This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Having been without a decent cycling jacket for some time I recently overcompensated and bought two, having concluded that there is no one jacket that will do everything, especially if the weather some of the time is extremely wet and warm-ish.

The Gore Shakedry is probably the more versatile of the two - and it will definitely withstand an hour of heavy rain. Having said that, it will dump that rain onto your legs. It’s properly long at the back too. It’s windproof but doesn’t have much insulating ability which makes it more useful for me as it’s tolerable in warm weather and you can layer up if needed. And it’s packable.

The other purchase was a Rapha Classic Gore-Tex. I like this one too, less of a roadie fit, pockets, probably a better winter jacket for commutes and day rides. It’s pretty warm though, probably too warm for anything above 12 degrees or so, less if working hard. Thing about it is, though, I am unconvinced by its DWR coating. Not long after I got it, a put a couple of grubby marks on one arm, brushing up past a parked van I think. It’s a not-quite hi-viz orange. I very carefully sluiced the worst of it off, and gave the remaining patches the very lightest of rubs with very dilute, very mild clothes soap, cold water. Despite this care, I can see that those areas do not shed water any more. So the DWR is extremely non-durable, and my plan henceforth is never to wash this jacket until it’s near the end of its time. For now at least, it will also definitely withstand an hour of heavy rain.

If I had to have one, probably the Shakedry. But sometimes it’s good to have capacious back pockets, and to throw on a jacket that is warm enough by itself with just a base layer under it.