Rab’s entry into the world of mountain bike jackets tops out with the Cinder Kinetic Waterproof, a pricey yet feature-heavy offering.
At £240 it might not be the cheapest waterproof about, but the Rab Cinder Kinetic’s waterproof moniker belies its other excellent qualities.
Photos by Pete Scullion.
Key features:
- 20 D Proflex™ 3-layer recycled polyester stretch knit face
- PU membrane (118gsm) \DWR \ HH: 10,000 mm \ MVTR: 35000g/m2/24 hrs
- Cycling helmet compatible hood with stiffened peak
- Single handed hood cinch with combined crown and face adjustment
- Roll away hood system
- Single front chest napoleon zipped pocket with YKK® AquaGuard Zip
- 1 YKK® AquaGuard® zipped lumbar pocket with bellowed sides
- YKK® VISLON® centre front zip with fleece lined chin guard
- Extended cuffs with stretch binding
- Dropped rear hem with branded silicone grip helps
- Lightweight single sided rear hem adjustment with anti snag tether
- £240.00 RRP
- Rab.Equipment
Whilst £240 for a riding jacket might well be pushing things into the expensive end of the spectrum, a glance over the spec sheet certainly makes it clear that no stone has been left unturned when it comes to Rab’s Cinder Kinetic Waterproof. The added bonus being that much of the main elements of the jacket are made from recycled materials.
The Cinder Kinetic is made up of Rab’s 20 D Proflex 3-layer recycled polyester stretch knit face material that gives the jacket a stretchy, softshell feel despite the waterproofing and breathability numbers. The PU membrane does the heavy lifting in this regard, with a 10,000mm waterproof rating and a 35,000m2/24hrs breathability. The former isn’t all that impressive, with Rab even marking it as 3/5 on their scales. If you want something for arain storm, you might want to look elsewhere.
Beyond that you’ve a large hood that tightens from a single adjuster, with a stiffened peak to help keep the weather out of your face. Multiple pockets, including a lumbar pocket. The tall chin is fleece lined to stop it wearing away your jaw too. The drop tail sports a silicone gripper to keep it in place.
Fit-wise this was spot on for me. I opted for the XSmall and it is one of the few jackets that just went on without any grumbles. Sizing is available all the way up to XLarge too. The 20 D Proflex material is a delight against the skin and has enough stretch to jam an extra layer under there too.
In light rain or on soaked trails, the combination of the DWR coating and waterproofing does a sold job of keeping the liquid out. Any consistent rain will see the jacket wet out though, so if you’re after something to keep the rain out for the day or multiple days, this might not be the one.
That said, the breathability numbers stand up. I simply haven’t worn a waterproof jacket that gets rid of the sweat better than this one. The jacket has been out for some amount of riding and I don’t think the inside has ever shown even a hint of damp. All the while being a comfortable delight thanks to the feel of the fabric.
What do we think?
The Cinder Kinetic jacket quickly became my go-to jacket for laps of the woods where the ground was invariably wet but the rain wasn’t in its usual western Scotland guise of constant heavy rain. It certainly is not the cheapest jacket but more 90% of the riding I do, it is bang on.
We love:
- All day comfort
- Breathability is through the roof
- Fit your tester like a glove
Could do better:
- It’s anything but cheap
- Some brighter colours wouldn’t go amiss
