Finding a rain jacket for cycling is a lot harder than it should be, especially if you are a bicycle commuter. Many – if not most – of the cycling rain jackets on the market are designed for road racers, and lack the features and amenities that a commuter needs. They’re also cut with a tight fit for use over cycling jerseys instead of regular clothes and can be very expensive.

You might have tried a regular rain parka from another outdoor manufacturer, but likely found that the hood was too small to fit over the helmet, back coverage wasn’t acceptable when in a cycling body position, and the pockets were useless because they interfere with your arm or torso when cycling.

Enter the Cannondale Metro rain jacket. Made of waterproof, breathable Pack 3 laminate material, this is a dedicated cycling product geared toward everyday riders.

The first thing you will notice about the jacket is . . . the jacket. It’s a bright orange color with reflective striping, so it’s hard to miss. This offers a safety edge when riding in rainy conditions that might impair a motorists vision while driving.

When you put it on, the cut of the jacket is trim, but still allows space for normal clothing underneath. Do be warned that if you’re not wearing breathable under layers, your clothes will likely be damp from perspiration despite the breathable material in the jacket.

The sleeves have velcro closures to seal out the elements, and the arms are long enough to allow you to lean forward and grasp the handle bars without riding up at all. Similarly, the back panel is cut for a cyclist and offers two levels of protection through an extendable rear hem. If you ride in a fairly upright position, the flap can be buttoned up on the inside of the jacket and stowed out of the way. However, if you have a lower, more aggressive stance on the bike, extending the flap provides an additional 4 inches of jacket coverage in the rear.

The zipper is waterproof and offers a storm flap to keep out the elements. Similarly, there are two pockets and two side vents with water-resistant zippers. The pockets are smallish in size, but would easily hold an iPod, a wallet, a spare tube, or something else of that size. The side vents are large and extremely effective while still being positioned to provide significant water coverage. When riding with them open in all but the heaviest rain, I don’t experience any leakage or water infiltration.

The crown jewel of this jacket, though, is the hood. No longer do you have to decide if you want to remove your helmet and ride with a hood, or keep the helmet on and have a wet head. The Metro’s hood is spaciously sized to fit over a helmet and is cut to provide excellent visibility to the sides. If you turn your head to look over your shoulder, the edge of the fabric may partially obstruct your view, but in most cases you will have an unblocked view of your surroundings. When not being used, the hood can be stowed in the collar.

Fit-wise, the Metro accurately follows the Cannondale fit guidelines. I wear a 39 Regular jacket and the Medium is perfectly sized. The jacket is offered in sizes from Extra Small (XS) through Tripple-Extra Large (XXX), and it can be assumed that all run as true to size as the Medium did.

It should be noted that the jacket, while breathable, is not able to keep up with the perspiration at high-levels of activity, though very few products can. When I rode hard on a misty summer day, I was more wet from the accumulated sweat than I would have been from the mist.

The jacket also does not pack down into a small package. It’s fairly large and does not come with a stuff sack or integrated pouch. Because Cannondale needed room to include all of its great features, they were not able to make it a small, packable style jacket. What that means is you probably won’t carry the Metro at all times and will need to specifically remember to take it when it might be needed.

Pricing on the jacket is not low, but it’s also reasonable compared to similar products. The MSRP is $199, though it can be found for significantly less online and at bike shops.

After riding with the Metro jacket for a few months, it has proven to be a durable product. The fabric wears well and shows little sign of use after being worn in heavy rain and stuffed in a bike bag for storage. It has also proven to live up to it’s promise of being a waterproof rain jacket that’s designed for everyday users and commuters.