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Joe Rocket jacket

3K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  vindex1963 
#1 ·
I've been wanting a new jacket and not a leather one. I went to Cycle Gear today and tried some on and have pretty much decided on this one. It’s a good fit with ventilation, removable
liner and shoulder and elbow armor.

Comments, suggestions or alternatives welcome.
Rocket Atomic 4.0 waterproof.

http://www.joerocket.com/catalog/index.cfm/236/434/Textile_Jackets/Atomic_4.0_[waterproof]
 
#4 ·
I found this review over on revzilla intersting. This guy tested it in a crash.

"Bought this jacket because I couldn't afford leather and this one was within my budget and fit my aesthetic tastes. Jacket included a thermal liner which was very nice and comfortable. Worked very well at keeping me warm, rode with it in temps as low as high 40's and low 50's and I was comfortable. Vents on the chest and bicep areas gave a decent bit of flow but I never rode it in temps above the mid 80's. I honestly feel that I'd probably be begging for a mesh jacket had I been wearing it all summer long. On the other hand, it's waterproof (which I never tested anyway) so it's a trade-off for the lack of flow. The zippers on the jacket were not of the best quality. The first one came out of the box with a busted zipper, the replacement had issues with the "teeth" separating some times when I'd zip it up. The thermal liner went in via a zipper than up one side, across the shoulder/neck area, and back down to the other side. Installation was cumbersome, routinely the zipper would catch on some wrinkled, bunched up fabric and I'd have to work to back up the zipper to get it unstuck.

The fit was good and the jacket itself was comfortable and never felt too bulky even with the thermal liner included. It came with your typical foam backpad which was actually thicker than I had expected. It was stiff though but there was enough flexibility that it would conform to my back a bit when tucking. Jacket included removable CE rated armor in the shoulders and elbows. Jacket also had a couple of interior pockets as well; also had belt loops which I used when I took a quick ride with jeans on. Why Joe Rocket didn't make the large white stripes out of reflective material is beyond me, the only reflective material is a small pipe along the rear of the jacket between the shoulder blades, the jacket could've benefited from a bit more reflective parts.

I did have the unfortunate opportunity to field test the jacket in a low-side at around 35-40mph. The armor did its job and held up fine with some scuffs. I must add though, I was only on pavement for about a half second before sliding into a ditch, and even then the only thing to hit the pavement was my hand. I seriously doubt the jacket would've held up as well had I been on asphalt for the duration of my off-bike tumble. The front of the jacket tore through in multiple places and this was just with sliding/tumbling through grass. The tears are on the right side, just next to the pocket zipper, and on the left side closer to the main zipper. The end result is that where the non-impact areas were torn, I was left with zero functional pockets. They'd been torn through so that none of them could hold anything. (hard to see in the included photo, but the tears are there) The most important thing was that it protected me when I needed it, but the little annoyances along with knowing how easily it tore through really put me off with this jacket to the point I couldn't recommend it. I would definitely say to save up a bit more money and get a better jacket."
 
#6 ·
I have essentialy the same jacket just a few years older and am happy with it. The venting is effective and the jacket seems to shed a good amount of the rain when I've been caught out. The liner gives decent warmth for the gap between the mesh coat or no coat weather,and the full leather coat and chaps weather. I have not ( knock on wood ) gone down with this jacket so can not testify to its crash durability. You get what you pay for as they say. I wouldn't buy $10 glasses and follow a gravel truck nor would I bang through the twisties with a lower end jacket. For the riding I do I feel it is a good middle ground.
 
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