Rab’s Cinder Downpour Waterproof Jacket is a lightweight breathable packable option made from Pertex Shield and is ideal for gravel and adventure riding. It features an under-helmet hood, two large vent zips on the sides, two large hand pockets and a relaxed cut ideal for layering. But does it offer enough to earn a spot among the best mountain bike jackets?
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Rab Cinder Downpour Waterproof Jacket - Technical details
Rab’s Cinder Downpour Waterproof Jacket is made from 2.5-layer Pertex Shield fabric which offers both high levels of waterproofing and breathability. The official figures, for those that are counting, are HH (Hydrostatic Head): 20,000mm and MVTR (Moisture Vapour Transfer Rate): 20,000 g/m2/24hrs, which puts it in the better class of waterproof materials made by Rab. Fabrics can be officially classed as waterproof with a HH of 1500mm so that gives you a strong indication of the protection provided by the Cinder Downpour.
The 2.5-layer relates to the fabric’s construction and means that it has been coated with a waterproof membrane and has then had a second thin layer printed on top to provide better durability and softness to make it more comfortable. A two-layer does without the outer coating and a three-layer has a second fabric creating a sandwich for the membrane.
Rab offers a lot of information on their fabrics and their eco-credentials on their site and it's a genuinely informative read and good to see that they are using as much recycled material as possible, 48% of the total fabric is recycled in the Downpour jacket, as well as being Fluorocarbon free whilst continuing to deliver their expected high levels of performance.
The cut of the Cinder Downpour jacket is for active cycling but it can also be effectively used off the bike around camp or even away from the bike entirely. While it has a shaped cut for an ‘arms forward seated stance’ it features an under-the-helmet hood which works perfectly without a helmet, unlike the over-helmet hood designs. There is no roll-away option for the hood though.
The under-helmet hood has a single easy-pull adjuster to reduce volume for wearing under your helmet. The hood also has elasticated sides to help improve visibility when riding. There is also a small section of peak stiffener to keep rain from your eyes.
The front zip is a YKK Aquashield and runs high, right up to and over your chin for full balaclava coverage when the heavens open and the hood is up.
The sleeves are cut long enabling full arm and wrist coverage when holding either flat or drop bars. They have half-elasticated cuffs and are very slightly longer on their outer edge.
There are two large hand pockets on the sides and further back there are two large vents running along your latissimus dorsi muscles or 'lats' for short. These zips are to allow large air ventilation and also access to pockets in a jersey worn underneath. YKK AquaGuard zips are used for all closures throughout the jacket and have cord pulls with plastic tabs for grip.
The hem of the Downpour jacket is dropped and has the Rab’s Cinder silicone design logo on the inside to help keep it in place as well as offering a single-sided elasticated draw cord for further adjustment. There are small reflective decals on the hem and the top of the left arm but not the right. The overall look of the jacket, especially in black, is stealthy with low-key branding.
The Cinder Downpour Jacket comes in three colours, Black, Blue and a Sandy colour and in 5 sizes, XS, S, M, L XL for £185. It weighs 305g in Medium.
Rab Cinder Downpour Waterproof Jacket - Performance
In two words: very good but there are a couple of niggles which I’ll come to later on. First the good stuff. The Cinder Downpour Waterproof Jacket is a good waterproof and therefore by default also a good windproof jacket. I have unfortunately had the chance to thoroughly test this jacket in some pretty horrid conditions this year. I’m never a fan of riding with a hood up over my helmet for any long distance but for the first time, this hood stayed up because it worked.
The combination of the peak stiffener and the volume adjustment drawcord allows for a good fit on my head with the elasticated sides just about play nicely enough with my helmet straps to allow me to still see out. I think that’s a first for me for cycling with hoods and well-designed Rab. When not in use but zipped up tight, the hood's elastic sides help to keep it nicely tucked behind your head to reduce ballooning or buffeting when riding.
The jacket breathes well and on most of my rides, I have stayed dry and comfortable inside, either with the vents up or down depending on the conditions and exertion levels. What I have noticed is that when the hood is down but the weather is a little drizzly the neck closure is not snug enough allowing for moisture to enter down the front of the jacket. This can be prevented by wearing the hood of course or adding a buff to slow it down, but if you are like me and the hood is only up for serious rain, then you may well get a wet patch on the front of your jersey underneath. It’s your choice.
The cut of the jacket was a little more relaxed than some in the gravel market with good space for layering on rubbish days or very cold days. If you’re wearing Rab’s own Ridgeline jacket then there will be a comfortable amount of space to wear a thicker base layer as well. The cut is actually very comfortable off the bike as well, so you’re perfectly okay to walk into the cafe in it or wait by the side of the trail for your mates. The arm length is good although there is a little too much fabric around the upper arms for me, but that might not be an issue for you if you’ve been at the weights more than me. Not hard.
The two pockets on the front are well-placed and large allowing you to stow more than you probably should in there. Just don’t leave that half-eaten bagel in there overnight or longer. The zips have little zip garages to try to prevent the rain from getting in and in my experience, they worked well. The rear vents are perfect for letting off steam once the heavy rain has stopped and you need to release some trapped heat and moisture. They are also beautifully aligned to work with Rab’s own Ridgeline Jacket allowing access to your phone or food bars in your rear pockets. Other Jerseys play nicely, too.
The cuffs are a confusion though. They are the right length and half elasticated like others in the market with a slightly longer outside edge, all good so far, but, and it’s a sizeable one, the opening for your hand and wrist is too large and loose. I have slim wrists but I can get two wrists in each with ease. Even if I wore my insane 45NRTH winter gloves the cuffs are still not tight and this does cause a problem in the rain with water being forced up your sleeve by wind and forward momentum. It would be great if several of these gravel adventure jackets (Rab is not alone here, but baggiest so far) actually had a closable cuff to help keep the water out.
The front zip is also a pain as well as it likes to catch its own storm flap every time you pull it up one-handed. It’s easy enough to deal with with two hands, slowly feeding it carefully past the upper chest section under your chin, but often these adjustments are done whilst riding and sometimes you need one hand on the bars for security. If you don’t get it zipped up to the max then of course it is going to get wet inside. If you are putting the hood up this isn’t an issue as you'll stop and have two hands to take your helmet off, right? Don’t try this while riding.
Rab Cinder Downpour Waterproof Jacket - Verdict
At this price point, £185, the market is stacked with mountain-bike-style waterproof jackets and a couple definitely worth a look are the Leatt DBX 5.0 All Mountain Jacket if you are leaning on more mountain-bike-style adventure riding and want a tougher waterproof. Liam gave this one a full five-star review.
And slimmer and sitting in between full-on mountain biking and lighter weight cross country and gravel riding is the excellent Fox Racing Ranger 3L Jacket that Matt really liked with the only major downside (for Matt) being the large fixed hood and too-tight elastic cuffs.
The most obvious contender in this market is the similarly styled and looking Endura GV500 Waterproof Jacket I reviewed early in the year. Both are aimed at the gravel market and both have their own set of unique features.
The Rab Cinder Downpour Waterproof is heavier than Endura’s GV500 Waterproof jacket 305g (slightly under Rab’s claim of 322g) vs 230g and you can really feel that in the material and the packability of the jacket. The Rab feels more robust and mine has certainly had more contact with the dirt and being stuffed in and out of a seat pack regularly. The material feels like it will last that bit longer probably due to that extra 0.5 layer.
The Rab offers a looser fit which is better for layering in changeable conditions. Both it and the Endura GV500 work well in keeping you dry when zipped up properly although I much prefer the hood on the Rab, as you don’t need the helmet to make it work. The pockets are also a bonus, as are the large rear vents but the ease of zipping the GV500 up makes mid-ride adjustments much easier and the cuffs are just that bit tighter. Is the 40,000 HH of the Endura actually noticeable in waterproofing terms? I’ve not found Rab’s 20,000 lacking, so it's hard to make a call there.
If Rab could just tighten up the cuff elastic or add closure tabs, then I think it would be the better jacket. That and finding a way to stop the front zip from catching and it would be getting close to perfect.
As it is, The Rab Cinder Downpour Jacket is a very good jacket hood up or down, just make sure that the front zip is all the way up and that you wear gloves with cuffs in bad weather. The pockets are huge and the rear vents which allow access to your jersey great. Overall I really like the jacket, just watch that front zip.
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