Gore Bike Wear Xenon jacket £114.99

The Xenon jacket is a favourite here at RCUK, combining Windstopper material into a well fitted jacket that packs down really small when not needed.

The jacket is pre-shaped and designed to minimise any excess material when you’re tucked low over the hoods, with an extremely high front and exaggerated dropped tail. It all looks a bit odd off the bike, with your midlayer exposed beneath the jacket, but on the bike it makes a lot of sense. There’s no material bunching up around your chest and your lower back is amply protected from water thrown up by your rear wheel.

Further enhancing the fit are pre-shaped elbows, and the length of the arms is about perfect. At their ends elasticated and Velcro cuffs feature and, inside, the arms are lined with a thin mesh to prevent an discomfort. A high collar gives good neck coverage.

Gore offer this jacket in three colours, including this stylish black. Not normally the safest of choices, Gore have tackled the visibility problem with a smattering of large reflective tabs across the entire length of the arms and generously around the back, meaning you’ll be easily spotted by other road users.

A good choice for intermediate days when you might not want to commit to wearing a more substantial jacket. The Windstopper material does, as its name suggests, keep out wind extremely well and even manages to keep out the rain to an acceptable level too, should you be caught in a downpour. Don’t go looking for rain though…

The extreme shape marks this one out for the performance cyclist however, favouring the rider who adopts and flat back position.

Available in sizes S – XXL.