Depending on the weather (how cold is the air? is it raining? is it winding?) I either wear a Beta AR goretex hard shell, or an Accelero wind breaker, both by Arc'teryx. These are the same jackets I use hiking, kayaking, and so on. They work beautifully well and fit like gloves. I love them both.

But your outermost layer is less important than the rest of what you're wearing. With a merino (wool) base layer next to your skin, and whatever insulating layer(s) work for you, just about any jacket will be perfect. Cashmere is the ideal mid layer for cycling. Tight, form-fitting clothes are warmer than loose ones.

That drizzly wet weather you mention is supposed to return on Christmas.

I see that it's coming.

My commute is short enough (four easy miles) that I don't have to shower and change when I get to work. I ride in my office wear with either a sweater or a hoodie under my outerwear.

I wear my work clothes on the bike, too. My commute is about five miles, and hilly, but I take it slow on the way in. Something like this under a sweater, and I look and feel like I drove in:



It's a bit silly looking, but unless I take the sweater off, nobody can tell I'm sitting at my desk in a base layer. What matters (to me) is that it's wool, so if I do break a sweat, I don't feel it. And, if I start sweating and then get a flat, I won't get extremely cold.

These Nau jackets all look pretty sharp. Does anyone here have experience with this brand?

https://www.nau.com/mens/categories/jackets/

Not that you need to ride in it in any way, but - you've heard of studded tires, right?

Yes, I know that they exist. But it freezes so rarely here that I can ride almost the entire winter without having to use a set of squishy specialty ice tires. I'd just rather ride the bus when it gets that cold, anyway.

I would suggest the North Face jacket and the Hillside vest in combo on cool and rainy days, and either one or the other on the remaining commuting days.



- Slim

PS.

You're welcome!

Please forgo the plastic junk. Wool! Wool! Wool!

Just buy a nice wool sweater at the local thrift store. Retains its warmth even when wet. I switched last year and can't believe the performance. Wore it and other base wool down to 8 degrees, in snow, rain, wind, etc. Breathes well but keeps you warm.

Sorry, didn't see that you wanted to have something to wear over your business clothes. If so, may check out Brooks. I remember seeing that they have a very nice riding jacket.

This has been my go-to jacket for the past three seasons (year-round with extra layers): https://shop.craftsports.us/sports/bike/bike-rain-jacket.html