off-road.cc

The Leatt DBX 5.0 All Mountain is a well-built, highly protective winter jacket with excellent attention to detail. It breathes well, has very efficient vents and is cut just right for bike use. In fact, it’s packed with clever features that make it a seriously enjoyable jacket when it’s nasty, though the inner cuffs aren't quite right and it's pretty expensive.

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This jacket uses a three-layer 30k/23k waterproof and breathable shell, which has a stretch to it and a nice, soft touch. All seams and zips are taped, and sealed with hidden, reinforced stitching. On the elbows and shoulder you find abrasion resistant patches, plus silk storm cuffs with thumbholes cut in at the wrists.

In front are two dual-use zipped pockets that act as massive cargo spots or big vents. One nice surprise is the sizeable microfiber cloth hidden inside one, which is great if you ride with eye protection. On the sides are two 'exhaust port' vents for those front pockets.

While it might seem counter-intuitive to have such large vents at the front, the bottoms of the inside pouches are lined with the same waterproof membrane as the outer shell. Any rain that finds its way in gets caught here, and you stay mostly dry. Both pockets are double zipped too, so if you ride with a pack that fastens around the hips, you can still get into them with ease.

To further combat water looking to sneak into the jacket, you get drawstrings at the neck and around the waist. There’s also a neat pass pocket on the arm.

Another nice touch is the magnetic hood. The jacket comes with an adhesive magnet to  slap on top of your lid, which then sticks to the one sewn into the hood, keeping it in place while you rattle down your next descent.

There are further magnets to secure the hood when you're not wearing it up, too, and stop it from flapping about.

Putting the jacket on for the first time, the most noticeable thing is the fit. It’s tailored for riding, so it’s not the greatest for casual use, but once aboard it’s super comfortable. All that weather protection might lead you to believe it’s heavy and cumbersome, but it’s the total opposite.

It regulates heat extremely well with those huge front vents and breathable membrane, and during one of the UK's recent storms, the DBX 5.0 jacket remained perfectly comfortable even after the membrane saturated. Thanks to its excellent ventilation, this jacket can be used from winter through to early spring without overheating.

Problems? While I really like the hood magnets, it can be tricky to put the hood back when you’re not using it. And while the silk storm cuffs are very welcome, they’re too short for my arms if I use the thumbholes.

If you frequently ride in wet weather you'll be hard pushed to find anything wrong with the Leatt DBX 5.0 All Mountain jacket. It's really comfortable, looks pretty smart and is well made. Yes, it has a couple of very minor niggles, but they never put me off reaching for this jacket over others. So, while the price is high, you won’t be disappointed with its performance.

• www.leatt.com

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