The Race Face Felony jacket has bags of style, and works best as a general jacket that can be used for gentle riding, bimbling about town on your bike, and post-ride layering. 

If you are looking for a jacket to keep the chill off around town, on autumn days and cool (not cold) evenings, then this does it with style.

The Felony jacket has a longer cut at the back, which I found was a great length for keeping my lower back covered and therefore avoiding cold drafts in that area. Although from a cycling clothing brand, and despite the longer cut at the back, I’m not sure whether this jacket is intended for riding in – if it is, I’d say it’s best suited to short jaunts rather than day long epics.

An elasticated waist panel at the rear cinches the jacket in a little, giving it a feminine cut but without constriction; which meant I had plenty of room to accommodate extra clothing layers, extra helpings of dinner, etc.

This is handy because although this jacket is great in cool weather, it does need another layer underneath when it starts to get really cold. I also found that it does let in a cold breeze through the fabric – again, popping on another layer would help with this.

The black melange colour is brightened up by flashes of red on the zip pulls and the button fastening on the collar.

The size medium test jacket fitted comfortably with room to spare on my size 12 frame. I’d say the medium equates to a 12 – 14, but if you a size 14 and planning on wearing layers underneath, go up a size.

The snug hood is not removable, and fitted nicely over my head and face, with plenty of room to accommodate my ponytail. Combined with the high neckline, it keeps the majority of the wind from blowing inside, maintaining a nice comfy temperature.

There are no side toggles on the hood for adjusting the about-face fit, but a rear toggle adjusts the about-head fit, meaning you can pull the sides back a little and giving you better peripheral vision. Personally I didn’t bother with this, as I liked the way hood fitted as it was.

Two fleece-lined pockets at each side of the jacket are big enough to pop your hands in to keep them out of the cold, and keep them snug and warm. As the weathers gotten colder, I’ve found myself using them like this more and more. Zip closures ensure whatever you stow stays secure, and the left pocket has a cable port if you want to run headphones up from your phone or iPod inside the jacket.

You can barely spot the full-length front zip when the jacket is done up, as it almost disappears into the fabric due to clever design elements. The zip pull itself is a durable cord hoop, perfect for accessing easily if your fingers are encased in gloves or just a bit cold.

The zip garage at the top wasn’t a full fold-over type. Instead, the back of the zip has an extra fleece lined flap to prevent it rubbing on the skin of the neck, which worked fine – I didn’t experience any rubbing or chafing.

One of the nicest features of this jacket both in terms of use and design is the high neckline. Zipped up fully, it covered my neck to just below the chin and sat snugly underneath, with no chafing. There is then an additional flap that secures in a cute oversized red button with a popper fastening to the left.

In practice, this wasn’t quite as easy to do up as I’d like – maybe a magnet fastening would be better – so I didn’t bother with it all the time. This meant it hung loose, which wasn’t a problem and didn’t get in the way. It did look very cool when it was done up though, and I got plenty of comments and compliments while wearing it.

The jacket is made from a two-layer fabric. The inside layer is a lovely cosy lightweight fleece, which has a slight check pattern to it. The outer layer is a smooth fabric, which although polyester feels soft and almost cotton-y to touch.  The layers are bonded together to form an insulating layer that provides some protection from the autumn weather.

The jacket isn’t waterproof or windproof, although it is DWR treated which gives it some degree of water-resistance. This is not a jacket for wearing in inclement weather, but does work well as a lightweight but effective layer for dry autumn days.

Verdict

A cosy jacket with bags of style that’s perfect for keeping the chill off pedalling round town, or wrapping up in post-ride. It’s pretty pricy for a jacket that’s not performance wear, but if you’re looking for a multi-purpose jacket to wear on and off the bike this autumn, and pop on post-ride, then it’s a good looking option

Pros

–       Warm versatile jacket
–       Stylish design elements

Cons

–       Expensive
–       Popper button fastening a bit fiddly

Price: RRP £99.95 (£89.99 at Chain Reaction Cycles)
Sizes: S, M, L, XL
More information: Race Face http://www.raceface.com/apparel/womens-collection/outerwear/womens-felony/
Available from: Silverfish, Chain Reaction Cycles

Interested in seeing some other Race Face items? Check out our First Impressions of their 2013 MTB gear, and our reviews of the Khyber Shorts and Khyber Jersey.

What Race Face say about the Felony Jacket:

– 2-ply, soft hand Polyester fabric with Melange finish. Outer layer is DWR treated and bonded to soft check-fleece inner layer.
– Attached Hood
– High collar with check-fleece lined zipper garage – Provides comfort and protection from the elements.
– Wrap around collar with over-sized snap closure for added wind protection and feminine styling.
– Seamed back and elastic waistband offer slightly tailored feminine fit while a slight drop back keeps the bottom warm on chilly days.
– Front Hand-warmer pockets feature an internal media pocket (right side) to keep your MP3 player, iPhone, or other valuables secure and dry.