Replacement for Gore Bike Wear jacket?

[Thornyone]

About 5 years ago I bought a Gore Bike Wear jacket which has given me brilliant service but is now coming to the end of its life. The only thing I have found less than ideal was the unsnuggable neck, otherwise I’d have given it 6 stars out of 5!

It is yellow and black with full zip and detachable sleeves with adjustable cuffs, and made of a very thin, lightweight and (when newer) smooth, slippy feeling material. It is totally windproof and showerproof but very breathable. The hem drawcord adjustment was hidden inside the zip side pockets. The fit was perfect for me, not the usual somewhat (for me) over-exaggerated cycle-specific high at front, low at back style.

Last year I got a replacement Gore Bike Wear jacket. It is much heavier, lacks hem drawcord and adjustable cuffs, isn’t such a nice fit, and I still tend to don my rather tatty-looking original in preference to it.

Does anyone know of a current jacket which would come closest to my original jacket?

EDIT : Graham : the EDIT button is available to all users

[Thornyone]

Sorry, title should read Gore Bike Wear jacket. Also, I should have added that it has a mesh lining.

[gaz]

"Gore Bike Wear" is the brand, your beloved jacket will have been a particular model. You need to find either the same model or a comparable one.

If you are really fortunate the wash label or similar may include a model number. With a bit of google-fu that could lead to the name, full specifications or even a NOS jacket. The full spec can then be compared to models in the current "Gore Bike Wear" range.

If you have no luck finding the specifications stick your jacket on some kitchen scales and find its weight. Check this against current models which are specified as wind and shower proof. If you can find one with the same features and a similar weight it's likely to be the same material too.

[Gattonero]

Fabric would vary enormously within the same weight, i.e. a thinner fabric may be the same weight due to heavier coating (so likely to be more waterproof but less breathable).
Btw, fitting is a VERY personal thing, there's no substitute for buying from a shop unless you're ready for a long sequence of online shopping&returns

[Thornyone]

Thanks. There seems to be no Gore Bike Wear exact equivalent now, so what I’m hoping is that someone might know of something current which is similarly specced to the old one I describe (label of which is now faded to oblivion). As for local bike shops, I don't find them a great deal of use (even though there are a fair number in my city).

PS thanks for the tip on editing posts: I have now identified the edit button

[Des49]

Hope you got sorted and found an equivalent to your original. It can be difficult to find a jacket that suits us well and then annoying when a replacement cannot be sourced.

I seem to have a similar problem, my Gore jacket has been excellent but is getting a bit baggy, zip cannot be started often and it is a bit too water absorbent.

After searching my email archive I finally found that I purchased in Oct 2014 a "Gore Bike Wear Xenon 2.0 Windstopper Softshell Jacket Neon Yellow Large", so that was all clear and I knew exactly what it was in Gore's extremely confusing range.

However this also seems to have ceased production and I cannot see a direct replacement.

Pretty frustrating.

[Thornyone]

Hope you got sorted and found an equivalent to your original. It can be difficult to find a jacket that suits us well and then annoying when a replacement cannot be sourced.

I seem to have a similar problem, my Gore jacket has been excellent but is getting a bit baggy, zip cannot be started often and it is a bit too water absorbent.

After searching my email archive I finally found that I purchased in Oct 2014 a "Gore Bike Wear Xenon 2.0 Windstopper Softshell Jacket Neon Yellow Large", so that was all clear and I knew exactly what it was in Gore's extremely confusing range.

However this also seems to have ceased production and I cannot see a direct replacement.

Pretty frustrating.

Thanks for this. What you describe sounds very much like my jacket, even the colour. I’m still looking and would be very interested to hear if you do find a reasonable replacement. Incidentally, one of the most annoying things I find is the current craze for black clothing with reflective properties, which might be fine for being seen in the dark when illuminated by headlights, but is much less useful for being seen in conditions when some motorists may not yet have put lights on (which in my experience can often mean pretty poor light).

[Des49]

This is the jacket I have:-

http://www.wiggle.com/gore-bike-wear-xe ... ll-jacket/

It may be similar to what you have, except for the zip off sleeves.

There are some alternatives suggested as below, some of which do have zipped sleeves:-

Some other alternatives may be found in the Castelli jackets. They seem to use similar materials, I only have experience of the Castelli Perfetto jacket (no zipped sleeves for you). It is one of my favourites, sleek fitting and very good for fast training rides, but less suitable for general usage as it has no zipped pocket and is lighter weight and not so warm. Also the alleged water repellent coating doesn't last long and dubious from the start.

I also have a dislike for black jackets from a safety point of view. The yellow Gore Xenon I have is bright (though does have a black panel in the centre of the back) and a few useful reflective areas on it which have lasted well. I prefer this jacket for night and poor weather usage, if I need it my waterproof is also yellow.

[amediasatex]

Id' second seeing if you can find the exact model you bought, it's possible you might find a shop or seller on eBay with old stock of the exact jacket you want. I've been in this position numerous times before and normally managed to find what I want once I actually know what model it is. Also worth buying two if you really really like an item

Even if your local shops are a bit lacking it's worth going in as you can get a feel for different models and manufacturers ideas of fit, and you never know you might find a member of staff that can suggest something that they don't stock but can order if they have first hand experience and know what it is you're after.

FWIW, there's a lot of anecdotal evidence, and a few actual decent studies indicating that the high-vis/bright colours have more effect when on the lower half of the body or extremities, especially bits than move up and down, ie: feet and legs.

The effect being that it helps to identify you as 'not scenery' as the motion pattern is not something that occurs naturally, where as even bright greens and reds can be lost against background vegetation and urban scenery, especially if moving in a mostly horizontal gliding fashion, it's very easy for the eye to saccade over them when scanning against other traffic. For example a person wearing black but with bright shoes/lower legs, gloves and hat or helmet can be much more visible than someone wearing a normal high vis top, as they are more identifiable as the movements catch the eye more and the contrast also helps to aid visibility.

A mix of bright, dark and reflective is ideal as the reflective works when lit, bright moving bits going up and down identify you instantly as 'person not scenery' and the border between dark and light also adds contrast which helps visibility more than colour alone.

[Thornyone]

This is the jacket I have:-

http://www.wiggle.com/gore-bike-wear-xe ... ll-jacket/

It may be similar to what you have, except for the zip off sleeves.

There are some alternatives suggested as below, some of which do have zipped sleeves:-

Screen Shot 2018-02-09 at 09.08.45.png

Some other alternatives may be found in the Castelli jackets. They seem to use similar materials, I only have experience of the Castelli Perfetto jacket (no zipped sleeves for you). It is one of my favourites, sleek fitting and very good for fast training rides, but less suitable for general usage as it has no zipped pocket and is lighter weight and not so warm. Also the alleged water repellent coating doesn't last long and dubious from the start.

I also have a dislike for black jackets from a safety point of view. The yellow Gore Xenon I have is bright (though does have a black panel in the centre of the back) and a few useful reflective areas on it which have lasted well. I prefer this jacket for night and poor weather usage, if I need it my waterproof is also yellow.

Thanks for this. Your mention of checking email brought to mind that I probably got the jacket from Amazon, because I got it with a retirement-present gift voucher. I was amazed to find it in my account history. It was a Gore Bike Wear Men's Countdown 2.0 As Zo Jacket - Lemon/Black, Large.
I am not too concerned about potential chilliness of the jacket you mention, because I normally wear a long-sleeved Sub Zero top with high neck together with either a thermal “T” shirt or a very thin fleece over it, depending on temperature. I’m not so worried about lack of detachable sleeves, which only tended to get taken off when a frosty May morning turned into a warm day and if I hadn’t got my gilet with me to change into. One thing I hate though, is flappy sleeves. I once had a Pace jacket, very nice except that in a wind it could have served as a sail for the Cutty Sark!

[Thornyone]

Id' second seeing if you can find the exact model you bought, it's possible you might find a shop or seller on eBay with old stock of the exact jacket you want. I've been in this position numerous times before and normally managed to find what I want once I actually know what model it is. Also worth buying two if you really really like an item

Even if your local shops are a bit lacking it's worth going in as you can get a feel for different models and manufacturers ideas of fit, and you never know you might find a member of staff that can suggest something that they don't stock but can order if they have first hand experience and know what it is you're after.

FWIW, there's a lot of anecdotal evidence, and a few actual decent studies indicating that the high-vis/bright colours have more effect when on the lower half of the body or extremities, especially bits than move up and down, ie: feet and legs.

The effect being that it helps to identify you as 'not scenery' as the motion pattern is not something that occurs naturally, where as even bright greens and reds can be lost against background vegetation and urban scenery, especially if moving in a mostly horizontal gliding fashion, it's very easy for the eye to saccade over them when scanning against other traffic. For example a person wearing black but with bright shoes/lower legs, gloves and hat or helmet can be much more visible than someone wearing a normal high vis top, as they are more identifiable as the movements catch the eye more and the contrast also helps to aid visibility.

A mix of bright, dark and reflective is ideal as the reflective works when lit, bright moving bits going up and down identify you instantly as 'person not scenery' and the border between dark and light also adds contrast which helps visibility more than colour alone.

Thanks. Having now identified the precise model, I seem to be drawing a blank. I did find something promising on Wiggle until I saw the usual “currently unavailable”.
Re visibility, I take your point. I actually tend to use flashing LED’s in poor light for this reason, but it still seems to add to one’s “visibility armoury” if one also wears a reasonably bright top. I seem to notice brightly clothed road workers (and cyclists) more than darkly-clad ones (though I would agree that I would probably especially notice brightly clothed moving legs).

[mapman]

Not the exact jacket, but I have a Gore Phantom jacket, well 2 actually. Light weight windproof front and sleeves and a more breathable back. Zip off sleeves and not at all baggy. Brilliant spring autumn kit but too thin for winter. Loads eBay and Evans has them on offer right now.

Good luck

[Thornyone]

Not the exact jacket, but I have a Gore Phantom jacket, well 2 actually. Light weight windproof front and sleeves and a more breathable back. Zip off sleeves and not at all baggy. Brilliant spring autumn kit but too thin for winter. Loads eBay and Evans has them on offer right now.

Good luck

Thanks, this sounds promising, I’ll look into it