Words and photos: Julia Revitt

Wow – this jacket is bright and I love bright! 2 shades of green, pink zips and blue elastic pulls and logos – you can’t miss me in it! It also comes in a purple/blue scheme but I love the green – great for being seen on dark nights.

It’s waterproof to 20,000mm, breathable, has 4 way stretch and retails for £120. Our sample was a size 12 which is a bit big for me – I’m more of an 8 but I could cinch it in at the waist and cuffs to make it fit with plenty of spare space for layers. It’s not heavy at 700g but is definitely a cold weather jacket – I’d get too hot riding in anything above 15 degrees.

The cut includes a dropped back to help keep your bum dry on wet rides. The hood has plenty of adjustment but is not big enough to fit over your helmet. It also has a good-sized peak to keep the worst of the rain off your glasses.

Admittedly, I haven’t been on many extremely muddy rides (I’ve tried, but the trails near me just keep on drying out!) with it so cannot say how hard the mud is to remove but I suspect it would muddy up pretty quickly and would need washing regularly – it is washable though at 30 degrees.

I love the MP3 player pocket and headphone loop feature – my iPhone 4 fits perfectly. I suspect an iPhone 5 would be fine too but anything bigger would struggle. Long pit zips, waterproof zips and mesh lining complete the package. The only thing that wasn’t exactly self explanatory was the ‘roll away hood function’, but I guess that’s no big deal.

On the bike, the great cut is evident. It fits well, the wrists are tapered to fit inside or outside your winter gloves and the hood allows you to see sideways. It’s not specifically billed as a bike jacket by Dare 2b and is very versatile – I’ve used it for hiking and running and it performed well.

Ultimately, this is a great value jacket, packed full of features I’d expect to pay twice the price for.  It makes a fab cold weather commuter jacket as it’s bright, keeps you dry and warm and there’s plenty of space for your stuff.

Verdict

Very waterproof, machine washable, a good cut and the super bright colour makes it versatile as a commuter jacket as well as for mountain biking. Nice features all-round but one thing to take into account is that this is a jacket for extreme weather – great when it’s cold or pouring with rain but possibly a bit bulky for day-to-day riding in all conditions.

More information: Dare 2b Mind Trip jacket
Price: £120

What Dare 2b says about the Mindtrip jacket

Offering protection from the elements when you need it the most, the Mind Trip has been crafted in a water repellent and highly breathable 4 way stretch fabric. Taped seams and hi-tech water resistant zips work against the rain to keep you dry. Articulated sleeves, cuff adjustors and underarm ventilation zips ensure you get complete ease of movement whatever the activity. A taffeta and mesh lining gives next-to-skin comfort and the fully adjustable wire peaked hood makes sure you get visibility when you need it the most. The jacket boasts multiple pockets with waterproof zip fastenings, including an internal pocket with MP3 port.