As I type this, it’s peeing down with rain outside the Bikemagic office and it’s hardly inspiring for getting out on the trails. But the arrival of a couple of brand new jackets from Fox could change that.

New for this season is the Breakaway Soft Shell jacket, a stylish garment intended to not only look good on the bike but also not look out of place down the pub afterwards. If that’s a good thing in your books is dependent on how often you stop at said drinking spots during or after your ride.

Anyhoo, the jacket is made from a Polyester/Spandex Elastane fabric lined with a Polar fleece which is water resistant, don’t expect it to be completely waterproof but it should go a long way to keeping the rain and cold out. Features include a fitted hood (which is non-removeable) that apparently will fit underneath a Fox Flux helmet, and there’s two zippered fleece-lined side pockets and two chest pockets, the left of which has an ‘audio integration port’.

The Breakaway Soft Shell jacket costs £80, only comes in black and is available now in a choice of four sizes.

Next up is the Dawn Patrol jacket. It’s a lighter weight jacket than the Breakaway, more of a shell really for when the conditions turn nasty. The 100% Nylon 3mm rip stop two-layer  fabric is fully seamed and there’s a waterproof front zipper, so it should keep the mankiest of weather out.

It packs down pretty when the weather brightens up and can be stuffed inside a hydration pack. As with most jackets that try to keep the rain out, breathability can take a bit of a knock, so to avoid this happening Fox have designed a cape back construction with two large ventilation ports.

While it’s on the light side, there’s still two hand pockets and a rear zippered storage pocket and an internally routed elastic waistband. It costs £65.00 and comes in four sizes.

Both available now from www.foxeurope.com.