Rapha Hooded Rain Jacket II

Rapha's Hooded Rain Jacket II is a fantastic waterproof jacket for about town – on the bike and off it. It's not flawless, though, which is a shame at £230.

• Pros: Waterproof and breathable, good on-bike fit, good off-bike fit
• Cons: Sizes a little generously, basic hood system, price

The first thing to point out about the jacket is that it's brilliantly waterproof and breathable, with a hardiness that belies the shots that you see of it here. The fabric is thick, almost softshell-like, and that adds real resilience. Unlike the first version of the Hooded Rain Jacket (Tass reviewed the women's version last year), which was a little more lightweight, this is designed to really fill that mid-weight-outer market space.

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It's not the slimmest cut, but leaves space for casual clothing or thermal layers to be worn underneath, which is a bonus in cold weather.

I was a little surprised at how large the large size we had on test actually was. There's plenty of space around the midsection, and although you can draw the hem in with the internal fixing system, it still feels like you have a little too much spare fabric in the jacket itself.

I tend to fit between a medium and large in tops of varying descriptions, and given the choice I would opt for the smaller size if I knew that I had a thermal weatherproof jacket to fall back on when it's really cold out. The upside is that I've been able to wear it over a knitted jumper when the temperature has dropped, so it's swings and roundabouts.

Nevertheless, it works well on the bike and off it, with a dropped tail (which can be extended as an extra splash guard) covering your behind, and sleeves that are plenty long enough with an adjustable cuff.

Up top, the hood offers plenty of coverage and turns a bit with your head. It wraps down into a cylinder-like structure around the back of the neck and attaches using the pink tab (which has a popper on it) that you can see pictured. It's a simple system, and if rolled up untidily can lead to a little discomfort behind the head – one might argue that being able to roll the hood away into a zipped compartment that doubles as a collar might not be a simpler solution. Taking care with it solves this potential problem.

These niggles aside, the Hooded Rain Jacket II is a classy and stylish garment that – a little ironically – isn't obviously Rapha, even to the trained eye. The signature armband and Rapha branding sit subliminally as they're the same colour as the main fabric. The only telltale signs are the pink Rapha-branded tab that wraps over the hood and the tail if you have it dropped.

However, what really stands out is the performance of this almost exclusively urban-orientated jacked. Rain beads off with ease, and after a good six weeks of changeable weather its performance hasn't diminished. The taped seams inside are high quality, while the fabric can shift excess body heat really well – better than a lot of technical hardshell-type jackets I've tried over the past few years.

It needs careful washing with a delicate tech wash to maintain this performance – and you'll likely want to take particular care of it anyway because the price tag is typically 'Rapha' at a bottom-clenching £230. For that money it would be nice if the jacket was absolutely perfect in terms of the niggles I've mentioned, but some, like the extra space around the midriff or generous sizing, might appeal to you more than it does me.

> Buyer's Guide: The best kit for casual cycle commuting

Even at that price, it doesn't look bad value when you compare it with Lumo's Regents Parka, though you can go technical-but-casual for a lot less if Galibier's Bedoin Podium suits...

However, the bottom line is that when it comes to doing a technical-yet-stylish job about town, the Rapha does it very well.

Verdict

Excellent technical performance, and it's Rapha style through and through