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On Test: Gore cold and wet weather clothing, January 29, 2008
Technology and tailoring
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Gore is most famous worldwide for its eponymous Gore-Tex and Gore Windstopper technical fabrics which arguably set the industry standard for outdoor clothing, but the company also offers its own range of cycling clothing. Cyclingnews' Ben Atkins puts a considerable collection of its cold and wet weather cycling gear to the test.
[We've already introduced the technical details of these items in our New Arrivals section last month so let's just cut to the chase, shall we?]
Gore's market presence in North America may still be in its early phases but the German company boasts a strong foothold and years of experience in its European home arena. As a result, we weren't entirely surprised to find that our various test articles from Gore's range-topping Xenon line performed extremely well overall and most niggles were minor ones.
Both Xenon jackets looked a bit small while standing upright, but as soon as we got on a bike, even just resting on the tops of the bars, the short front and extra long back made all kinds of sense. Despite being made of Gore-Tex Paclite - a fabric specifically designed to occupy as little volume as possible - the Xenon Race jacket is a little too bulky to fold up into a jersey pocket. Still, its excellent water resistance makes it suitable as an all-day garment and it's ideal for use when it's already raining and there are no signs of it stopping.
The Xenon jacket - being made of lighter Gore Windstopper fabric - has no claims of being waterproof but held off some light showers nonetheless. It's far more portable than the Xenon Race and was great for those days when we never quite knew what the weather might bring. Its mesh-lined sleeves also made it comfortable when worn over bare arms.
The Xenon Windstopper long sleeve jersey performed admirably and proved to be one of the best ones we've reviewed in quite a while. It manages to be warmer than its weight might suggest and the windproof membrane up front extended the jersey's usable range right into the depths of the southern English winter (i.e. just above freezing, but damp) even when just a sleeveless baselayer beneath. Both the Xenon Windstopper jersey and the standard Xenon version share the same aggressive cycling-specific fit as the two jackets, although the Windstopper one also features an unusually high front to the collar. This again feels strange when standing up, but once on the bike it fits and protects the otherwise exposed throat area perfectly.
The Xenon thermal bib tights were of a high quality on the whole but proved to be the main source of our complaints of any of the Xenon range. They fit extremely well around the upper leg, the high back provided excellent insulation for the kidney area, a double-layer knee offers extra protection in a critical area, and the exclusive Xenon insert proved comfortable in all conditions.
However, that excellent fit didn't carry through below the knee. The shin, calf and ankle areas were quite baggy no matter which way we pulled them, which was further exacerbated in heavy rain where they tended to sag around the top of our overshoes in a quite unsightly manner. Riders with more heavily built calves may not have an issue, but those with average- to slighter builds will certainly want to try these on first before pulling the trigger.
The last - but by no means least - of our Xenon test kit was a pair of Windstopper gloves which, . like the similarly named jersey, proved to be an outstanding item. While making no claim to be waterproof, they still managed to ward off a few reasonably heavy showers. Even when they were eventually soaked through they still kept fought off the cold wind reasonably well and our fingers stayed toasty on all but the very chilliest rides. Personally, we like to feel our bars and so enjoyed the relative lack of padding outside the gel patches on the palms, but some may prefer a little more.
Gore also included a couple of more off-road oriented jackets in our test kit, both of which were cut much less aggressively than the road-specific Xenon garments. The Phantom - a Windstopper softshell - performed excellently on cold days. As with most garments of this type, the windproof front effectively kept the cold off our chest and the thermal back allowed what heat and sweat that we generated to escape nicely. We didn't come across any situations where we took advantage of the jacket's removable sleeves, though, as we can't see where one would want a windproof vest that warm while leaving bare arms. In addition, the short jersey-like sleeves that are revealed once the jacket sleeves are removed seem a little superfluous as you'd surely have something on underneath. Otherwise, the garment performed excellently as a long sleeved jacket and the feature is available for those that can find a use for it. Personally, we'd prefer an identical jacket - but with fixed sleeves.
Of all the items sent by Gore, the one item that we really looked forward to testing was the new Concept jacket - but it proved to be fairly disappointing. The jacket proved to be extremely waterproof and the inflatable Airvantage insulation really did work to keep the wearer warm without having to put on extra clothing, but the back panel's airtight construction also makes for near-zero breathablity. The large "pit-zips" did alleviate this somewhat, but they're a decidedly crude solution. On top of this, the inflatable back also precluded the use of any kind of backpack or hydration system.
Other gripes included a serious lack of pockets - the two provided are just about big enough for one energy bar and some keys - and the strange addition of a zip-off hood, which is too bulky to wear under a helmet and not big enough to wear over the top of one (but does come in handy once off the bike). Needless to say, the jacket's aesthetics were also polarizing to say the least.
The Concept jacket is undoubtedly feature-rich, but while some of them make perfect sense, other almost seem to conflict with one another. While the general idea of the Concept jacket is certainly admirable for its innovation, it has a long way to go before most will consider it a viable piece for high-performance cycling.
Xenon Race Jacket
Price: £179.99/269.90
Pros: Great aggressive race fit, really waterproof
Cons: A bit too bulky for a back pocket
Cyclingnews rating: 
Xenon Jacket
Price: £114.99/169.90
Pros: Folds up small enough to carry in back pocket; good shower protection
Cons: Expensive compared to other comparable offerings
Cyclingnews rating: 
Xenon Longsleeve Jersey
Price: £64.99/99.90
Pros: Great fit, very warm despite light weight
Cons: Sleeves a bit long even when arms are fully extended
Cyclingnews rating:
Xenon Windstopper Jersey
Price: £109.99/159.90
Pros: Great comfortable fit, stylish looks
Cons: None
Cyclingnews rating: 
Xenon Thermal Bib tights
Price: £114.99/179.90
Pros: Comfy pad insert, nice high back, good fit on upper legs
Cons: Disappointing fit around shins and calves
Cyclingnews rating:
Xenon Windstopper Gloves
Price: £39.99/55.90
Pros: Warm without being bulky, good long cuff
Cons: Virtually nothing
Cyclingnews rating:
Phantom Jacket
Price: £99.99/149.90
Pros: Very warm and comfy, not too bulky
Cons: Are zip-off sleeves one feature too far?
Cyclingnews rating:
Concept Jacket
Price: £349.99/459.90
Pros: Very waterproof, "Airvantage" back panel provides extremely effective
insulation
Cons: Very, very expensive, Airvantage panels are not breathable, superfluous
hood, could use more pockets
Cyclingnews rating: 
More info: www.gorebikewear.com
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com
- The Gore Xenon Race Jacket has such an aggressive cut that it almost looks too small when you're standing upright.
- The short front is matched by an equivalently long back.
- Gore's 'Comfort Mapping' under the sleeves keeps the jacket close-fitting at all times.
- The Xenon Race has a high collar to protect the front of your neck. The waterproof zipper keeps rain out of a particularly vulnerable area.
- The Gore Xenon Jacket is made of lightweight Gore Windstopper fabric.
- The rear of the Xenon Jacket has an equally long back to the Xenon Race.
- The Xenon Jacket has a high cut to the front of the collar but also a somewhat lot cut to the rear.
- The Xenon Jacket comes with a carrying pouch and actually folds up even smaller.
- The Xenon Longsleeve Jersey has a similarly aggressive fit to the jackets and has a three-quarter length zip.
- The long back has three big pockets and a fourth zippered one for keeping those valuables safe.
- A nice high collar keeps the chilly air off.
- The Xenon Windstopper Jersey is one of the more outstanding bits of kit that we've tested lately.
- Plenty of reflective areas are on hand to keep you visible in wintry condtions.
- Two chest vents allow a bit of extra airflow when the heat is on and the extra high collar keeps your throat warm.
- The back of the Windstopper Jersey is long but not windproof to allow excess heat to escape.
- Gore's Xenon Thermal Bib Tights are made using six panel construction.
- The Xenon Thermal bib tights fit really well around the upper legs and have a lot of reflective material for safety.
- The back panel comes up nice and high to keep your midsection warm.
- Gore's exclusive Xenon padded insert is made by Cytech and is really comfortable in all conditions.
- The overall fit of the Xenon Thermal Bib Tights is let down by the bagginess of the lower leg areas.
- Gore Xenon Windstopper Gloves proved to be outstandingly warm even when wet.
- Gel padding is located on the palms but not much else, which suited this tester's liking for a positive bar feel.
- The Gore Phantom Jacket has a more relaxed fit for off road use.
- Gore omits the Windstopper on the back for better breathability.
- Raglan sleeves zip off if it gets a bit warmer...
- to reveal short jersey sleeves. We didn't really find a use for this function, but you might.
- A sleeveless vest and short jersey sleeves didn't work for us, but the jacket was otherwise fantastic.
- The Gore Concept Jacket has a loose fit for off-road riding.
- When uninflated the jacket's back is quite baggy.
- A long back is extended with a fold away flap.
- Pit-zips let some cool air in when things get heated.
- The Concept's inflator nozzle sits on the jacket's chest.
- Jacket inflation is a fairly simple job, as our lovely model demonstrates.
- Fully inflated the Concept Jacket fits more snugly.
- The Airvantage insulation works to keep the wearer warm, but its airtight nature negatively impacts the jacket's breathability.
- The Concept's hood doesn't really work with a helmet, but is useful off the bike.
