Pedal Ed Hikari Reflective Shell jacket review

Pedal Ed has covered the Hikari jacket with reflective dashes to help keep you visible

Cycling Weekly Verdict

The Pedal Ed Hikari Reflective Shell jacket is properly waterproof and uninsulated, so it will cope with wet rides whatever the temperature. And there are loads of reflectives, upping your safety on the road. But it’s not very packable and tends to rustle. There are premium waterproof jackets that work better.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Lots of reflective elements

  • +

    Very waterproof

  • +

    Rear mesh pockets

  • +

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Expensive

  • -

    Not very packable

  • -

    Rustles

  • -

Why you can trust Cycling Weekly Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

With signs of spring around the corner now, it’s a chance to put away that heavy winter jacket – and swap it for a waterproof one. The Pedal Ed Hikari Reflective Shell jacket fits the bill nicely.

Uninsulated, it comes with fully internally taped seams and is made of a highly waterproof breathable fabric. Pedal Ed says that the Hikari Reflective Shell jacket has been used in both the Transcontinental Race and the Silk Road Mountain Race – so considerably more extreme than my meanderings around the Chilterns.

>>> Buy now from Condor for £236 (opens in new tab)

Pedal Ed has also made sure that you’ll be seen – something that I’m all in favour of. If you’re going to be riding around in the rain and possibly in the dark or low light, it seems a really good idea to up your visibility. The Pedal Ed Hikari Reflective Shell jacket comes either in grey – not so visible – or red – better. But it’s printed with extensive reflective dashes to up your road profile.

Hikari

Rear of the Hikari jacket is also heavily covered with reflectives

These extend over the chest, the upper arms and the lower back, right down to the bottom hem. There are even reflectives on the inside of the rear pockets, which are made of mesh, so that they can be seen though them – unless you’ve loaded them up with kit, that is.

Like many fully rain resistant shell jackets, there’s a distinct rustle to the Hikari Reflective Shell jacket from its slightly stiff fabric. It also doesn’t quite pack down enough to fit comfortably in a jersey pocket, so you either need to wear it all ride or carry some baggage to stow it in. There are other jackets at this premium price point, like the Gore Shakedry, that handle both of these problems better than Pedal Ed’s Hikari Reflective Shell jacket.

But if you’re after a premium waterproof jacket with lots of visibility, the Pedal Ed Hikari Reflective Shell jacket is one to put on your shortlist.

Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Paul Norman

Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.

He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.