The Van Rysel Showerproof Road Cycling Jacket is designed to be a cost-effective all-weather jacket option from the Decathlon-owned brand.
At £49.99, it's an attractive choice for those on a budget.
While there are some drawbacks, the Van Rysel Showerproof Road Cycling Jacket is a great deal better than its meagre price tag might suggest.
Van Rysel Showerproof Road Cycling Jacket details and specifications
While Van Rysel calls the jacket ‘showerproof’ (likely to manage expectations), it claims it is made using a “waterproof, breathable and stretchy” membrane.
The fabric is said to have an 8,000mm water column rating, which Van Rysel says drops to 5,000mm after five washes, with taped seams on the inside.
The brand says the cut of the jacket is designed to be suitable for a comfortable riding position. In practice, the rear hem is dropped, but the front doesn’t cut too highly by comparison.
The jacket has a zipped front chest pocket, plus a double-zipped rear cargo pocket.
Under the cargo pocket is an extendable flap. This folds up and attaches by Velcro when not in use, but offers extra rear protection when extended.
The front zip is sealed to prevent draughts, and is backed up by an internal flap. A zip garage is included at the neck and waist.
The wrist and waist hems are elasticated and the graphics are reflective to aid visibility.
The jacket is available in navy blue as tested, or ‘Khaki Green’, and in sizes S-2XL.
Van Rysel Showerproof Road Cycling Jacket performance
While the Van Rysel Showerproof Road Cycling Jacket can’t match the best waterproof jackets for performance, it should be regarded in context of its low £49.99 / $89.99 asking price.
That’s less than half the price of the Altura Pocket Rocket and a staggering eight times less (with change) than the Sportful Aqua Pro jacket – the most expensive jacket tested alongside it.
You’d still have to shell out more than four times that price for the cheapest Gore-Tex Active fabric-equipped jacket, the Gore Torrent.
While the Van Rysel jacket feels relatively bulky in its construction – I definitely couldn’t pack it down into a pocket – it keeps showers and bursts of rain off well.
Only when tested with repeated heavy showers does the fabric wet out, but I noticed no ingress through the seams or fabric itself.
Following each wash, there wasn't much performance drop-off, but I always take care to use a technical wash to help maintain a jacket's fabric and DWR (durable water repellent) treatments.
The cuffs allowed a small amount of water to sneak up, but it’s rare that any jacket eradicates this completely.
Breathability is acceptable at this price, but the Van Rysel jacket isn’t necessarily designed for the hard efforts higher breathability helps cater for.
On the one occasion I rode at around my sweetspot intensity, I became damp underneath quite quickly.
Instead, it impresses most as a sturdy outer layer, which you keep on for the length of a steady ride.
The fabric’s bulk (a halfway house between a rain shell and a softshell) lends a greater sense of insulation against the elements than a thinner fabric, while I got away with the limited breathability when I chose to ride within myself.
I never felt the need to use the rear drop flap, but it is certainly an added bonus if you seek extra visibility on your rides.
Given the practicality offered by the pockets, it also strikes me as a great jacket for a regular commute. Especially so, because the front isn’t cut so high that you couldn’t pop it on for a lunch-break excursion.
Van Rysel Showerproof Road Cycling Jacket bottom line
Although those wanting to ride at higher intensities are better off looking elsewhere and will likely need to spend more for a more technically advanced garment, the Van Rysel Showerproof Road Cycling Jacket represents good value for the right rider.
If you want essential protection for steady winter rides, or for the regular commute, without a burning desire for it to be packable, it’s well worth considering.
How we tested | waterproof jackets
Our 2024 cohort of waterproof jackets were tested in the depths of a particularly wet and miserable UK winter period.
Alongside rainy rides, they were also ridden in dry weather to better assess fabric breathability, and were put through several wash cycles to check the initial durability of the DWR treatments.
We used a technical wash fabric for our wash cycles, following brand recommendations.
