The Albion Zoa Rain Shell is my go to waterproof jacket, and not just for cycling either

Another rainy January day rolls through, so we may as well go through the highs and lows of another jacket from our group test of the best waterproof cycling jackets. Yesterday we bought you the Endura GV500 waterproof jacket review, and today it’s another gravelly option in the form of the Albion Zoa Rain Shell. 

It’s definitely not your classic road rain cape that’s for sure, and in many ways, it feels more like a traditional hiking waterproof modified for use as a cycling jacket, but given the choice of all the jackets I have on test this is the one I want to reach for most when I’m not riding on the road. It’s also the jacket I reach for to tackle hiking duties too, over and above my North Face Gore-Tex Pro shell, for day hiking at any rate. 

Still, you didn’t come here to read a review for a hiking jacket, did you? I’ve had the Zoa out and about on the bike in Cornwall in the rain, and also in the Lake District, also in the rain but in far colder temperatures. Why, then, is it my go-to? Who does it get to live on the hook by the door while the others live in the big box with “WATERPROOFS” scrawled on in sharpie?

Design and aesthetics

This is a baggy jacket, that’s the first thing to note. If you want an aerodynamic, race-ready jacket then this likely isn’t going to be the waterproof of choice. I’ve been wearing a medium, and while I could well have probably gone down to a small I’m glad that I didn’t, for reasons we’ll get into later. It fits me well in the shoulders and is the right length. 

It doesn’t really have the traditional dropped tail that you see in most cycling waterproof jackets. The rear is definitely lower, but only by a little bit. Up top is a roomy hood with room for even the most bulbous of POC helmets, but importantly it has a wired, stiff peak, and two cinch tabs are sewn within the hood, meaning it can be used without a helmet. This is key to the jacket's versatility; it means you can realistically use it off the bike too. Or on the bike, but without a helmet (horror of horrors).

The main zip is waterproof and double-ended, so you can unzip the bottom to access pockets or add a little cooling breeze around your tum. It’s also useful, given the baggy cut, to undo it a little from the bottom if you’re spending a long time in the drops; it just stops the front bunching so much. 

The two side pockets are roomy, and both feature waterproof double-ended zips too. In all honesty, having a double-ended pocket zip wasn’t overly useful and tended to add confusion rather than versatility. Albion states that the pockets, with their mesh inners, create a flexible venting system. Yes, in theory, you can open the pockets and let air in to cool you off. This falls down slightly if you’ve got things in the pockets that you want to remain in situ.

The cuffs too are a neat design, utilising more of a dart than the classic cuff tab. It certainly works, but my main issue is that I couldn’t cinch them up tight enough, and when left undone to get some cooling air over my wrists the loose tab flaps about. I rarely wear gloves, even in the rain, and have dainty wrists. A bigger strip of Velcro hooks would solve this whenever the update comes to the jacket.

I have had both the orange version and the black with an orange hood (one was a tester for a previous publication. I prefer the black and orange; it looks more technical, and yes, the giant PERTEX wordmark down the right forearm is a little brash, but it makes me feel like I’m heading out to scale the north face of the Eiger when I’m actually just nipping out for some milk. I think it’s a great-looking jacket, the hood contrast really pops, though the plain black is a little dull for my tastes. The outer fabric is very soft to the touch though, and with the orange version, I found it picks up stains very easily. Given the care you need to take washing waterproof fabrics, these become more like tattoos, especially if it’s something like rancid chain oil.

Speaking of waterproof fabrics the Albion Zoa utilises Pertex Shield Air waterproof membrane. To spare you the marketing spiel, beyond that it “uses an air permeable nanofibre membrane”, it works in essentially the same way as every other waterproof fabric. If you want a primer on how waterproof fabrics work we've got you covered.

Within the Pertex Shield range it’s effectively the brand’s version of Gore-Tex Active, designed for high-output activities. There's an increase in breathability, and a concurrent sacrifice in terms of the hydrostatic head. Pertex doesn’t give these figures, or at least not that I could find, so you’ll have to go off my more woolly descriptions.

One interesting thing that separates the Pertex waterproof fabric marketing from others is that it’s sold as “quiet”. An odd thing to say, right? Until you put it on, as I’ve done back to back against something like the Endura GV500, it’s difficult to see what they’re getting at, but the three layers of fabric laminated together are brilliantly flexible and nearly entirely free from the rustle and the hiss you get when arm rubs against the torso.

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Performance

Given that I’ve outed this as my favourite waterproof jacket, it’d be a safe bet to assume it performs well, beyond just being relatively well-designed. After riding a lot of much more close-fitting waterproof jackets it took a while for me to come around to the Zoa Rain Shell, but a combination of a couple of factors has won me around.

Firstly is the protection it offers. Whatever the hydrostatic head for the Pertex Shield Air is, I suspect it’s there or thereabouts with Gore-Tex Active, which is the perennial standard for high-output waterproof garments. I’d have no second thoughts about going out in it in the absolute worst conditions for extended periods of time. If I was going on a multi-day trip and the forecast was grim this would be my jacket of choice. It’s not going to be as waterproof as Gore-Tex Pro, but very few waterproof cycling jackets utilise this option because it’s not breathable enough (the 7Mesh Revelation is the only one that springs to mind).

For normal bad weather and even extreme use while cycling, there aren’t many scenarios I can think of where the Zoa wouldn’t be a capable companion. I’ve used it in protracted rain, and as a protective outer layer in temperatures as low as -15 Celsius, and I’d do it again. It easily accommodates a lot of layering underneath, which opens up the lower temperature ranges normally covered by the best winter cycling jackets.

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Aside from the protection, the breathability is excellent. Up there with the best. It’s not quite up there with Shakedry, but a Shakedry jacket for gravel, expeditions, or mountain biking? No thanks, too flimsy; everything is a compromise when the weather turns bad I’m afraid. The pockets and cuffs do work well to encourage airflow, but I rarely felt the need to call on them. If things heat up, the rain abates for a short time, or I decide to actually put some effort in, little more is usually required than opening the face box up.

The breathability to me forms a bigger part of what is perhaps the biggest selling point for the Zoa; comfort. It’s breathable, yes, and part of that is down to the fit I suspect. Given that it’s baggier than you’d traditionally get on a cycling jacket when you open up the face box your body movements create a bellows effect which expels the air upward. More than that, the more roomy fit is just comfortable in itself, and while a too-big jacket would ordinarily drive me mad flapping in the wind, the fabric here is refreshingly quiet. The comfort factor is also why I believe it would make such an excellent expedition companion.

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Value

A price tag of £260 is expensive for a waterproof cycling jacket. The thing is though, this isn’t a waterproof cycling jacket. It’s just a waterproof jacket, and it happens to be great to wear while riding a bike. 

There comes a point of diminishing returns with all purchases, and for some, like the £450 POC Supreme Jacket, you actually get a lot less for a lot more money because of an increase in specialisation. Here, then, you have a reasonably expensive waterproof jacket, but it’s one that will stand you in good stead for cycling, as well as hiking, general use, and I’d wager climbing too given its hood is helmet compatible. I don’t see any other waterproof jackets from cycling brands offering this level of versatility, and for that reason, I do think the Albion Zoa represents good value for money. 

If I had to have one waterproof jacket to do everything, and this is far from an inconceivable scenario, I’d choose the Zoa Rain Shell. This may be a slight stretch but in my eyes, it’s the wearable counterpart to my Fairlight Secan gravel bike, in that it does most things very well.

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Verdict 

Not a race jacket, unless your idea of racing is something like the GBDuro, but an excellent companion for wet, windy, and cold days on the bike and off it too. It’ll get you to the top of the climb in a downpour, and keep you comfortable enough to enjoy the view for a little while too. It’s expensive, but viewed in the context of what else it adds I think it’s a really canny purchase for riders who have outdoor interests beyond cycling.