Great Value / Warm When It's Cold, Breathes When It's Hot
When I first bought this jacket for e-biking on my 1990s mountain bike with an electric kit, I felt like it was overkill-- I knew it would be on the heavy side, and I felt kind of pretentious wearing a motorcycle jacket on a bike that had pedals! However, I am on blood thinners, and an internal bruise could be a life threatening event for me. I figured if people thought I was a dork trying to look like a character from The Expanse, I could suck it up, I really don't want to get injured. The fit was quite good-- not perfect, but well above average. I am 6'2" and usually a 38 long, but I weigh only 150 pounds so the "small" size was perfect, though I did use the straps on the waist and sleeves to make the jacket more aerodynamic. The pads are well placed for me, and don't interfere with movement. Another plus was how well it handled the variations in temperature here-- when I start a ride, it might be 70+ degrees, and sure, I'd sweat a bit with the liner while ascending 1,000 feet, but I'd open the vents and I'd leave the jacket mostly unzipped in front, because I wasn't concerned about wind resistance when I was going so slow anyway. On the back side of the hill, there's no direct sun exposure and much more wind-- sometimes in the low 50s or high 40s for my return-- and I'm not pedaling as hard, so it feels much colder. Zip up the jacket and the vents, and I've never felt cold enough to be uncomfortable. Nice not to have to bring a backpack with a sweater. I don't know why other reviewers complain about the zippers-- yeah, you should be careful with them, but that's true of just about any jacket, I've seen far worse. Never had a serious snag, liner comes out and goes back in easily enough-- it's a little tricky getting the sleeves reattached on the inside, but it's a great design to keep the sleeve liners from riding up to your elbows when you take the jacket off, so worth the extra fiddling with the loop and button at the end of each sleeve. It is a bit hard to find the zippers for the pockets with gloves on-- bigger zipper tabs would be a very good improvement. Visibility is very good with the reflective stripes in the design. The shape of the collar is a bit odd-- the diameter is a bit larger than I'd like-- but it does seem to keep the wind out, and it looks fine, just not something I've seen before. Many pockets and well placed, side pockets are big enough for glasses, interior pockets in liner big enough for a cell phone, and I can carry a small flashlight, mobile phone, and Leatherman multi-tool, and still have room for glasses. I've had it several months now, I ride four or five times a week, and still no fraying or loose threads. I now know how to use the motor more effectively and efficiently, and I'm cornering much harder and hitting speeds north of 30 MPH, so I don't feel silly anymore wearing a padded jacket-- in fact, I'd kind of feel silly without it! Great for wearing on the dog walk or in dodgy neighborhoods... it does look a bit intimidating, it would offer some protection if I had to fend off a punch, and I really don't mind that a bit. I'm sure there are more sturdy or stylish jackets out there-- but also sure they'd be far more expensive. For $40 before tax, this was a great deal. Read more
