Altura make some great kit at accessible prices, and the Ridge Pertex mountain bike jacket is packed with features… but where does it sit amongst the best jackets for mountain biking?

As the name suggests the Altura Ridge mountain bike jacket is made using a branded Pertex Shield 2.5-layer fabric. This is built using a polyester face fabric, which gets a rip-stop construction and DWR (durable water-repellent) treatment, over the breathable and waterproof membrane with some lightweight shielding on the inside. 

All the seams are fully taped and there’s a waterproof zip with a stiffened internal storm flap and zip gutter. It also gets an elasticated hem and an over-helmet hood, which can be adjusted via two small pull toggles.

The hood shape is identical to the Madison Roam jacket, and while it’s better fitting, the toggles come undone too easily – they pulled through even when turning our head.

Altura includes two absolutely massive side pockets with this jacket, and you can easily cram a full OS map in one. The downside is they add a secondary layer across the whole front of the jacket, making it run pretty hot.

To increase air flow, there are several cutaways under the arms, but they’re not adjustable and not as effective as the vents on the Endura or Rapha jackets. We really liked the capped sleeves and adjustable cuffs, and the jacket is also elbow pad friendly. 

When it was box fresh, water runoff was as good as any here, but it has degraded slightly after washing and it’s also less effective on the back of the jacket, which uses a different material. The Pertex material has good waterproofness, but the jacket is not that breathable, so you really need to regulate the temperature with careful layering. 

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