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Review: Madison Prime Waterproof Cycling Jacket

madison prime waterproof jacket

 

Cycling in the UK needs a good waterproof. One that keeps you dry, but doesn’t suffocate your body with its own sweat. One that fights the wind, but also lets you breath a bit when the weather gets warm. Most importantly, one that allows you to carry all your essentials, and keeps you extremely visible to all our road users.

The Madison Prime Waterproof Jacket ticks all the boxes, and it does so while looking good enough to be used as a regular commuting jacket. Yeah, you won’t wear it to your next dinner, but perfectly acceptable as you walk around town doing a shop. Or maybe that is just Oxford!

Features

  • The Prime jacket ticks all of the boxes when cycling in a busy urban environment
  • Littered with reflective prints and details offering great night time visibility
  • The mesh lined waterproof fabric keeps you dry and comfortable in the wettest conditions with a drop tail for maximum rear coverage
  • Rear venting stops you from overheating and the softly lined inner collar adds a little extra comfort
  • Underarm zippered vents allow for temperature control
  • A large rear pocket provides ample storage room with a chest pocket for quick access items
  • A rear fabric tab allows you to mount an LED rear light for maximum night-time visibility
  • Limited lifetime warranty

Sizes available

Small to XX-Large

Comfort

The cycling jacket is a step up from the Madison Stellar Waterproof jacket, in the sense that it offers an extra mesh on the inside and a bigger pocket at the back. While the Stellar was really good at being very light, the Madison is the happy medium between functionality and portability.

A waterproof layer means this is useful during those rainy and windy days, and the breathable layer means that it won’t get too sweaty during the hot days. Underarm ventilation zippers allow you to cool down as you cycle, without the jacket flapping about if it was open.

Visibility

Plenty of reflective strips mean that you will be perfectly visible. The colour I got was shocking orange, which is also very visible.

Practicality

For me, the pockets on a jacket are immensely important. A big back pocket is good to stuff your gloves/hats and such like, while the front pocket is great to throw in your mobile phone.  Unlike the Stellar, this one has an internal layer, which protects your pockets from getting too sweaty.

Zips

I like to try the zips in a rough and ready kind of way when playing with a new jacket. The Madison Prime offers good quality zippers, and you don’t need to be careful with them. In, zip up, zip down, out. All good.

The cycling test

So, how does it fair on long journeys? A day which involved two cycle rides, both around 10 miles each presented me with the perfect test for this. The jacket works well, and it deals with rain well too. The back pocket, if loaded heavily (wallet, gloves, hat, spare light) can weigh you down a bit, but that is not far from normal. The front pocket held the phone well without it getting sweaty.

Overall, protection was great, as was breathability.

More information

More information on the Prime Waterproof Jacket can be found on the Madison website:

http://www.madison.co.uk/products/cycling/clothing-eyewear/waterproofs-rainwear-1/prime-men-s-waterproof-jacket-shocking-orange-large/

It retails around £69.99, but can be bought a lot cheaply from the likes of Amazon.

Verdict

A great cycling jacket, at a great cost. What’s not to like.

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