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review

Jack Wolfskin Bike Commute Mono Jacket Women’s

8
£320.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Not cheap, and could do with more reflectives, but stylish enough to be worn off the bike and works really well in the wet
Superb waterproofing
Breathable
Versatile, can be worn off the bike
Relaxed fit
Only one (dark) colour
Minimal reflectives
Sleeves are very long
Expensive
Weight: 
320g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Jack Wolfskin Bike Commute Mono Jacket Women's is casual enough that it looks good off the bike, but seriously performs on it, too. It's probably one of the most technical casual jackets out there, with a high degree of waterproofing and a dropped rear hem to keep spray off your back. The only complaints I have are the lack of colour choice (and minimal reflectives, given its dark fabric) and the sleeves being really long.

> Buy now: Jack Wolfskin Bike Commute Mono Jacket W for £220 from Jack Wolfskin

If you're new to cycle commuting, check out our buyer's guide to the best cycling clothes for commuting, and our beginner's guide to cycling to work.

Living in Yorkshire has its perks. There is plentiful beautiful road riding, and you're never that far from a stabby hill. The downside is that the weather can often be sub-par. Of course, when testing a waterproof jacket in summer, there's no better place to be. And I'm very grateful for the Bike Commute Mono for keeping me dry throughout this year's monsoon season.

The jacket uses Texapore Ecosphere Core fabric, which includes recycled material, and is labelled as waterproof to 10,000mm. If you're familiar with Jack Wolfskin's waterproof fabrics, it has a claimed performance on par with JW's Texapore 02+ tech, the difference being the Ecosphere Core uses recycled materials, and it's more feature-laden than the Texapore basic fabrics. I think it works really, really well. I've ridden to the shops in heavy rain, and walked the dog in downpours, and it's just beaded on the jacket and kept me pretty damn dry.

2024 Jack Wolfskin Bike Commute Mono Jkt W - label.jpg

It's not a boil-in-the-bag affair either, which you can often experience with properly waterproof jackets. It's not the most breathable fabric out there – it's rated to 6,000g/m2/24hrs – but I think the rating is doing it a disservice. Even wearing a long sleeve top underneath and in 10-15°C weather I still wasn't getting any sweatier than I would be without the jacket on.

Fit and sizing

I tested the size small, and found it to be quite big. It's designed for sizes 8-10 but I'd say it definitely leans more towards the 10. I like the semi-tailored design, and especially the dropped rear hem.

2024 Jack Wolfskin Bike Commute Mono Jkt W - back.jpg

The only issue I have with the fit is the sleeve length – they're really long. I don't have short arms, but I found myself having to constantly push the sleeves up over my wrists when I was riding, and when off the bike they hang nearly over my fingertips.

2024 Jack Wolfskin Bike Commute Mono Jkt W - zip.jpg

Design-wise, I really like the jacket. It looks like it means business but without being flashy. The pockets are well designed – the rear one is actually high enough to be accessed above a waist bag, which to me suggests it might even work as a mountain biking jacket. Importantly, the front pockets are big enough for a giant smartphone (I have a Google Pixel 8 Pro), and the hood fits snugly over a helmet.

2024 Jack Wolfskin Bike Commute Mono Jkt W - front pocket open.jpg

There are also vents in the rear of the jacket so if you were to wear a rucksack, there's a little bit of extra air flow there to stop you getting a big old sweat patch.

2024 Jack Wolfskin Bike Commute Mono Jkt W - back vent.jpg

The only thing I'm not massively keen on from a design perspective is the minimal amount of reflective material. There is only this one colour choice, and without turning this into a debate on road safety, I like to have plenty of reflective bits on dark clothes (or to wear a brighter colour in the first place). Essentially, where there are zips, there are reflective lines, but I'm not sure how effective they would be in the pitch black.

2024 Jack Wolfskin Bike Commute Mono Jkt W - rear zipped pocket.jpg

Value and conclusion

Overall, the Bike Commute Mono is pretty much everything you want from a waterproof commuter jacket. If you get the right size and don't mind a dark colour, then there's not really anything to pick fault with. It is, however, rather expensive. You can currently pick it up for a bit less, but the RRP of £320 is a lot for a jacket.

Compared with something like the Gorewear Everyday, which Emily reviewed last winter, the Jack Wolfskin does offer better rain performance, but it comes at a big price increase. The Gorewear jacket has gone up by a tenner since Emily's review, but it's still 'only' £169.99, and it also comes in brighter colours.

That said, you can pay even more for something that's premium in performance, style and designed for road cycling – the Le Col Women's Hors Categorie Jacket II is £330 – but one major benefit of the Jack Wolfskin is that it's great for wearing off the bike, too, so it's more versatile than a typical road cycling jacket.

> Buy now: Jack Wolfskin Bike Commute Mono Jacket W for £220 from Jack Wolfskin

Verdict

Not cheap, and could do with more reflectives, but stylish enough to be worn off the bike and works really well in the wet

road.cc test report

Make and model: Jack Wolfskin Bike Commute Mono Jkt W

Size tested: Small

Tell us what the jacket is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Jack Wolfskin says: "With bike specific tailoring and TEXAPORE ECOSPHERE CORE fabric, the BIKE COMMUTE MONO JACKET is ready for the daily grind to the office in any weather. Fully waterproof, with a tailored hood, hip pockets that sit above a backpack hip belt, and a longer rear hem to cover your backside from tire spray, this jacket gets you there dry. The on-time part is up to you."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the jacket?

Jack Wolfskin lists:

2 raised hand pockets with zips

adjustable hem

breathable: 6.000g/m2/24hrs

hood with adjustable field of vision

lightweight cycling jacket made from monofilament yarn

longer sleeves and drop-tail hem

reflective detailing

ventilation system on back

waterproof zips

waterproof, windproof, breathable

waterproof: 10.000mm

zipped pocket at the back

Hood

Pockets

Reflective Feature

Rate the jacket for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Really well made, quality feels good too.

Rate the jacket for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the jacket for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the jacket for waterproofing based on the manufacturer's rating:
 
9/10

The only benefit of the rather wet weather we've had this summer has been for testing this jacket. I'm happy to report it takes quite a lot of downpour to penetrate it, and I imagine it will work well for the duration of most people's commutes even in torrential rain.

Rate the jacket for breathability based on the manufacturer's rating:
 
7/10

It's marked at 6.000g/m2/24hrs, which is towards the lower end of 'breathability'. I did notice it was a little clammy after an effort, but if you're just leisurely commuting and not racing everyone alongside you, it shouldn't make you feel like a chicken under foil in the oven.

Rate the jacket for fit:
 
7/10

The overall fit is good; it's a little baggy for a small but the only qualm I have is the sleeve length, which feels excessive.

Rate the jacket for sizing:
 
7/10

It's a size small, which relates to a UK 8/10, and I'd say it leans more towards the 10. It's not massively baggy, but it's not streamlined. If you're layering underneath I think it fits well, otherwise it is a bit big for a typical size 8.

Rate the jacket for weight:
 
7/10

Waterproof jackets can be quite heavy, but I think this one is reasonably light given the tech.

Rate the jacket for comfort:
 
9/10
Rate the jacket for value:
 
4/10

There's no getting away from the fact it costs the same as some people's monthly food bill. Yes, it's an excellent jacket with very few faults, but there are some very good alternatives out there for around half the price.

How easy is the jacket to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Washable at 30 degrees.

Tell us how the jacket performed overall when used for its designed purpose

The jacket kept me comfortable and dry even in a downpour when testing it on both urban e-bikes and road riding.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the jacket

It's comfortable, the pockets are well designed, and it performs well in the wet.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the jacket

That it's only available in this one grey/black colour, with minimal reflective areas, and the sleeves are too long.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market including ones recently tested on road.cc?

There's no denying it's expensive. At £320 that's top-end pricing – even if you look in different markets like premium winter/do-it-all road cycling jackets or even mountaineering jackets.

Looking at similar jackets, like the Gorewear Everyday Jacket Women's, that's almost half the price at £169.99. It doesn't offer the same level of waterproofing, but is versatile enough to be worn off the bike.

Did you enjoy using the jacket? Yes

Would you consider buying the jacket? Yes

Would you recommend the jacket to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

Performance-wise it's an excellent bit of kit for the commuter or casual rider. It works well off the bike, too – I chose to use it on several dog walks and hikes throughout the rain this past month or so. It's super comfortable, pretty light and it ticks all the boxes of a well-constructed waterproof jacket. It does, however, have really long sleeves and minimal reflective material which, for a black jacket with 'Commute' in the name, seems a bit of an oversight – especially if you're going to wear it in the depths of winter. So even though for performance I'd give it a 9, overall it's an 8.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 29  Height: 5'5  Weight: 55kg

I usually ride: Trek Émonda  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Rebecca has been writing about bikes for four years, after a typically ill-timed career change pre-pandemic. She's been riding bikes since she can remember, and fell back in love with them after realising it was faster, cheaper, and more fun than getting the bus to work. Nowadays she enjoys all kinds of bikes, from road to eMTB and is training her border collie pup to become a trail dog. 

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5 comments

Avatar
Secret_squirrel | 2 weeks ago
0 likes

Absolutely insane price. Should only get a 5/10.

Not that I'm a Rapha slappa but you can get their top end Goretex jackets for the same money, and their own brand waterproofs for considerably less.  With better reflectives and more colours too.

Avatar
cardch | 2 weeks ago
1 like

Anyone commuting in a jacket that colour is absolutely insane.  In rush hour, when drivers are in automatic mode at best, half asleep at worst, you want to be lit up like a christmas tree.  

Avatar
Another_MAMIL replied to cardch | 2 weeks ago
0 likes
cardch wrote:

Anyone commuting in a jacket that colour is absolutely insane.  In rush hour, when drivers are in automatic mode at best, half asleep at worst, you want to be lit up like a christmas tree.

Indeed.

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to cardch | 2 weeks ago
4 likes

Many people buy jackets of the colour that they would like to wear off the bike or in daylight and then chuck on a reflective/fluoro Sam Browne or tabard when appropriate for the conditions, so not that "insane". Paying £320 for what is effectively a cagoule, now that's insane. 

Avatar
brooksby | 2 weeks ago
3 likes

Three hundred and twenty of yer Brexity pounds??!!???? 

Eeek.

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