Rapha Commuter Jacket review: Style, but not without substance

When looking for winter cycling jackets, I tend to look for the best of the best within a road or gravel cycling capacity; the kind of jacket that will let you go out in a storm warning for seven hours and come home in one piece with a story to tell. Sometimes I do back off the extremes but, even then, my focus is still on performance. With that in mind, I knew when I put together our list of the best winter cycling jackets that I wanted to have a couple of pieces with a different focus.

More people taking more trips on bikes is good for everyone and if you are looking for a jacket for bike commuting, the Rapha Commuter Jacket is likely on your radar. Rapha has a solid reputation as a performance brand that also understands style. The brand also tends to have a reputation for pricing that puts them at the top of the market.

The Rapha Commuter jacket doesn’t focus solely on absolute performance and it’s actually priced near the low end. If you’ve noticed the jacket, it’s almost certain you’ve wondered if it’s any good. I’ve had the same thought and so I’ve spent time not climbing mountains in it but rather, cruising around the neighbourhood.

Keep reading if you want to hear some insights into what it does well and where it’s lacking. Image 1 of 2The Rapha commuter jacket is bright and comfy (Image credit: Josh Ross)Image 2 of 2Even though it’s not tight enough to make overlapping zippers an issue, the offset zipper still looks great (Image credit: Josh Ross) Design and aesthetics This section is what the Rapha Commuter jacket is all about. As I write this review in the early part of 2023, the winter season is winding down for clothing companies and Rapha has three colour options.

The details of when I’m writing this are important because Rapha rotates the colours constantly. Right now, you can pick from black, red/white or high-vis pink but the product page also shows it in orange, fluro yellow, and bright blue. Those bright, bold, colours are part of the identity of the Commuter jacket.

The colours compliment the other high-visibility design details such as the reflective pattern of dots, and Rapha logo, on the short drop tail but they also point to the bigger design strategy. It’s something I pointed out last year about fashion-focused gear from PAS Normal and I refer to it as performance for the sake of fashion. There is a very real performance built into the design of the Rapha Commuter jacket but it’s there as much to serve the fashion as it is the other way around.

Aside from the colour, the zipper is the other big place this shows up. Rapha often uses an offset zipper. In this case, it gently angles from the centre at the bottom to the right at the top where it tucks into the top of the storm flap that turns into a garage.

It’s also a waterproof zipper that faces the inside of the jacket, allowing for a colour-matched final look, and there’s a big silver zipper pull. These design choices take root in performance but they express themselves as aesthetics. Image 1 of 3The silver zipper pull is helpful with the sticky zipper but it also looks amazing (Image credit: Josh Ross)Image 2 of 3The waterproof zipper works fine but it also allows the rubberized portions to match the colour of the jacket (Image credit: Josh Ross)Image 3 of 3The fabric doesn’t feel great on the inside but all the seams are taped and it will definitely keep you dry (Image credit: Josh Ross) If we move away from aesthetics towards pure performance design choices, a good place to look is at the material used.

The whole jacket is a 2. 5-layer design with a fabric face layer that carries the colour. Backing the outer is a hydrophobic membrane and the inner layer is essentially imperceptible owing to the half-layer designation.

There is extensive taping of the seams as well as the already mentioned waterproof zipper. The hood further bolsters the waterproof capabilities as well as the warmth. The neckline is high and the cut generously wraps around the front of the neck before heading up into the rest of the hood.

If you decide to stow the hood it rolls towards the inside and there’s a stylish, of course, bit of webbing to secure it with a plastic snap. In the rolled-down position, the design keeps it loose so it won’t flap around but it still provides a lot of warmth. Image 1 of 2The strap to hold the hood down when rolled is reflective and stylish (Image credit: Josh Ross)Image 2 of 2The hood rolls inward and is held loosely so it still provides a lot of warmth (Image credit: Josh Ross) Performance I made reference to this in the first paragraphs but when I test jackets, I love to tell you a story about adversity I’ve overcome.

I relish some kind of journey that lasts from sunrise to sunset and has phrases like “as I climbed from the valley floor to the ridge, I began to see snow. ” It gets me out of the house on those days when the weather says it’s time to fire up Zwift and I like to know that when I recommend something, it’s that good. This review isn’t like that at all.

The Rapha Commuter jacket has never been with me on my road bike or gravel bike. I’ve never considered maybe I should call for a ride while wearing it and I’ve never faced light frostbite. Instead, I’ve cruised around town in moderate weather on my city bike while wearing it.

I flew with it when I headed to Bentonville Arkansas for Big Sugar Gravel and after the race, I wore it to drink beer on patios. I also, as a rule, grab it when I head out the door in my Rapha Crew Neck Knit sweater and I need more protection. It’s within this context that I can wholeheartedly recommend you get one of these jackets, but not because it’s perfect.

The Rapha Commuter jacket is comfy and the fit is perfect for sitting upright on a city bike. As you cruise across the city on something like my Priority Continuum City bike, you can tell that Rapha is a company that understands how to make a good piece of riding gear. Particularly nice is the articulation of the shoulders and the overall design of the sleeves.

They are long enough and the cuffs keep cold air out as well as staying in place while riding. Image 1 of 5The end of the sleeves hold the arms tight and are very effective at staying put (Image credit: Josh Ross)Image 2 of 5The waist cinch is excellent if you ever have a need to use it (Image credit: Josh Ross)Image 3 of 5The cinch for the hood has the adjuster inside the channel making it pretty unusable (Image credit: Josh Ross)Image 4 of 5The fabric might not breathe much, but the big vent in the rear does a great job if the zipper is down a bit (Image credit: Josh Ross)Image 5 of 5From the rear it looks a bit small but there is a lot of surface area (Image credit: Josh Ross) There are also some mistakes though and this jacket doesn’t get a five-star review. Unlike the Endura GV500 waterproof jacket, the hood isn’t big enough to go over a helmet.

It does do a pretty good job under a helmet, with room for the straps, but you can mostly forget about the adjustments for the edge. There are elastic pulls but, unlike the excellent waist adjustment, the piece that locks the adjustment in place is inside the channel that houses the elastic. It’s somewhat difficult to use it when tightening and it’s almost impossible to loosen it.

You are better off not trying. The fabric isn’t anything to write home about either. It will absolutely keep you dry in any situation that would be appropriate to grab this jacket but that’s the best part.

The waterproof performance leaves it feeling plasticky and it doesn’t breathe much at all. There is ample venting on the upper back but that only works well if you unzip a bit to let airflow in, and the zipper is hard to move. It’s also not a two-way zip so forget about unzipping from the bottom.

Despite all the drawbacks though, I love it. I love the way the angled zipper looks even though the Commuter jacket isn’t tight enough to really need it. I also love the way the cut looks.

It fits in a way that works well on a city bike but, maybe more importantly, looks great off the bike. It’s not tight but it’s also not baggy. More than anything though, I love the colours.

The uber-bright colour option is always fantastic. Orange, fluro yellow, and bright blue from previous years have all been really good and this year I knew right away that the iconic Rapha pink was the option I had to have. In case you are wondering, the armband is there too but it’s the same colour and isn’t super visible.

Image 1 of 3It’s purely for show but the iconic Rapha arm band is still there (Image credit: Josh Ross)Image 2 of 3The whole lower portion of the jacket lights up incredibly bright under headlights (Image credit: Josh Ross)Image 3 of 3There are no rear pockets but the hand pockets are big and comfy with a zipper (Image credit: Josh Ross) Verdict There are reviews out there that frame the Rapha Commuter jacket in terms of on-bike performance and they talk about the failures. Although I’ve highlighted some wins, I’ve also had to highlight the negatives because they certainly exist. That’s not the point though.

Instead consider that for a relatively modest amount of money, very modest if we are talking Rapha, you get a stylish jacket that also works on a bike. The Rapha Commuter jacket will get you around town on the bike just fine. It will even keep you dry and comfy while doing so but it’s not the best.

Pearl Izumi, Chrome, and Mission Workshop all have competing products that are technically better. They are also all more expensive, some of them by a lot, and none of them looks as good in pink. There’s also another layer to the Rapha Commuter jacket.

Although I said above what I really love is the colour, that’s not all of it. Rapha has firmly established itself in the culture of cycling. If you walk into a room with a subtle armband and an iconic colour, it’s a wink and a nod.

Wearing an ultra-bright pink jacket will, no doubt, help you stay visible while riding but off the bike, it has a different meaning. The Rapha Commuter jacket will mark you as a cyclist to those who understand. It’s a bit of a secret handshake and on-bike performance is only a bonus.

As long as that’s what you want, you won’t be sorry. Tech Specs: Rapha Commuter Jacket Price: £100 (£70 as tested) / $135 ($67 as tested) / €120 (€84 as tested) / AU$180 (AU$126 as tested)Weight: 231g (As measured size small)Size availability: XXS-XXLColour Options: High-Vis Pink, Red/White, Black, plus regular new optionsMaterials: 55% polyester, 45% polyurethane.