Cyclite Men's Hardshell jacket

Cyclite men's hardshell jacket brings electroluminescent technology to the more performance end of the spectrum while still being a great commuting, touring, or riding round town jacket.

Two things in particular set the Cyclite jacket apart first, it's made from a highly breathable fabric that banishes the elements while retaining a consistently arid internal climate; and second those electroluminescent strips are removable so you can bung it in the washing machine when it starts looking and smelling the wrong side of lived-in. That sets it apart from the other electroluminescent jacket we've tested from Proviz which has to be sponged down to protect the inbuilt electrics. Aside from making it easier to keep things from getting grubby - being able to machine wash the jacket also helps maintain its breathability which is not far off the levels you might expect from a jacket made of eVent or something similarly exotic and which along with all the othe features - and especially the in-built lighting, goes a long way to justifying the jacket's higher end price tag..

Anyway, let's have a closer look at the jacket's construction. The Cyclite is made from a relatively sophisticated polyester/nylon mix with taped seams, fleece lined collar, draw chord bottoms and tapered cuffs. Selectively positioned Scotchlite is not only functional but in my opinion, succeeds in being sympathetic to the civilian colours that speak, rather than shout 'technical'.

The electrics live in their own diagonal channels just below the collarbone with extended canopies shrouding the switch and battery packs. These are about the size of your average car smart key and engaging/toggling between the two flashing modes couldn't be easier on the go, pricking driver attention from around 250 yards. However, their incessant beeping is more intrusive than other designs-especially along deserted sections of road/trail. Speaking of which, road and bridle path 'bombing missions' failed to foil the fabric's climate control-even with the pit-zips drawn shut while cuffs, tail and collar keep gusty winds and unforgiving cloudburst firmly outside.

Our lime green sample looked sharp on and off the bike-not as subtle as the dhb Southsea or some from the Shower's Pass range perhaps but worn with messenger knickers or mtb specific trews won't give the game away round town or at café' stops - and anyway this is a jacket that's designed to be seen in the dark. And seen you will be. Carefully located breast and forearm pockets lack the convenient lugging capacity of the deep-fill poacher type breast pocket but I managed to get in wallet, compact camera, smart phone, keys and spare batteries without feeling over burdened.

My one small note of caution concerns the sizing-it's the most generous I've ever come across - despite the cut being performance oriented. Putting this into perspective, with two layers on, I still had room to spare even so, there's nothing bell-tent about the cut or fit - it's cut to be worn fitted. I went down one size from normal, I could easily have gone down two - The grey verson Mat is wearing in the gallery is a medium - he's usually somewhere between medium or large, Dave in the pics of it lit up usually takes an XL - that's the same medium he's wearing. So try before you buy.

Verdict

Really good technical jacket for training, touring, commuting and even mountain biking. Easily the best of the electro luminescent type but super-generous sizing means try before you buy