The first in the long-anticipated Mavic clothing range, the Creek is a pricey high-end jacket crammed full of features. Its bonded seams and Gore-Tex construction keep you bone dry. The cut is snug too, so when the wind picks up you get minimal drag and there’s less chance of snagging it. Be prepared to go up a size to get the best fit though.
The hood is peaked and removable and the back is expandable so you can wear your hydration pack underneath it. There’s even tidy routing for the tube. The dowside is that you have to take your coat off in order to get at your pack.
One of the neatest features is Mavic’s XL Vent. Basically, it’s got two zips – the first fastens the jacket with a breathable micro-mesh flap while the second closes this to seal it regularly. The result is perfect for sweaty trail riding and combined with the under-arm vents it keeps things cool yet dry.
This is ‘just’ a shell, but if you want a top-of-the-line outer layer, you’ll be hard-pushed to find better than this.