I used to be fair weather / daylight only cyclist but have now started going out in the evenings / dark and intend to do so throughout the winter but probably not if it's chucking it down with rain.

I was having a look at jackets as I probably need more visibility as much as anything and had a few queries, the lightweight ones appeal as my thinking was ... if it's windproof I can just put more layers on underneath when it's cold and yet still use without so many layers when it's not so cold.

Will that be warm enough in the winter when peddling reasonably hard or will I really need to go for something that's more specific to winter usage???

Also I see quite a few of them now are blue, do they show up as much / are they "fluorescent" like the more traditional yellow / orange high vis jackets????

If anyone has any recommendations it'd be appreciated as well, I don't want to spend a huge sum of money at the moment as I may get half way into the winter and decide it's not for me after all so more looking at the Seat rather than Rolls Royce end of the range for now.

This is my go to all through the cold months:

Nashbar Derby Softshell Jacket

As you point out I adjust layers underneath as the weather dictates. These days just a jersey does the job. The only problem is over dressing, you can overheat and sweat up a storm if you overdo it.

I have a red and a hi-vis version. They both have reflective elements. The hi vis is the one I lean towards. Many times have observed it grabbing drivers' attention.

Have you considered a vest. I have a safety green wind breaker that I will wear when it gets in the lower 50's. I bought the vest to wear both when it's to warm to wear the wind breaker and when it's to cold. Bought it on the larger side so it would fit over a winter coat if necessary. It is safety green with 2 reflective stripes going vertical. I bought the vest after a driver pull up to me and said if they didn't see the blinking light I would get hit. They said I should get a vest and I broke down and got one. If nothing else I'm visible now.

This might be the year that I too do more outdoor riding even as the temps take the downward trend. I like that the jacket you provided the link to has pockets just like my jerseys do. Do most cycling specific jackets have the pockets. Is that something that most cycling specific jackets have in common? I've not done a whole lot of colder weather cycling, so it's not something I would have noticed with other cyclists.

Yes, cycling jackets usually have pockets. Some have the normal 3 pocket setup, others single back pocket and/or zippered pockets.

A cycling specific jacket will be cut longer in back than in front, so that the coverage is appropriate for a hunched over riding position. Many have pockets, but some don't to keep weight down.

There's two main types of jackets, softshells and hardshells. Softshells are very good, and water resistant. Hardshells typically have poor breathe-ability but are extremely waterproof. Pick what you want based on your local weather.

HiViz Green with wide reflective bands Is my winter jacket/Parka . they dont come from Bike gear Co's, but Carhartt and LaCrosse.

My Pearl Izumi Convertible Jacket works great from 60F down to the mid-30F range. I have a selection of base layers to use with it, and it's a great vest with the sleeves zipped off.

In cold weather, it's easy to overheat on uphills. The jacket has a huge vent across the shoulders, so it has great airflow when the front is unzipped.

The rear pocket is side zipped, designed to hold the sleeves. (it has two side pockets with zippers, too.) I wear a short sleeve jersey under the jacket, and keep my stuff in those pockets.

I reviewed it in this post

Visibility
It has some reflective piping. But I depend on my bright headlight and taillight for long distance visibility.

And a pair of REI Jogalite leg bands are very comfortable and extremely reflective. I think that these make it easy to identify me as a cyclist, and the separation allows the driver to judge how far away I am on the road.

I recommend you either describe the conditions you ride through or tell us where you live. A jacket that's appropriate for people in Florida might not work very well in Alaska.

Cheers for everyone's input and suggestions so far have been looking up the various options and as asked above a good point .... I'm UK based right on the south coast and most of the cycling I'll be doing is relatively flat with a mix of mainly off road tracks and about 30% on roads on a mountain bike doing typically between 15 and 25 miles per time.

Excuse my ignorance but if I don't ask I'll never know the answer but what is soft shell ??? I'm guessing it's a softer outer that may be more breathable but could be well wide of the mark with that???

Softshells aren't appropriate for cycling unless you're going very slow, and not in the rain. They're good for low effort hiking, sitting around in camp, or "around town" use. They're wind and water -resistant but not -proof. They breathe better than something like Goretex but not well enough for aerobic exercise.

From what I've heard Seattle has a similar climate to the UK. We get a lot of drizzle and rain, and winter temps here are chilly but rarely downright cold. What works for me is a good wind breaker (Arc'teryx Accelero) and merino wool under it. On cold days I'll wear a cashmere sweater from the thrift shop as a mid layer for insulation.

Best Slower speed rain gear IMO is a Cycling Rain Cape , They have been used in Your UK for decades ..

Carradice Over there is but one source.

I got the Shimano Storm Jacket late this past winter and wish I'd gotten it earlier. It's waterproof for cool or cold wet riding. It's a little too windproof for comfort on anything but cold dry days -- I end up damp from sweating. But it doesn't take much layering to be comfortable down into the 30s (F). A single long sleeve wicking layer under the jacket is usually enough. Every few weeks Nashbar reduces the price even more so occasionally you can get it for around $30.

It's an outstanding value in a rainproof jacket. Only thing I'd do differently would be to get the mostly hi-vis yellow with the blue sleeves, rather than the other way round. I've noticed on overcast days and near dusk it's much easier to see other cyclists and joggers at a distance in hi-vis yellow. I underestimated that when I chose the mostly blue with hi-vis yellow sleeves.

To be rainproof the zippers are rubber sealed, so they're difficult to handle one-handed while riding. That's another limitation if you're just looking for a cool dry weather jacket.

But on most cool dry days I wear casual jackets. I'm not fast anyway and average about 12 mph so I'm not concerned about skin tight clothing to minimize wind resistance. A lightly quilted wool jacket or something comparable is usually good enough.

I'm a pretty unconventional rider. I ride year round regardless of the weather outside. My suggestion is to look in two places for foul weather gear. Winter ski wear shop is one. Two, the best gear for riding in bad weather can be found in boating/nautical supply stores. Boating stores usually carry bright yellow jackets with matching pants that can be worn on deck in a hurricane.

I've ridden a lot of miles in the dark during the winter.

Get an unlined wind jacket, It allows all the layers underneath to do their jobs properly. Mine has removable sleeves and a big zippered pocket in the back. It is hi-viz yellow.

If you're going to be on the roads after dark, get a road worker's vest, hi-viz yellow with silver reflective strips. This will be very visible in the beam of a vehicle's headlights.

Also, I would suggest at least one tail light like a Cygolite HotShot. They're very visible. Two tail lights would be even better.

I had a head light on the bar (900 lumens [allegedly]) and one on my helmet (250 lumens).

Configured as described above, I never had an issue with vehicles during hundreds of after-dark miles.

Good lightweight cycling jacket for not a lot of money:
Louis Garneau Boreal Jacket -- Performance Exclusive

I was always curious about vests... You hear from some that when it gets cooler, riders put on arm warmers. Yet the vest advocates are obviously inverting the part of the body they want to keep warm. I would think extremities need the insulation moreso than the trunk of the body, but curious to others' thoughts.

What sort of temperatures are we talking about? I have found that for anything down to 15°F, what works best for me is a wool base layer, thermal long sleeved jersey, and a hard shell convertible jacket to stop the wind. Above 30° I take the sleeves off the jacket and wear it as a vest, and above 40° I just remove it entirely

Softshells have their place, normally for when it's either really really cold (single-digits fahrenheit), or you're just pedaling along slowly and not building up any body heat. I made the mistake of pushing a little bit on a 35° morning with the softshell jacket on, and was sweating up a storm 5 miles in.

What I feel is useful information in choosing a jacket:

The best winter cycling jackets | road.cc

You need a surprisingly minimal amount of under layers with a soft shell. My record with one was a -15 Fahrenheit ride into work, and if I recall correctly I wore a thermal undershirt with two summer jerseys over it. Worked fine. You can ride comfortably with just a thermal under layer a lot of the time- or even just a summer jersey.

I have a red jacket that is lightweight ( its actually for lifeguards ) for colder/rain weather. For winter, im not sure what im doing jacket wise but pants im going ski! Ohio weather is CRAZY!

Again all the comments and suggestion have made me think analyse what I really need in more detail ..... I'm not bothered about it being rainproof as if it's miserable I won't be going out anyway so it really is trying to find something that shields from the wind mainly and provides some warmth whilst remaining breathable and providing greater visibility.

Two words: Showers Pass.

If we're both talking about the ELITE Barrier Convertible jacket, then ten thumbs up. Fantastic.

An insulated core is far more important than insulated forearms. I made a mountain descent last winter without a vest (just a lined jersey,) where wind chill would have put the average temperature at 28-29ºF. It actually started to chill my core, and my HR dropped almost 20 beats. I didn't stop shivering for over 30 minutes after getting home. With good windproof gloves and a vest, I can ride in mid-30º temps in short sleeves.

If you're pedaling continually, at at least a moderate pace, you don't need much on your legs to keep them warm. Keep them dry, yes; but don't overinsulate. You may find Ski pants too warm.

I'm comfortable in the low 30's with just long cycling tights, and in single digit temps with tights and mesh lined rain pants, or jeans with mesh lined rain pants.

I suspect you'll find fingers and toes are your winter challenge. Keep them dry, and covered in layers.

If you're faster than a speeding bullet and can jump over buildings in a single bound...