Rockrider ST 700 Rain Jacket review: £70 brilliance

Like the recess to go over the visor and keep the hood in place, clever idea.
However in 2020 I bought an Altura Cyclone Night Vision jacket for £50 (RRP £100) in a CRC sale and it’s spec is far better than the Rockrider jacket (e.g. waterproof to 15000mm) and it could be a while before I need a replacement.
Still on sale at Cyclestore for £65 or the women’s version at CRC is £40-45, a bargain!

unless that hood is detachable I’m out, it just acts as an air brake

Wow a decent waterproof jacket I might actually be able to afford !

You never really seemed to get onto the waterproofing and breathability despite saying you’d get onto the waterproofing and breathability?

Does the hood stow away? I don’t like hoods on riding jackets, but, I think we can all agree that even if you like hoods, jackets that dont’ have a hood pocket or strap or whatever to snug it away are absolute bullshit.

I bought one of these 2 days ago, haven’t had chance to try it properly on a ride yet.
I can confirm the hood is a work of genius. It’s huge but has plenty of adjustment to snug it down to fit over a helmet snuggly. The pocket for the helmet peak is brilliant.
And yes, there is a strap to hold the hood in place when folded down.

I bought one of these 2 days ago, haven’t had chance to try it properly on a ride yet.

Is that because you don’t live in the UK, or just don’t ride? 😉

^ wot he sed

What is the lowest number to be classed as waterproof? Higher numbers sound great but my limited personal experience is they are all boil-in-the-bag and all they do is extend the time before you get properly sweaty…

Nice colour. I had some Rockrider shorts that were really good also.

The jacket tested (not the one linked by northcountryboy) has a RET score of 12 according to the Decathlon website. Without going into too much detail RET is an iso accredited way of measuring breathability. A RET 12 rating is ok, it’s on par with what you would expect from most outdoor and cycle brands non-branded membrane waterproof jackets. It’s not as good as any of the branded membranes (Gore, NeoShell, etc) though.

What is weird though is the relatively low hydrostatic head rating of 5,000mm. I say low, what I mean is in comparison to stated HH’s from other brands. Most ‘sporty’ waterproofs will have a HH of 10,000mm and over, although if I remember right 1,500mm of HH will be waterproof in rain. The higher HH in waterproof clothing is to make sure in high wind, high rain, higher pressure (e.g. when under a pack) that the fabric doesn’t get overwhelmed. The 5,000mm HH is weird in that you would normally expect a better RET rating from a fabric with only 5,000mm HH.

jimthesaint
Full Member

What is weird though is the relatively low hydrostatic head rating of 5,000mm. I say low, what I mean is in comparison to stated HH’s from other brands.

How much of that is because of stated hh being a load of horseshit most of the time? Or kinder to say unrepresentative, maybe. The lab performance of a single layer of the material isn’t that relevant once you knock it into a garment, and then you get the outright bullshittery of quoting the most breathable parts and ignoring things like reinforcements (like, almost all waterproof trousers have parts that are far less breathable, but marketing fluff will happily have “reinforced cordura bum and leg panels to prevent wear” right beside “30000mm”

The jacket that has kept me driest in heavy rain had zero hydrostatic head

Breathability is high on my list of requirements for a jacket. I’ve never had a jacket that isn’t as wet inside as outside (and not from water coming through) at the end of a ride even if that ride is only a five mile commute. There’s no point having a high hydrostatic rating for rain if you end up soaked in sweat and at this price I’m tempted to try it. I also like the fact you can actually tumble dry it, which if you use it regularly is great. You can have a dry jacket to go out in even if the day before it got soaked, without having it on radiators. Tumble drying is also supposed to re-enable any waterproofing rather than having to use sprays (though you can use those too). Thanks for the honest review Ben. Any recommendations for non sweaty waterproof jackets for hot weather in a similar price range?

I bought one and sent it back as Mrs Zip said it made me look like a sainsburys delivery driver.

It’s gone on to a new owner who got a massive bargain!

Yes he did, thanks chiefgrooveguru 👍 It certainly is a weird cut, big on the chest, slim at the waist, long arms. Quite a heavy jacket, certainly too thick for the warmer months, but it’ll do just fine.

How does the hood work if you aren’t wearing a helmet? Seems to just flop over my eyes if I’m not on my bike which isn’t ideal.

that’s going to depend on the cinching strategy (!).  I’ve got a Revolution Race jacket (for skiing) that supposedly has a helmet compatible hood (I think my neck is too long for these to ever really work).  But it’s got 2 cinches on it which mean you can shrink it to fit without.  K has a tiny head and hoods normally overwhelm her but she has the same jacket and can use without a helmet as well.