Craft Men's Performance Bike Stretch Jacket

For the snappily-named Men's Performance Bike Stretch Jacket, Craft have used their experience in material design to create a laminated fabric that provides windproofing, waterproofing and thermal insulation. The inside has sections of fleece lining, with stretch material between to allow for a close cut fit.

On the whole it fits well, but has a tendency to ride up the back. There is an elastic cuff at the rear, to seal in your body heat and help keep you warm, but as a result it tends to ride up your back even though it has a silicone gripper. Talking of cuffs, there is a nice turtle neck type feature at the wrists too, to complete that insulating layer.

On the outside the material remains soft but is dense, acting as a windbreak. It has a water repellant coating, which will cause water to bead up and drip off in a light shower but does become saturated in heavier spells. Thanks to the layering, the wet doesn't penetrate immediately but I'd still want a shell in heavy rain.

The Stretch Jacket is a good combination of jacket and jersey; it's unusually soft for a garment that provides the level of outer protection that it does. When I first picked it up, I expected it to be more of a lightweight shell but it has a sturdier feel than that thanks to the layers of different materials. I found I could combine it solely with a base layer, even on colder rides because of this.

Multiple layers and sealed exits might make you think this is going to become a sweat box, but I had no such issue. We had the fluorescent yellow on test so I used it out on an evening run and did not overheat or leave the inside dripping in sweat. This is probably thanks to the soft shell outer material allowing moisture to escape.

If heat does become an issue, a full length rear pocket is mesh lined to the inside, so doubles as a vent. There are a couple of pouches here to stow items and stop them rolling around.

Verdict

The jacket has an SRP of £110, up there with the likes of Castelli and Sportful jackets. I do think a similar level of design and engineering has gone into the design of this jacket but the fit and finishing isn't quite there to command this price. A quick look and it's not hard to find this jacket on sale well below £100, at which it would be a solid buy.