Planet X 365 Magma Convertible Jacket

The Planet X 365 Magma Convertible Jacket offers the option of long or short sleeves and very good rain protection for faster rides. The fit is good, with a long tail, but the weight is more than some rivals. At £100 (reduced to £50 currently), it's a solid option that is worth your consideration.

Ever since blacked-out Castelli Gabba jerseys covered the peloton in the 2013 Milan-San Remo, other companies have joined in the trend, producing aerodynamic rain-resistant jersey-cum-jackets, and this new Magma does a very good job. With minimalist styling and an aero fit, it also comes with the option to have long sleeves on the rainiest days. It's a very handy feature to keep you dry, though it does add a fair bit of weight.

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There are key design features that define this type of jacket. They've got to be close-fitting, relatively waterproof and yet be breathable enough to ride at a high intensity. Firstly, Planet X has made the Magma with 4-way stretch. The cut of the design is quite slim, but the stretchy fabric ensures a good fit over the top of the shoulders.

Rainproofing the jersey is a waterproof fabric that is rated to 5K (which equates to 'light rain'), and it was actually quite effective, with heavy showers mostly kept out. Some water does get in, but when riding hard it wasn't an issue. Planet X hasn't marketed this as a full rain jacket; it's designed to protect you from the worst of the wind and rain, but then convert to a short-sleeve race jersey when needed.

Other notable features include a drop tail, YKK zips and a waterproof stash pocket. The drop tail is great for keeping spray away from working glutes and the small of your back. It does become a little annoying if you keep sitting on it, though.

The YKK zips worked well, both on the front and also at the shoulders. I was able to remove the sleeves while riding, but putting them back on is something best done at the cafe as it's a little fiddly. 

The waterproof stash pocket kept my iPhone dry, with space for coffee money as well.

The sizing was generous in the length department. I found that my medium had extra length in the arms and tail, which is good as I'm just on the border between this and a small. Being quite skinny but short, I'd probably be better off with the smaller size, but if you're tall and slim, the medium would be better. There is good space in the chest and waist if you're built more like a sprinter.

At this price point, there is strong competition, notably from dhb with its £95 Aeron Rain Defence jersey. This is a short sleeve-only jersey with no option to add long sleeves, but the benefit of this is that the weight is kept down to only 261g, whereas the Magma comes in at 518g. Another option would be Endura's FS260-Pro SL jersey, which comes with arm warmers, but at £129.99 it's creeping into Gabba territory...

> Buyer's Guide: 10 Gabba-style wet weather race jerseys

I'd also think twice about the application for which I was buying the jersey. For racing and fast riding in changeable conditions, all I ever found myself needing was the short sleeve option with arm warmers. For more general riding, the long-sleeve option was useful when the temperature started out cold but then warmed up during the ride, but the sleeves take up quite a bit of room in the pockets, so you've got to plan ahead if you might be taking them off.

As a jacket to cover most situations, it's certainly a good option. It's well made, with decent waterproofness, the fit is close but stretchy, and the option to have long or short sleeves opens it up to more than just fast riding. However, by trying to be one jacket for everything, it falls a little short in weatherproofing and weight.

Verdict

A good option for changeable conditions, if you can live with the weight of the removable sleeves