he likes that both jackets have a more casual, stylish aesthetic than the more serious cycling gear he wears for training.

On nice days, Robert Evans , CEO of Cycling Quests, opts for a classic Levi’s denim trucker jacket. “If it’s not wet and I’m feeling kind of hippy-ish, I’ll wear spandex shorts and a jean jacket on top,” he says. Evans has several jean jackets that are all Levi’s. “Levi’s has that iconic styling. The rest just don’t look as cool,” he says. For added warmth on dry days, he’ll layer a Smartwool full-zip under his Levi’s jacket. Like a lot of other Smartwool products, the jacket is breathable and moisture-wicking, but it’s still able to protect your core from high winds, thanks to a nylon-polyester shell. He also likes the headphone access port that’s built into the chest pocket.

For rainy or snowy days, Evans wears this lightweight jacket from Kühl because it does a really good job of beating off water but never makes him overheat. “In the wintertime, here in Idaho, I actually put this over other layers because the snow just falls right off of it, and it definitely lets all the sweat and evaporation out,” he says. He does warn that it can flap in the breeze and suggests ordering down a size if you’re a serious cyclist or racer. The jacket is quick-drying with sealed zippers and taped seams to keep you and your stuff bone-dry in even the nastiest storms.

Bryan Ray, co-founder of bikingapex.com, says the weather where he lives in Florida can be unpredictable, going from sunny and hot to a huge downpour on the same day. His go-to jacket for keeping his work clothes dry is REI’s Co-op Junction Cycling Jacket. “The biggest reason I love this jacket is the hood,” he says. “It fits perfectly over my helmet and it makes it easier to see when it’s really pouring. And it’s super lightweight and does a good job of keeping my shirt dry if it’s raining in the mornings.” While it’s definitely too hot to wear this jacket in the summer where he lives (unless it’s raining), when it cools down a bit in the fall and winter, he says it’s enough to keep him warm.

Torben Lonne, founder of DiveIn , lives in bike-friendly Copenhagen, where he regularly commutes to work by bike. His current favorite jacket to wear is this C5 GORE-TEX Trail Hooded jacket because it’s great for riding in the rain. “We have a lot of rain in Denmark, and I need to make sure I stay dry when I’m going to work. I love that this jacket is very light and keeps me dry at all times. It’s completely waterproof and actually pretty slim, which helps in case there’s strong wind,” he says.

“I always have this Patagonia shell on me in case the weather unexpectedly turns,” says David Bruno, a cyclist and owner of Départ Wine in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

For a significantly cheaper rain shell that will do a good job protecting your work clothes, Max Bodach , a PR associate in Washington, D.C., who bikes four miles to work and back every day, suggests this jacket he picked up on a trip to Costco (it’s also available at Amazon). “It’s super lightweight, easy to pack down, stretchy (so I can put it over my bag rather than pulling out a rain cover), and relatively breathable,” he says.

“For me, bright colors are important so cars won’t hit me. I’m often biking to work in the dark because the school day starts so early,” says Jacob Cohen, an elementary teacher at the Co-op School in Brooklyn. He wears this sunflower-yellow windbreaker shell while biking to work in rainy weather because it’s lightweight and the armpit vents are very helpful with airflow. When temperatures drop, he just adds a layer underneath.

For high visibility in really cold and wet weather, Evans likes this Reflect 360 jacket from Proviz Sports. “If you shine a flashlight on one of these jackets in a dark room, you will illuminate the entire room just with the reflection,” he says. It’s definitely a heavier and less breathable jacket than his others, however, so he saves it for winter rain, sleet, and snow. In addition to the reflective material that “literally illuminates you like Casper the Friendly Ghost in car headlights,” he likes the cool, stylish cut.

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Today’s Top Clicked

Best jackets for bikepacking and gravel – packable all-day protection

The best packable, weatherproof cycling jackets for off-road adventures

• Waterproof jackets
• Windproof jackets
• Insulated jackets
• How to choose the best jacket for you

The best jackets for gravel riding and bikepacking often overlap with the best MTB jackets , with maybe more emphasis on packability, and less need for crashability. The main things we are looking for are comfort in all seasons, and ideally, something you can leave on and forget about through changes in weather and effort.

In terms of fit, we want the jacket to have more space for layers and movement than road jackets, but still be at the more streamlined end of things. We want long enough rear hems and sleeves for when you’re stretched out; and hoods are high on the list for all-day forays into the wild.  

We’ve divided this guide into waterproof shells and windproofs, and we've also included a couple of insulated jackets you could ride in (but we haven’t included down jackets for camp in this guide).

As our test team knows from having tested a great many jackets over the years, nothing is both waterproof enough and breathable enough, if you’re reasonably active. So the smart money is on embracing the moisture, layering to stay warm when damp, and deciding whether the conditions and your mindset are better suited to getting a little wet from rain or from sweat. See this Bespoken Word column from our tech editor Guy Kesteven for more on that.

Either way, while there’s no one jacket to rule them all 24-7/365, this selection of jackets for gravel riding and bikepacking will give you food for thought for your off-road exploration, from bright dry summer day rides with cold starts, to bivvying in chilly November.

Best waterproof jackets

A waterproof cycling shell jacket offers a barrier to rain and wind in a relatively light package, while doing its best to let sweat out. If you’re out in the foulest weather, or you just don’t trust the ‘damp but warm’ philosophy of more breathable windproofs, you’ll lean towards a waterproof shell.

The jackets here represent a good spectrum of value, protection and packability, including a couple of angles you might not have considered.

Check out the FAQs at the end of this article for questions such as whether jackets will inevitably wet out as they get older; and whether more robust generally means more waterproof.

Gore Endure Jacket

Specifications, reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

The Endure Jacket is made from Gore’s Paclite Plus fabric, which sits midway in its range for breathability and durability, and high for packability. We found it an easy jacket to like. The features are intelligently designed, right down to a non-slip strip on the hood to keep it in place over a helmet. And when the weather comes in, the drawcords cinch it in nicely around the collar and hem, and the high neckline does a good job of keeping rain and draughts out.

At 286g for a medium, it was midweight, and like most of the jackets here, the straight cut means you’re not going to mistake it for a road jacket, but we didn’t find it flappy, and it felt natural on and off the bike.

Even though it’s not at the top of Gore’s fabric tree, in testing we found the rain stayed out even in the worst conditions, and it felt ‘steadily’ breathable – that is, at least as good as most other mid-premium jackets. Like most, it struggled on short sharp efforts when the temperatures were in double digits (50F+), and vents would’ve been handy here. On the positive side, we found it doesn’t feel clammy against bare skin, and the sleeves can be hoiked up easily, so it’s not bad to wear with just a short-sleeved base in mild wet spells.

Decathlon Rockrider All-Mountain Waterproof Jacket

This is a smashing jacket for £90, with features that we were surprised to see at the price. The fit and the arm movement are spot on for all-round off-road cycling, and there’s room for layers without flappiness. With the hood up over a helmet you can move your head naturally without tightness, as on the best more expensive jackets. We don’t tend to have super-high hopes for water resistance and breathability in sub-$/£100 jackets, but the Rockrider has stood up reassuringly well in our tests in the foulest windy rain so far.

Neat features include soft stretch cuffs inside the main cuffs, and flaps that you can fold down over the backs of your hands; a soft hem around the chin; and drawstrings around the collar and waistband.

Down sides are few. At 416g, it’s a bit chunkier than the 200-300g we’d typically aim for in a bikepacking jacket, there’s only one pocket, and while the offset zip is a neat way of keeping it out of the way of your chin, it might take a bit of getting used to.

DHB Trail Waterproof Jacket

The DHB Trail Waterproof Jacket was one we reached for more than we expected to, in conditions from drizzle to persistent rain, and particularly when we didn’t have much packing space. It hit a really nice sweet spot between weight and protection, with enough breathability from the fabric and the underarm vents that it didn't feel like a big decision to sling it on.

At 198g, it’s one of the lightest jackets in this test. It’s pretty flexible and it will just about pack down into a jersey pocket, but it doesn’t feel flimsy. It certainly held up fine during our testing, as did the DWR, which showed little signs of wearing after a number of weeks. I particularly liked the fit – it was slim but movement was very easy, even with the hood snugly over a helmet.

As is reasonable for a lightweight mid-price jacket, some of the features are on the simple side – the cuffs and rear hem are simply elasticated, the inner pocket is a bit of a squeeze even for a small phone the zip, and the only outer pocket is round the back. I’d probably pick something slightly more substantial for consecutive days of the foulest weather, but generally this is a very likeable jacket. 

7mesh Skypilot

Our expert review:

Gore-Tex Active is one step up from Paclite in terms of breathability, and this is what the Skypilot is made from. The waterproofing will be at least as good, too, as our tester concurs via her ‘paper in the pocket’ test in rainstorms. 7mesh has managed to get the weight down to 234g for a large, which is impressive for such a protective jacket.

At $370 / £300, you’re certainly paying for this Goldilocks balance of performance and packability,  but the only way you can get much better in terms of Gore fabrics is to nudge $500/£400 for Gore-Tex Pro, which also carries a weight cost.

The good news is that 7mesh knows its onions when it comes to design, so you’re not just paying for clever fabric. Our tester described the fit as relaxed but close, and liked the classy aesthetic of the Skypilot, along with features like generously sized pockets and a watertight zipper. Her only niggle was the hood which she found flappy when not in use. 

For more details, read our full review of the 7mesh Skypilot .

Columbia OutDry Extreme Mesh Shell

If you get fed up with the water-repellent coating (DWR) on normal jackets wearing off and you don’t have any luck re-proofing them, Columbia’s OutDry might be music to your ears. The waterproof membrane and taping sit on the outside of the jacket instead of the inside, so water beads on the jacket and there’s no coating to wear out. (This is also good news for the environment, as there’s no need for toxic DWR chemicals.) The inner face of the jacket has a light wicking mesh bonded to it.

Despite the external membrane, in testing we found the jacket is far less delicate than, say, Gore Wear’s legendary Shakedry jacket, which makes it more suitable for gravel and bivvying, and it has dedicated fans among the users of the BareBones bikepacking forum. We found it decently if not jaw-droppingly breathable, and it will never suffer from the outer fabric getting waterlogged and reducing warmth and breathability. 

The OutDry Extreme Mesh Shell has its quirks, and not just for its shiny looks. We found the hood fits better under a helmet than over, and that even the smallest size (S) was a bit big for a 173cm male – Columbia agrees that they do size a bit large. It’s fairly expensive at full price but not hard to find on sale.

Paramo Velez Adventure Light Smock

This guide could have featured a dozen different 200-300g hardshell jackets at different price points, but you’ve probably got the picture on membrane-based hardshells by now. Paramo does its waterproofing differently, and while its products aren’t for all cycling scenarios, they’re worth a look.

Instead of using a membrane to seal out water, Paramo focuses on getting moisture out faster than it comes in. Its outer layer uses a (non-toxic) water repellent coating to slow the ingress, and its inner layer pumps moisture out using a technique called capillary depression. Unlike membranes, it can move liquid as well as water vapour from the inner to the outer layer. The double layer build does make it heavy – 588g for a size small – but it does mean you don’t need as much on underneath.

Our first real trial of the Velez Light Smock was mountain biking in wind and sleet at 4-6C (39-42F) on the Welsh Borders, with just a thin winter base underneath. It was pretty much perfect for that, like a breathable waterproof cocoon, and its softness and comfort meant it got grabbed for hiking on that holiday as well. It just feels very relaxed and natural to wear, helped by its soft feel, its massive side vents and easily pull-uppable sleeves. You wouldn’t buy it as your do-everything cycling jacket because it’s too warm for efforts as temperatures get towards double figures (10C/50F), but if you’re a general outdoors person, you could get plenty of value out of it.

Best windproof jackets

As Guy argues regularly, one alternative to wrestling with changing temperatures in a waterproof jacket, is to use a softshell that’s more breathable, while still being windproof, and water resistant. This is on the basis that with the right layering you’ll stay warm inside even if damp is getting in, and your body will have a decent chance of drying your layers out because the water vapour will leave faster than in a waterproof. It’s not an option for seriously heavy weather, but fans are surprised at how water resistant some of these jackets are.

Here we include two leave-on options, and a superlight packable option that you could use in addition to a regular waterproof shell.

Rab Cinder Kinetic Waterproof Jacket

If there’s one company that understands being active in British weather, it’s Rab. Its new Cinder range adapts its most breathable technology for off-road cycling, and its Kinetic jacket hits a sweet balance between being waterproof enough and very breathable. Rab gives it a 3 out of 5 rating for waterproofing and a 5 out of 5 for breathability, windproofing and stretch, compared with its other products. Our tester Guy found no problems with the waterproofing and was impressed by the durability of the PFC-free water-repellent coating. And most importantly, he raved about the breathability, starting to overheat only at race-level efforts. 

Even when it does get damp inside, the windproofing keeps the chill off, and crucially, the breathability allows the dampness to escape relatively quickly.

Other features that impressed were the draught-free ‘close casual’ cut, generous pockets, helmet-friendly hood with a useful peak, and fleece-lined chin guard. At 325g it’s a middleweight bivvying jacket, and its muted colours may not be for everyone, but otherwise Guy struggled to find a bad word to say about it.

See the full review of the Rab Cinder Kinetic Waterproof Jacket .

Gore Lupra Jacket

The Lupra is made with a combination of materials – wind and light rain protection on the front, and stretch breathable fabric on the back. The more exposed hood and shoulder areas also have taped seams. This strategic placement of different materials is designed to give protection where you need it the most, but with more breathability than a full waterproof.

The fit particularly impressed our tester. There’s a long back and ingenious pullcords to keep the drop tail in place; perfectly pre-shaped sleeves that let you move your arms without moving the body of the jacket; and a generous hood.

The Lupra Jacket became our tester’s go-to transition season outer layer, in fall temperatures from 7 to 18C, with a merino base layer underneath. It’s easy to recommend for gravel riding and mountain biking; but while at 315g it’s light enough for multi-day bikepacking, you’d probably want to take a full waterproof unless you were sure of the forecast.

Read more in our full Gore Lupra Jacket review . 

OMM Sonic Jacket

Instead of trying – and failing – to find one jacket that maximises waterproofing and breathability, you could supplement your not-so-breathable waterproof with a featherweight, highly breathable windproof. This means that when it’s too chilly or breezy for just a jersey, you don’t have to pull on a full waterproof to stop your core temperature being whipped away by the wind.

There are plenty of options, from the generic windproof cyclists’ gilet, through to the perennially popular 200g Pertex Buffalo Windshirt. But if you want to keep it super light and long-sleeved, something like the Sonic Jacket from adventure running brand OMM is worth your attention. As small and light as an energy bar, and as thin as parachute material, we found that it packed a ridiculous amount of wind protection for something you can hardly tell you’re wearing. (We also stayed surprisingly dry even when we pushed it beyond its intended limits and let the rain soak through for a while – presumably because our base layer could still wick and the jacket could breathe.)

It’s not 100 percent perfect for off-road cyclists – it probably wouldn’t enjoy a gravelly crash, although it’s been fine for pulling on and off for a few weeks of testing. It’s got a nice slender fit, and it’s long enough for cyclists, though we did find a curious amount of wind vibration in some breezes.

For more info, see our full OMM Sonic Jacket review .

Best light insulated jackets

While layering is at the heart of staying warm and comfortable on a bike, there’s a definite time and place for highly breathable jackets with a little insulation built in. We look at two lightweight options with built-in shells, which are perfect for all-day messing around; and a shell-less mid-layer which might be a better alternative for multi-day trips as you can pair it with the best shell for the conditions.

Castelli Unlimited Puffy Jacket

One of my favorite jackets for gravel day rides this winter has been the Castelli Unlimited Puffy, which combines a windproof shell with a Polartec Alpha lining. With just a base layer underneath it’s been freakishly breathable and warm at the same time, and has been fine in showers.

The Unlimited Puffy is mostly made from a very thin windproof microfiber outer shell, lined with Polartec Alpha Direct, which is a very open-threaded fleece. The panels on the side of the body and the backs of the sleeves are made from an unlined, slightly stretchy fabric. It weighs 217g for a size medium, which is about the same as a very lightweight waterproof jacket and not much more than a thick base layer.

The genius is that the open fleece traps warm air but allows huge breathability, so you barely notice you’re wearing it. Wearing it in winter and spring between about 3C and 12C (37-54F) with just a base layer underneath, I’d describe it as a great ‘messing around all day’ jacket. 

The unlined stretch panels up the side body and the backs of the arms help breathability and movement, but they don’t give enough insulation to make this a wandering around camp jacket.

Read our full Castelli Unlimited Puffy Jacket review .

POC Pro Thermal Jacket

Like the Castelli Unlimited Puffy Jacket, the POC Pro Thermal combines a windproof, showerproof outer with strategically placed lightweight thermal panels inside. Instead of Polartec Alpha fleece, it uses a thermal mesh, which impressed our tester with its warmth and wicking ability. He also appreciated the slim cut, the pre-curved sleeves, and the intelligently placed pockets, which were generous without sagging when full.

The Pro Thermal Jacket earned its stripes in a wider range of conditions than our tester first expected; with a thermal base layer it more than held up on frosty morning starts, as well as on the milder days of the transition seasons. The venting also impressed with under-arm gills and a double-ended zip.

Read more from our tester in the full POC Pro Thermal Jacket review . 

Rab Alpha Flash Jacket

While Polartec Alpha jackets continue to blow our testers away with their all-day natural warmth and breathability, the one down side is that the very open fleece has to be combined with a windproof shell to retain warmth. 

While this design is fine in showers, and surprisingly warm when damp, if it really tips down you either have to take the Polartec jacket off and put a rain shell on, losing its thermal benefit, or you have to put a shell over the Polartec jacket, meaning you’d have two shell layers to sweat through.

Rab’s Alpha Flash Jacket is just made of the Polartec Alpha inner, which gives you the versatility to pair it with whichever shell you need. So on a bivvying trip you could take it with a 50g OMM Sonic windproof (above), a 200-300g waterproof, and still have change from 550g, while enjoying the potential of five jacket combinations. (The Alpha Flash Jacket weighs 206g for a small.)

In our tests, we’ve found it a reassuring companion for spring bivvying. The slim but flexible cut works nicely under almost any shell, and even though it’s not intended for use without a shell because the breeze goes straight through the super-breathable fleece, we’ve found ourselves wearing it by itself on mild days too.

Meet the testers

Sean's a soft southerner, but while some of his gravel riding and bivvying is on the South Downs and Kent, he's also in his element in Wales and the North. He's enjoyed Yorkshire bikepacking in February and solo South Downs one-dayers and after multiple jacket experiments, from boil in the bag to freeze in the wind, he's glad to get down to a sensible shortlist.

Guy has written several million words about several thousand test bikes and a ridiculous amount of riding gear. To make sure he rarely sleeps and to fund his custom tandem habit, he’s also penned a handful of bike-related books and talks to a GoPro for YouTube, too.

Russell has been heavily involved in mountain biking for decades. He originally started out designing and building trail center routes, but soon moved specializing in MTB photography and product testing. Over the years, he's shot and written for just about every British MTB mag and website in existence, including MBUK, What Mountain Bike, Bikeradar.com and most recently Bikeperfect.com.

Mildred enjoys everything from road cycling to mountain biking, but is a utilitarian cyclist at heart. She’s spent over four years volunteering as a mechanic and workshop coordinator at the Bristol Bike Project.

Best jackets for gravel and bikepacking: your questions answered

How much should i spend on a jacket for gravel and bikepacking.

The very cheapest generic jackets will simply let rain through, or they’ll be very sweaty, or both. Fine for an emergency short commute, but not what you want on the hill. That said, you can find decent starter options from bike-specific brands under $/£100, as our guide to best budget waterproof jackets shows. From $/£100-200 you tend to get better cuts, so the jackets don’t flap and let you move easily without tight spots, and the waterproofing and breathability are usually better. Over $/£200 ups the game again, and many jackets will be using a Gore-Tex membrane here, but no amount of money will keep you 100 percent dry. If you’re happy to forgo some waterproofing for breathability and focus on layering to stay warm while a little damp, you’ll get more comfort for your money.

How do waterproof cycling jackets work?

The heart of most waterproof jackets is a delicate membrane that resists water coming in, while letting water vapour out (what we call breathing). Normally, they have a woven fabric on the outside for durability and initial water resistance, and this is a big factor in how breathable the jacket is.  That fabric has to balance durability, weight, and water resistance, because if it soaks through, the membrane underneath will stay water resistant, but it won’t be able to breathe as well because the gaps in the outer fabric are now filled with water.

How can I re-proof my cycling jacket?

We all know the pleasure of the way water beads on the surface of a new jacket… and the way it stops doing so over weeks or months. The good news is that you can rejuvenate the ‘durable water-repellent coating’ (DWR) with a product like Nikwax TX.Direct, which you put in your washing machine along with one or two jackets. The two absolute keys are that the washing machine needs to be free of detergent traces – so maybe do a hot towel wash with no detergent first – and the jacket needs to be super-clean. You’ll need to use a technical washing liquid, and be ready to scrub out ingrained dirt with a toothbrush if necessary.

What’s the difference between a hardshell and softshell jacket?

The qualities of hardshells and softshells have become more blurred, but the classic hardshell is a tough-feeling waterproof, with a non-stretch, woven outer, taped seams, and a rustly feel; while the classic softshell is softer and quieter with a little stretch, more breathability, but less weather protection. Thanks to fabrics like Gore-Tex Infinium, softshells can now be highly windproof and much more water resistant than before; at the same time, hardshells are often quieter and softer. So you can have your cake and eat at least some of it.

Is a thicker cycling jacket better?

All else being equal (and it’s usually not) the weight or thickness of a jacket shouldn't make much difference to its waterproofing. A thicker jacket will generally be more durable, less breathable, and maybe a little more wind resistant, and give psychological comfort. It’ll make a little thermal difference, but mostly that should come from your underlayers. Most cyclists would prioritise breathability, and in this guide we’re also prioritising packability.

Sean has old school cycle touring in his blood, with a coast to coast USA ride and a number of month-long European tours in his very relaxed palmares. Also an enthusiastic midpack club cyclocross and XC racer, he loves his role as a junior cycle coach on the Kent/Sussex borders, and likes to squeeze in a one-day unsupported 100-miler on the South Downs Way at least once a year. Triathlon and adventure racing fit into his meandering cycling past, as does clattering around the Peak District on a rigid Stumpjumper back in the day.

Height: 173cm

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Bikepacking & Adventure Cycling

Best Winter Cycling Jacket For Commuting, Bikpacking & Touring

Winter is here or almost and you are looking for the best jacket to keep you warm and dry while you tough it out in the harsh conditions. With the technology of todays clothing technology we are so lucky that we can use these too out advantage to be able to get out a explore eve if the weather is not too shabby.

If you are into bikepacking and exploring by bike, which is what we are all about here at Cycle Travel Overload. There is a good article we wrote specifying some of the best bikepacking clothing and this is where we started to introduce some of the best winter cycling jacket options. Along with some mentioned in that article we are going to include even more that have been recommended by cyclists who commute, race or prefer to stop and smell the flowers as the travel across country or even around the world.

Along with this are you potentially looking for winter cycling shoes or boots too? If so this article should be some help to get you introduced to some of the options and weather or not winter style cycling shoes would be for you.

What To Look For In A Winter Cycling Jacket?

When you first look at a winter cycling jacket. You might want to confirm what style of riding you intend to do. Are you road racing and training? Or commuting to work? Or bikepacking up in the mountains? We are going to cover the best winter cycling jackets for all these different categories of riding. But you should personally figure out what style you like best. Do you want to look and feel like a pro racer in tight lycra? And get all the aerodynamic benefits from a tight fitting jacket? Or are you more like me and prefer to look for casual and chill so you can go into cafes and shops and stiff feel comfort with a more loose fit? This is something you need to figure out for yourself. I care very little about being aero when I am bikepacking around Australia. But having this said most of the jacket options for commuting or touring are lighter weight then some rather bulky options you can find out there.

With winter it brings rain! This means a jacket that is either waterproof (ideal) or water repellent is still a good option. Along with this it would be perfect if the material of the jacket dries quickly too. If it is going to rain full on and non-stop your best bet is a fully waterproof rain jacket. But if it is just on and off drizzle, then something like a soft-shell jacket with water repellent fabrics is okay too. Waterproof specific jackets are often bigger, heavier and bulker then a soft-shell. The lighter weight soft-shell jackets are good at shrugging off road spray or a short shower, but usually offer better fit, comfort and breathability. It is best if possible to get a jacket that does a good job repelling water but also provides great breathability as you don’t want your own sweat making you cold when it rains.

Windproof fabrics are a godsend! With winter conditions comes cold winds. So you want to avoid very thin material jackets where the cold wind will go straight through the jacket. But you also don’t want a wind blocking material that stops the wind completely and does not allow for any breathability. Today though we are lucky as there are materials that exist which give us the best of both worlds; stopping cold air flow coming in and allowing our sweat or some of the hotter air to escape to stop from over heating and sweating too much. Also some well designed jackers offer heavier, less breathable fabrics on the front, and lighter, more breathable fabrics on the rear.

Choosing jackets with reflective details and are high visibility colors is something else that is important when selecting. As you want to be seen even if you have lights on your bike when riding at night or when it gets really overcast. Having this added visibility will be more safe while out on the road. Also this doesn’t mean you have to wear clothing that makes you look like a road worker. There are some really stylish jackets out there that offer high visibility colors that also look really cool.

Showers Pass Elite 2.1

This Showers Pass Elite 2.1 jacket by far takes the cake for one of the best winter cycling jackets on the market. It has been around for more then5 years and continues to deliver on great quality and value. Such a popular jacket that is has so many great reviews ( don’t believe me? Read more here )

This is a 3-layer waterproof, breathable shell with fully taped seams, that delivers maximum weather protection! Talk about breathability the jacket has 7 ventilation points to keep you cool! 2 pit vents, 2 cuff vents, single back vent and 2-way zipper. When it comes to reflect-ability you get a 3M reflective trim keeping you visible from all angles. A YKK AquaGuard Vislon water-resistant front zipper with stormflap. The jacket is almost designed like a proper road cycling jacket but you get that space for some movement. You do get a large back pocket and chest pocket with audio port provide plenty of storage space. During long rides you are kept comfortable with a soft moisture-wicking lining at collar.

Again the type of waterproofing is a 3-layer waterproof breathable laminate. The material is nylon and the jacket weighs in at 15.5 ounces or 439.5 grams. The jacket keeps is great at keeping you dry even in a down poor, and the vents are plenty large enough to allow ample breath-ability when the hills get steep and you are more active. One of the great things about this jacket is the high visibility. The red is nice but more so those reflective trims shine bright at night. The only thing to consider with this jacket is that it comes with the velcro for an optional hood without including the hood. This jacket is priced at $269.00 from REI.com This is the mens options if you are after the same but in the womens model, that can be found here .

Arc’teryx Gamma MX

Arc’teryx make some really great quality stuff. I am a big fan of this brand! They re like the idealistic outdoor brand. I have two of their jackets to share with you today. The Gamma is a breathable, articulated soft shell jacket with some stretch. It is ideal for alpine climbing and backcountry activities, like bikepacking!

Marketed as highly breathable and abrasion resistant. While also best used for mixed weather conditions, When the weather conditions are changing. Made from a breathable material, which allows moisture vapour to escape, helping regulate temperature and elevating comfort inside garment. The material is called Fortius 2.0. At the face of the jacket this means: 85% nylon, 15% elastane. And the backer: 94% polyester, 6% elastane.

Designed around a regular fit this means you get some freedom of movement with room for layers. It has a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) finish that acts at repelling moisture. This could quite probably be the best soft-shell jacket you can buy. It works perfect for any high output activity in the cold, as it will regulate your temperature over a much broader range of conditions. Great when temperatures are anywhere between -15c to +10, with light wool to heavy fleece underneath depending on activity and temperature. Like most soft-shell jackets it is not the warmest when stationary. It is not the best when it comes to everyday wear. However, the jacket is rather durable and made for tough conditions expected when bikepacking or adventure cycling. Price is 30% off at $243.93 over at REI.com

7mesh Rebellion Bike Jacket

7 Mesh also make some really great bike gear, and it is no different from there rain jackets. Designed for those riders planning to put in long days. Making it a perfect match for use who like to go on bikepacking adventures of multiple days. This jacket features, GORE-TEX Active fabric and 13mm seam tape provide waterproof, highly breathable protection from the elements. The pass-through vents provide jersey pocket access. Completely waterproof jacket that has a watertight, zippered side pocket. And watertight #3 Vislon front zip; watertight zipper cuff vent closure; zippered wrist vents. They have even thought about potential chafing, with the soft brushed collar and chin guard. You also do get night riding visibility with the dropped reflective back hem.

The jacket weighs in at 6.4 ounces or 181.5 grams. The great thing about this jacket is the packability. The GORE-TEX Active membrane is very thin, so it’s packable and somewhat breathable. One little thing to consider about this jacket is the fabric sometimes makes a little noise in the high winds although it’s normally quite. Overall the Gore Active does what it is designed to do, keep you dry! Jacket is priced at $244.93 which is 30% off at REI.com

Showers Pass Double Century

Here we have another Showers Pass jacket that is also very popular! Newly designed to be lighter for even more compact packing. So if that is your main concern when bikepacking then this might be the best jacket option for you. The jacket packs down to fit in a jersey pocket. Great jacket for sudden showers and even steady rain. The men’s Double Century bike jacket feels soft next to your skin while keeping you dry. The waterproof, breathable membrane and durable water repellent finish provide reliable protection from rain and wind; seams are taped to seal out moisture. Venting options keep you cool when temperatures rise: 2 core vents, 2 cuff vents, a 2-way front zipper and a back vent.

They have even thought about your position when riding the bike and the long sleeves provide full wrist coverage and accommodate for reach when on bike. You also get a chest pocket with audio port and large back pocket with water-resistant zippers. Plus tons of reflectivity for enhanced visibility in low light situations. Yes this jacket is waterproof, however it is made from Atrex 2.5-layer waterproof breathable fabric. When compared to the other Showers Pass jacket that is a 3 layer design. The jacket weighs 11.2 ounces or 317.5 grams. Priced at $179.00 at REI.com

Patagonia Dirt Roamer

The last casual style cycling jacket that we have for you is from Patagonia and the name is fitting as the ‘Dirt Roamer’. That is a mountain bike specific jacket that is made from sustainable sources, containing recycled materials, Fair Trade Certified sewing. Weighs in at 8 ounces or 226.8 grams. The jacket features an extremely breathable, extraordinarily stretchy, 100% recycled nylon fabric allows unrestricted movement and eliminates the need for annoying pit zips. Durable water repellent (DWR) finish helps moisture bead up on the surface. V-shaped rear drop pocket centers and distributes weight, and nests between the Dirt Roamer liner bibs’ torso pockets. Another great thing is this jacket has small packability being able to pack down small and stow in the back pocket. Priced at $160.29 at REI.com

Rapha Classic Winter Jacket

Now that we have covered the best casual style of cycling or mountain bike jackets that are perfect for any type of bicycle touring or bikepacking. We have included these next two road cycling style jackets. That are tight fitting and best if you are after those speed gains and aerodynamics.

The Rapha Classic Winter jacket is a popular selling option. They say that this jacket is over 10 years of testing, Rapha’s evolutionary jacket with all their learnings in this one product. the most versatile bad weather jacket from Rapha. And if I was to be honest it kind of looks really trendy. Has the ability to withstand harsh conditions. Made from Polartec® Power Shield Pro® fabric. The jacket finds a nice combination of wind- and waterproofing with incredible breathability. Priced from $200 AUD

Gore C7 Gore-Tex Shakedry Stretch Jacket

Last but not least is Gore’s winter cycling jacket. Know for their popular gore-tex technology this jacket is built with a sleek, body-hugging design, combined with Gore-Tex’s Shakedry technology, which proves an impenetrable barrier from heavy rainfall and whipping winds. Also lightweight and extremely breathable. Weighing in at 6 ounces or 170 grams also making it very packable. It is essentially a protective rain jacket that fits like a second skin. Priced from $369.95

About The Author

Codey Orgill, a seasoned bicycle adventurer, has been exploring the world on two wheels for over 10 years. Since embarking on his initial cycling journey, Codey Orgill has traversed numerous countries, experiencing a series of epic adventures.

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Travel Itinerary For One Week in Moscow: The Best of Moscow!

I just got back from one week in Moscow. And, as you might have already guessed, it was a mind-boggling experience. It was not my first trip to the Russian capital. But I hardly ever got enough time to explore this sprawling city. Visiting places for business rarely leaves enough time for sightseeing. I think that if you’ve got one week in Russia, you can also consider splitting your time between its largest cities (i.e. Saint Petersburg ) to get the most out of your trip. Seven days will let you see the majority of the main sights and go beyond just scratching the surface. In this post, I’m going to share with you my idea of the perfect travel itinerary for one week in Moscow.

Moscow is perhaps both the business and cultural hub of Russia. There is a lot more to see here than just the Kremlin and Saint Basil’s Cathedral. Centuries-old churches with onion-shaped domes dotted around the city are in stark contrast with newly completed impressive skyscrapers of Moscow City dominating the skyline. I spent a lot of time thinking about my Moscow itinerary before I left. And this city lived up to all of my expectations.

Travel Itinerary For One Week in Moscow

Day 1 – red square and the kremlin.

Metro Station: Okhotny Ryad on Red Line.

No trip to Moscow would be complete without seeing its main attraction. The Red Square is just a stone’s throw away from several metro stations. It is home to some of the most impressive architectural masterpieces in the city. The first thing you’ll probably notice after entering it and passing vendors selling weird fur hats is the fairytale-like looking Saint Basil’s Cathedral. It was built to commemorate one of the major victories of Ivan the Terrible. I once spent 20 minutes gazing at it, trying to find the perfect angle to snap it. It was easier said than done because of the hordes of locals and tourists.

As you continue strolling around Red Square, there’s no way you can miss Gum. It was widely known as the main department store during the Soviet Era. Now this large (yet historic) shopping mall is filled with expensive boutiques, pricey eateries, etc. During my trip to Moscow, I was on a tight budget. So I only took a retro-style stroll in Gum to get a rare glimpse of a place where Soviet leaders used to grocery shop and buy their stuff. In case you want some modern shopping experience, head to the Okhotny Ryad Shopping Center with stores like New Yorker, Zara, and Adidas.

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To continue this Moscow itinerary, next you may want to go inside the Kremlin walls. This is the center of Russian political power and the president’s official residence. If you’re planning to pay Kremlin a visit do your best to visit Ivan the Great Bell Tower as well. Go there as early as possible to avoid crowds and get an incredible bird’s-eye view. There are a couple of museums that are available during designated visiting hours. Make sure to book your ticket online and avoid lines.

Day 2 – Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the Tretyakov Gallery, and the Arbat Street

Metro Station: Kropotkinskaya on Red Line

As soon as you start creating a Moscow itinerary for your second day, you’ll discover that there are plenty of metro stations that are much closer to certain sites. Depending on your route, take a closer look at the metro map to pick the closest.

The white marble walls of Christ the Saviour Cathedral are awe-inspiring. As you approach this tallest Orthodox Christian church, you may notice the bronze sculptures, magnificent arches, and cupolas that were created to commemorate Russia’s victory against Napoleon.

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Unfortunately, the current Cathedral is a replica, since original was blown to bits in 1931 by the Soviet government. The new cathedral basically follows the original design, but they have added some new elements such as marble high reliefs.

Home to some precious collection of artworks, in Tretyakov Gallery you can find more than 150,000 of works spanning centuries of artistic endeavor. Originally a privately owned gallery, it now has become one of the largest museums in Russia. The Gallery is often considered essential to visit. But I have encountered a lot of locals who have never been there.

Famous for its souvenirs, musicians, and theaters, Arbat street is among the few in Moscow that were turned into pedestrian zones. Arbat street is usually very busy with tourists and locals alike. My local friend once called it the oldest street in Moscow dating back to 1493. It is a kilometer long walking street filled with fancy gift shops, small cozy restaurants, lots of cute cafes, and street artists. It is closed to any vehicular traffic, so you can easily stroll it with kids.

Day 3 – Moscow River Boat Ride, Poklonnaya Hill Victory Park, the Moscow City

Metro Station: Kievskaya and Park Pobedy on Dark Blue Line / Vystavochnaya on Light Blue Line

Voyaging along the Moscow River is definitely one of the best ways to catch a glimpse of the city and see the attractions from a bit different perspective. Depending on your Moscow itinerary, travel budget and the time of the year, there are various types of boats available. In the summer there is no shortage of boats, and you’ll be spoiled for choice.

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If you find yourself in Moscow during the winter months, I’d recommend going with Radisson boat cruise. These are often more expensive (yet comfy). They offer refreshments like tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and, of course, alcoholic drinks. Prices may vary but mostly depend on your food and drink selection. Find their main pier near the opulent Ukraine hotel . The hotel is one of the “Seven Sisters”, so if you’re into the charm of Stalinist architecture don’t miss a chance to stay there.

The area near Poklonnaya Hill has the closest relation to the country’s recent past. The memorial complex was completed in the mid-1990s to commemorate the Victory and WW2 casualties. Also known as the Great Patriotic War Museum, activities here include indoor attractions while the grounds around host an open-air museum with old tanks and other vehicles used on the battlefield.

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The hallmark of the memorial complex and the first thing you see as you exit metro is the statue of Nike mounted to its column. This is a very impressive Obelisk with a statue of Saint George slaying the dragon at its base.

Maybe not as impressive as Shanghai’s Oriental Pearl Tower , the skyscrapers of the Moscow City (otherwise known as Moscow International Business Center) are so drastically different from dull Soviet architecture. With 239 meters and 60 floors, the Empire Tower is the seventh highest building in the business district.

The observation deck occupies 56 floor from where you have some panoramic views of the city. I loved the view in the direction of Moscow State University and Luzhniki stadium as well to the other side with residential quarters. The entrance fee is pricey, but if you’re want to get a bird’s eye view, the skyscraper is one of the best places for doing just that.

Day 4 – VDNKh, Worker and Collective Farm Woman Monument, The Ostankino TV Tower

Metro Station: VDNKh on Orange Line

VDNKh is one of my favorite attractions in Moscow. The weird abbreviation actually stands for Russian vystavka dostizheniy narodnogo khozyaystva (Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy). With more than 200 buildings and 30 pavilions on the grounds, VDNKh serves as an open-air museum. You can easily spend a full day here since the park occupies a very large area.

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First, there are pavilions that used to showcase different cultures the USSR was made of. Additionally, there is a number of shopping pavilions, as well as Moskvarium (an Oceanarium) that features a variety of marine species. VDNKh is a popular venue for events and fairs. There is always something going on, so I’d recommend checking their website if you want to see some particular exhibition.

A stone’s throw away from VDNKh there is a very distinctive 25-meters high monument. Originally built in 1937 for the world fair in Paris, the hulking figures of men and women holding a hammer and a sickle represent the Soviet idea of united workers and farmers. It doesn’t take much time to see the monument, but visiting it gives some idea of the Soviet Union’s grandiose aspirations.

I have a thing for tall buildings. So to continue my travel itinerary for one week in Moscow I decided to climb the fourth highest TV tower in the world. This iconic 540m tower is a fixture of the skyline. You can see it virtually from everywhere in Moscow, and this is where you can get the best panoramic views (yep, even better than Empire skyscraper).

Parts of the floor are made of tempered glass, so it can be quite scary to exit the elevator. But trust me, as you start observing buildings and cars below, you won’t want to leave. There is only a limited number of tickets per day, so you may want to book online. Insider tip: the first tour is cheaper, you can save up to $10 if go there early.

Day 5 – A Tour To Moscow Manor Houses

Metro Station: Kolomenskoye, Tsaritsyno on Dark Green Line / Kuskovo on Purple Line

I love visiting the manor houses and palaces in Moscow. These opulent buildings were generally built to house Russian aristocratic families and monarchs. Houses tend to be rather grand affairs with impressive architecture. And, depending on the whims of the owners, some form of a landscaped garden.

During the early part of the 20th century though, many of Russia’s aristocratic families (including the family of the last emperor) ended up being killed or moving abroad . Their manor houses were nationalized. Some time later (after the fall of the USSR) these were open to the public. It means that today a great many of Moscow’s finest manor houses and palaces are open for touring.

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There are 20 manor houses scattered throughout the city and more than 25 in the area around. But not all of them easily accessible and exploring them often takes a lot of time. I’d recommend focusing on three most popular estates in Moscow that are some 30-minute metro ride away from Kremlin.

Sandwiched between the Moscow River and the Andropov Avenue, Kolomenskoye is a UNESCO site that became a public park in the 1920’s. Once a former royal estate, now it is one of the most tranquil parks in the city with gorgeous views. The Ascension Church, The White Column, and the grounds are a truly grand place to visit.

You could easily spend a full day here, exploring a traditional Russian village (that is, in fact, a market), picnicking by the river, enjoying the Eastern Orthodox church architecture, hiking the grounds as well as and wandering the park and gardens with wildflower meadows, apple orchards, and birch and maple groves. The estate museum showcases Russian nature at its finest year-round.

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If my travel itinerary for one week in Moscow was a family tree, Tsaritsyno Park would probably be the crazy uncle that no-one talks about. It’s a large park in the south of the city of mind-boggling proportions, unbelievable in so many ways, and yet most travelers have never heard of it.

The palace was supposed to be a summer home for Empress Catherine the Great. But since the construction didn’t meet with her approval the palace was abandoned. Since the early 1990’s the palace, the pond, and the grounds have been undergoing renovations. The entire complex is now looking brighter and more elaborately decorated than at possibly any other time during its history. Like most parks in Moscow, you can visit Tsaritsyno free of charge, but there is a small fee if you want to visit the palace.

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Last, but by no means least on my Moscow itinerary is Kuskovo Park . This is definitely an off-the-beaten-path place. While it is not easily accessible, you will be rewarded with a lack of crowds. This 18th-century summer country house of the Sheremetev family was one of the first summer country estates of the Russian nobility. And when you visit you’ll quickly realize why locals love this park.

Like many other estates, Kuskovo has just been renovated. So there are lovely French formal garden, a grotto, and the Dutch house to explore. Make sure to plan your itinerary well because the estate is some way from a metro station.

Day 6 – Explore the Golden Ring

Creating the Moscow itinerary may keep you busy for days with the seemingly endless amount of things to do. Visiting the so-called Golden Ring is like stepping back in time. Golden Ring is a “theme route” devised by promotion-minded journalist and writer Yuri Bychkov.

Having started in Moscow the route will take you through a number of historical cities. It now includes Suzdal, Vladimir, Kostroma, Yaroslavl and Sergiev Posad. All these awe-inspiring towns have their own smaller kremlins and feature dramatic churches with onion-shaped domes, tranquil residential areas, and other architectural landmarks.

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I only visited two out of eight cities included on the route. It is a no-brainer that Sergiev Posad is the nearest and the easiest city to see on a day trip from Moscow. That being said, you can explore its main attractions in just one day. Located some 70 km north-east of the Russian capital, this tiny and overlooked town is home to Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, UNESCO Site.

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Sergiev Posad is often described as being at the heart of Russian spiritual life. So it is uncommon to see the crowds of Russian pilgrims showing a deep reverence for their religion. If you’re traveling independently and using public transport, you can reach Sergiev Posad by bus (departs from VDNKh) or by suburban commuter train from Yaroslavskaya Railway Station (Bahnhof). It takes about one and a half hours to reach the town.

Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is a great place to get a glimpse of filling and warming Russian lunch, specifically at the “ Gostevaya Izba ” restaurant. Try the duck breast, hearty potato and vegetables, and the awesome Napoleon cake.

Day 7 – Gorky Park, Izmailovo Kremlin, Patriarch’s Ponds

Metro Station: Park Kultury or Oktyabrskaya on Circle Line / Partizanskaya on Dark Blue Line / Pushkinskaya on Dark Green Line

Gorky Park is in the heart of Moscow. It offers many different types of outdoor activities, such as dancing, cycling, skateboarding, walking, jogging, and anything else you can do in a park. Named after Maxim Gorky, this sprawling and lovely park is where locals go on a picnic, relax and enjoy free yoga classes. It’s a popular place to bike around, and there is a Muzeon Art Park not far from here. A dynamic location with a younger vibe. There is also a pier, so you can take a cruise along the river too.

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The Kremlin in Izmailovo is by no means like the one you can find near the Red Square. Originally built for decorative purposes, it now features the Vernissage flea market and a number of frequent fairs, exhibitions, and conferences. Every weekend, there’s a giant flea market in Izmailovo, where dozens of stalls sell Soviet propaganda crap, Russian nesting dolls, vinyl records, jewelry and just about any object you can imagine. Go early in the morning if you want to beat the crowds.

All the Bulgakov’s fans should pay a visit to Patriarch’s Ponds (yup, that is plural). With a lovely small city park and the only one (!) pond in the middle, the location is where the opening scene of Bulgakov’s novel Master and Margarita was set. The novel is centered around a visit by Devil to the atheistic Soviet Union is considered by many critics to be one of the best novels of the 20th century. I spent great two hours strolling the nearby streets and having lunch in the hipster cafe.

Conclusion and Recommendations

To conclude, Moscow is a safe city to visit. I have never had a problem with getting around and most locals are really friendly once they know you’re a foreigner. Moscow has undergone some serious reconstruction over the last few years. So you can expect some places to be completely different. I hope my one week Moscow itinerary was helpful! If you have less time, say 4 days or 5 days, I would cut out day 6 and day 7. You could save the Golden Ring for a separate trip entirely as there’s lots to see!

What are your thoughts on this one week Moscow itinerary? Are you excited about your first time in the city? Let me know in the comments below!

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24 comments.

Ann Snook-Moreau

Moscow looks so beautiful and historic! Thanks for including public transit information for those of us who don’t like to rent cars.

MindTheTravel

Yup, that is me 🙂 Rarely rent + stick to the metro = Full wallet!

Mariella Blago

Looks like you had loads of fun! Well done. Also great value post for travel lovers.

Thanks, Mariella!

I have always wanted to go to Russia, especially Moscow. These sights look absolutely beautiful to see and there is so much history there!

Agree! Moscow is a thousand-year-old city and there is definitely something for everyone.

Tara Pittman

Those are amazing buildings. Looks like a place that would be amazing to visit.

Adriana Lopez

Never been to Moscow or Russia but my family has. Many great spots and a lot of culture. Your itinerary sounds fantastic and covers a lot despite it is only a short period of time.

What was their favourite thing about Russia?

Gladys Parker

I know very little about Moscow or Russia for the\at matter. I do know I would have to see the Red Square and all of its exquisite architectural masterpieces. Also the CATHEDRAL OF CHRIST THE SAVIOUR. Thanks for shedding some light on visiting Moscow.

Thanks for swinging by! The Red Square is a great starting point, but there way too many places and things to discover aside from it!

Ruthy @ Percolate Kitchen

You are making me so jealous!! I’ve always wanted to see Russia.

Moscow is in my bucket list, I don’t know when I can visit there, your post is really useful. As a culture rich place we need to spend at least week.

DANA GUTKOWSKI

Looks like you had a great trip! Thanks for all the great info! I’ve never been in to Russia, but this post makes me wanna go now!

Wow this is amazing! Moscow is on my bucket list – such an amazing place to visit I can imagine! I can’t wait to go there one day!

The building on the second picture looks familiar. I keep seeing that on TV.

Reesa Lewandowski

What beautiful moments! I always wish I had the personality to travel more like this!

Perfect itinerary for spending a week in Moscow! So many places to visit and it looks like you had a wonderful time. I would love to climb that tower. The views I am sure must have been amazing!

I was lucky enough to see the skyline of Moscow from this TV Tower and it is definitely mind-blowing.

Chelsea Pearl

Moscow is definitely up there on my travel bucket list. So much history and iconic architecture!

Thumbs up! 🙂

Blair Villanueva

OMG I dream to visit Moscow someday! Hope the visa processing would be okay (and become more affordable) so I could pursue my dream trip!

Yup, visa processing is the major downside! Agree! Time and the money consuming process…

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Ari Helderman

Hi, my name is Ari! I help people learn Russian through videos and blog posts where I share my experience. I've been learning Russian since 2016. I often get mistaken for a native Russian speaker, so I've learned a thing or two about what works and what doesn't if you want to speak Russian well . I'm here to help, so leave a comment with any questions!

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In Transit: Notes from the Underground

Jun 06 2018.

Spend some time in one of Moscow’s finest museums.

Subterranean commuting might not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but even in a city packing the war-games treasures and priceless bejeweled eggs of the Kremlin Armoury and the colossal Soviet pavilions of the VDNKh , the Metro holds up as one of Moscow’s finest museums. Just avoid rush hour.

The Metro is stunning and provides an unrivaled insight into the city’s psyche, past and present, but it also happens to be the best way to get around. Moscow has Uber, and the Russian version called Yandex Taxi , but also some nasty traffic. Metro trains come around every 90 seconds or so, at a more than 99 percent on-time rate. It’s also reasonably priced, with a single ride at 55 cents (and cheaper in bulk). From history to tickets to rules — official and not — here’s what you need to know to get started.

A Brief Introduction Buying Tickets Know Before You Go (Down) Rules An Easy Tour

A Brief Introduction

Moscow’s Metro was a long time coming. Plans for rapid transit to relieve the city’s beleaguered tram system date back to the Imperial era, but a couple of wars and a revolution held up its development. Stalin revived it as part of his grand plan to modernize the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 30s. The first lines and tunnels were constructed with help from engineers from the London Underground, although Stalin’s secret police decided that they had learned too much about Moscow’s layout and had them arrested on espionage charges and deported.

The beauty of its stations (if not its trains) is well-documented, and certainly no accident. In its illustrious first phases and particularly after the Second World War, the greatest architects of Soviet era were recruited to create gleaming temples celebrating the Revolution, the USSR, and the war triumph. No two stations are exactly alike, and each of the classic showpieces has a theme. There are world-famous shrines to Futurist architecture, a celebration of electricity, tributes to individuals and regions of the former Soviet Union. Each marble slab, mosaic tile, or light fixture was placed with intent, all in service to a station’s aesthetic; each element, f rom the smallest brass ear of corn to a large blood-spattered sword on a World War II mural, is an essential part of the whole.

The Metro is a monument to the Soviet propaganda project it was intended to be when it opened in 1935 with the slogan “Building a Palace for the People”. It brought the grand interiors of Imperial Russia to ordinary Muscovites, celebrated the Soviet Union’s past achievements while promising its citizens a bright Soviet future, and of course, it was a show-piece for the world to witness the might and sophistication of life in the Soviet Union.

It may be a museum, but it’s no relic. U p to nine million people use it daily, more than the London Underground and New York Subway combined. (Along with, at one time, about 20 stray dogs that learned to commute on the Metro.)

In its 80+ year history, the Metro has expanded in phases and fits and starts, in step with the fortunes of Moscow and Russia. Now, partly in preparation for the World Cup 2018, it’s also modernizing. New trains allow passengers to walk the entire length of the train without having to change carriages. The system is becoming more visitor-friendly. (There are helpful stickers on the floor marking out the best selfie spots .) But there’s a price to modernity: it’s phasing out one of its beloved institutions, the escalator attendants. Often they are middle-aged or elderly women—“ escalator grandmas ” in news accounts—who have held the post for decades, sitting in their tiny kiosks, scolding commuters for bad escalator etiquette or even bad posture, or telling jokes . They are slated to be replaced, when at all, by members of the escalator maintenance staff.

For all its achievements, the Metro lags behind Moscow’s above-ground growth, as Russia’s capital sprawls ever outwards, generating some of the world’s worst traffic jams . But since 2011, the Metro has been in the middle of an ambitious and long-overdue enlargement; 60 new stations are opening by 2020. If all goes to plan, the 2011-2020 period will have brought 125 miles of new tracks and over 100 new stations — a 40 percent increase — the fastest and largest expansion phase in any period in the Metro’s history.

Facts: 14 lines Opening hours: 5 a.m-1 a.m. Rush hour(s): 8-10 a.m, 4-8 p.m. Single ride: 55₽ (about 85 cents) Wi-Fi network-wide

Buying Tickets

• Ticket machines have a button to switch to English.
• You can buy specific numbers of rides: 1, 2, 5, 11, 20, or 60. Hold up fingers to show how many rides you want to buy.
• There is also a 90-minute ticket , which gets you 1 trip on the metro plus an unlimited number of transfers on other transport (bus, tram, etc) within 90 minutes.
• Or, you can buy day tickets with unlimited rides: one day (218₽/ US$4), three days (415₽/US$7) or seven days (830₽/US$15). Check the rates here to stay up-to-date.
• If you’re going to be using the Metro regularly over a few days, it’s worth getting a Troika card , a contactless, refillable card you can use on all public transport. Using the Metro is cheaper with one of these: a single ride is 36₽, not 55₽. Buy them and refill them in the Metro stations, and they’re valid for 5 years, so you can keep it for next time. Or, if you have a lot of cash left on it when you leave, you can get it refunded at the Metro Service Centers at Ulitsa 1905 Goda, 25 or at Staraya Basmannaya 20, Building 1.
• You can also buy silicone bracelets and keychains with built-in transport chips that you can use as a Troika card. (A Moscow Metro Fitbit!) So far, you can only get these at the Pushkinskaya metro station Live Helpdesk and souvenir shops in the Mayakovskaya and Trubnaya metro stations. The fare is the same as for the Troika card.
• You can also use Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Rules, spoken and unspoken

No smoking, no drinking, no filming, no littering. Photography is allowed, although it used to be banned.

Stand to the right on the escalator. Break this rule and you risk the wrath of the legendary escalator attendants. (No shenanigans on the escalators in general.)

Get out of the way. Find an empty corner to hide in when you get off a train and need to stare at your phone. Watch out getting out of the train in general; when your train doors open, people tend to appear from nowhere or from behind ornate marble columns, walking full-speed.

Always offer your seat to elderly ladies (what are you, a monster?).

An Easy Tour

This is no Metro Marathon ( 199 stations in 20 hours ). It’s an easy tour, taking in most—though not all—of the notable stations, the bulk of it going clockwise along the Circle line, with a couple of short detours. These stations are within minutes of one another, and the whole tour should take about 1-2 hours.

Start at Mayakovskaya Metro station , at the corner of Tverskaya and Garden Ring,  Triumfalnaya Square, Moskva, Russia, 125047.

1. Mayakovskaya.  Named for Russian Futurist Movement poet Vladimir Mayakovsky and an attempt to bring to life the future he imagined in his poems. (The Futurist Movement, natch, was all about a rejecting the past and celebrating all things speed, industry, modern machines, youth, modernity.) The result: an Art Deco masterpiece that won the National Grand Prix for architecture at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. It’s all smooth, rounded shine and light, and gentle arches supported by columns of dark pink marble and stainless aircraft steel. Each of its 34 ceiling niches has a mosaic. During World War II, the station was used as an air-raid shelter and, at one point, a bunker for Stalin. He gave a subdued but rousing speech here in Nov. 6, 1941 as the Nazis bombed the city above.

Take the 3/Green line one station to:

2. Belorusskaya. Opened in 1952, named after the connected Belarussky Rail Terminal, which runs trains between Moscow and Belarus. This is a light marble affair with a white, cake-like ceiling, lined with Belorussian patterns and 12 Florentine ceiling mosaics depicting life in Belarussia when it was built.

Transfer onto the 1/Brown line. Then, one stop (clockwise) t o:

3. Novoslobodskaya.  This station was designed around the stained-glass panels, which were made in Latvia, because Alexey Dushkin, the Soviet starchitect who dreamed it up (and also designed Mayakovskaya station) couldn’t find the glass and craft locally. The stained glass is the same used for Riga’s Cathedral, and the panels feature plants, flowers, members of the Soviet intelligentsia (musician, artist, architect) and geometric shapes.

Go two stops east on the 1/Circle line to:

4. Komsomolskaya. Named after the Komsomol, or the Young Communist League, this might just be peak Stalin Metro style. Underneath the hub for three regional railways, it was intended to be a grand gateway to Moscow and is today its busiest station. It has chandeliers; a yellow ceiling with Baroque embellishments; and in the main hall, a colossal red star overlaid on golden, shimmering tiles. Designer Alexey Shchusev designed it as an homage to the speech Stalin gave at Red Square on Nov. 7, 1941, in which he invoked Russia’s illustrious military leaders as a pep talk to Soviet soldiers through the first catastrophic year of the war.   The station’s eight large mosaics are of the leaders referenced in the speech, such as Alexander Nevsky, a 13th-century prince and military commander who bested German and Swedish invading armies.

One more stop clockwise to Kurskaya station,  and change onto the 3/Blue  line, and go one stop to:

5. Baumanskaya.   Opened in 1944. Named for the Bolshevik Revolutionary Nikolai Bauman , whose monument and namesake district are aboveground here. Though he seemed like a nasty piece of work (he apparently once publicly mocked a woman he had impregnated, who later hung herself), he became a Revolutionary martyr when he was killed in 1905 in a skirmish with a monarchist, who hit him on the head with part of a steel pipe. The station is in Art Deco style with atmospherically dim lighting, and a series of bronze sculptures of soldiers and homefront heroes during the War. At one end, there is a large mosaic portrait of Lenin.

Stay on that train direction one more east to:

6. Elektrozavodskaya. As you may have guessed from the name, this station is the Metro’s tribute to all thing electrical, built in 1944 and named after a nearby lightbulb factory. It has marble bas-relief sculptures of important figures in electrical engineering, and others illustrating the Soviet Union’s war-time struggles at home. The ceiling’s recurring rows of circular lamps give the station’s main tunnel a comforting glow, and a pleasing visual effect.

Double back two stops to Kurskaya station , and change back to the 1/Circle line. Sit tight for six stations to:

7. Kiyevskaya. This was the last station on the Circle line to be built, in 1954, completed under Nikita Khrushchev’ s guidance, as a tribute to his homeland, Ukraine. Its three large station halls feature images celebrating Ukraine’s contributions to the Soviet Union and Russo-Ukrainian unity, depicting musicians, textile-working, soldiers, farmers. (One hall has frescoes, one mosaics, and the third murals.) Shortly after it was completed, Khrushchev condemned the architectural excesses and unnecessary luxury of the Stalin era, which ushered in an epoch of more austere Metro stations. According to the legend at least, he timed the policy in part to ensure no Metro station built after could outshine Kiyevskaya.

Change to the 3/Blue line and go one stop west.

8. Park Pobedy. This is the deepest station on the Metro, with one of the world’s longest escalators, at 413 feet. If you stand still, the escalator ride to the surface takes about three minutes .) Opened in 2003 at Victory Park, the station celebrates two of Russia’s great military victories. Each end has a mural by Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli, who also designed the “ Good Defeats Evil ” statue at the UN headquarters in New York. One mural depicts the Russian generals’ victory over the French in 1812 and the other, the German surrender of 1945. The latter is particularly striking; equal parts dramatic, triumphant, and gruesome. To the side, Red Army soldiers trample Nazi flags, and if you look closely there’s some blood spatter among the detail. Still, the biggest impressions here are the marble shine of the chessboard floor pattern and the pleasingly geometric effect if you view from one end to the other.

Keep going one more stop west to:

9. Slavyansky Bulvar.  One of the Metro’s youngest stations, it opened in 2008. With far higher ceilings than many other stations—which tend to have covered central tunnels on the platforms—it has an “open-air” feel (or as close to it as you can get, one hundred feet under). It’s an homage to French architect Hector Guimard, he of the Art Nouveau entrances for the Paris M é tro, and that’s precisely what this looks like: A Moscow homage to the Paris M é tro, with an additional forest theme. A Cyrillic twist on Guimard’s Metro-style lettering over the benches, furnished with t rees and branch motifs, including creeping vines as towering lamp-posts.

Stay on the 3/Blue line and double back four stations to:

10. Arbatskaya. Its first iteration, Arbatskaya-Smolenskaya station, was damaged by German bombs in 1941. It was rebuilt in 1953, and designed to double as a bomb shelter in the event of nuclear war, although unusually for stations built in the post-war phase, this one doesn’t have a war theme. It may also be one of the system’s most elegant: Baroque, but toned down a little, with red marble floors and white ceilings with gilded bronze c handeliers.

Jump back on the 3/Blue line  in the same direction and take it one more stop:

11. Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). Opened in 1938, and serving Red Square and the Kremlin . Its renowned central hall has marble columns flanked by 76 bronze statues of Soviet heroes: soldiers, students, farmers, athletes, writers, parents. Some of these statues’ appendages have a yellow sheen from decades of Moscow’s commuters rubbing them for good luck. Among the most popular for a superstitious walk-by rub: the snout of a frontier guard’s dog, a soldier’s gun (where the touch of millions of human hands have tapered the gun barrel into a fine, pointy blade), a baby’s foot, and a woman’s knee. (A brass rooster also sports the telltale gold sheen, though I am told that rubbing the rooster is thought to bring bad luck. )

Now take the escalator up, and get some fresh air.

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