Rain jackets

Just following up on this. I had a Gore Bike Wear jacket with their 'Active' membrane and a nice surface fabric that is soft to the touch. Really disliked the fit of the jacket and found it stifling in most conditions (no pit-zips) for layered dressing. Generally never wore it as I vastly prefer my Polartec Neoshell jacket.

Had the sleeves removed and everything stitched up nicely to use it as a waterproof vest. Maybe not for everyone but it is now my go-to for any day that has a chance or rain but is not a guaranteed downpour. Layers really well with a merino base layer with or without a long sleeve jersey (weight depending on temperature) and rolls up notably smaller sans sleeves if I want to just throw it in my pack when the sun comes out.

I have considered doing the same , that was my intentions with the Farwest jacket I just bought . But for $65 it fits well as a trail jacket and I am looking at some roadie vests that suit my needs . Just need to find a local source a try them for fit .

In regards to base layers , I was surfing thru the Leatt stuff looking at their 2 piece helmet , and noticed they offer a wind proof jersey that beads up water , so I will be ordering one of those to try this winter season .

http://www.leatt.com/2017-dbx-product-line/

The weather resistant jersey is an nice option if executed properly.

I wore one of those long sleeve golf shirts, that have a dwr and are wind resistant, for a while.

Worked well in the winter, but not as cool as a neoshell by Mission Workshop.

The weather resistant jersey is an nice option if executed properly.

I wore one of those long sleeve golf shirts, that have a dwr and are wind resistant, for a while.

Worked well in the winter, but not as cool as a neoshell by Mission Workshop.

https://missionworkshop.com/collections/outerwear/products/the-meridian-cycling-vest

looked into Mission Workshop , spendy stuff!!! nice vest , made in Canada !! funny that we don,t have a similar made product from Canadian sources .

yeah makes sense , right up until the time you have to take a trail side dump , in the pissing down rain with no over head coverage .

How often is that an issue? Serious question. And I'm off to thank my GI system for being so predictable and for rarely ever betraying me by requiring mid-ride attention (especially in the rain).

The Sugoi is by far way way better than the Chute.

No doubt it's a better jacket. I was tempted to go for it but I was worried about its resistance to falling apart in crashes. Maybe I crash more than average but I've torn a bunch of clothing and have been surprised how well the Chute stood up. I just couldn't bring myself to spend $350 on a jacket that I'd love for the properties but then be gutted when I tore it. Have you had many crashes in yours and how did it manage those?

No doubt it's a better jacket. I was tempted to go for it but I was worried about its resistance to falling apart in crashes. Maybe I crash more than average but I've torn a bunch of clothing and have been surprised how well the Chute stood up. I just couldn't bring myself to spend $350 on a jacket that I'd love for the properties but then be gutted when I tore it. Have you had many crashes in yours and how did it manage those?

I don't crash much anymore but I have scuffs on the sleeves of this jacket and my other Neoshell jacket as well. Most of the tears I have had in clothing are from snagging branches. I know what you mean about spending on something fragile though. Ages ago I had a GORETEX jacket that had. A polyester face fabric as opposed to nylon. Tore it skiing somehow. No idea how I just came home with a new pit zip without a zipper. The Sugoi is nylon. I don't recall the Chute as being a heavier fabric but it was stiffer. I have torn ski jackets more than once. I repaired them with duct tape on the outside, shoe goo on the tear inside and once cured the duct tape comes off and you can barely see the tear. Same with scuffs that can cause leaks through the membrane.

I repaired them with duct tape on the outside, shoe goo on the tear inside and once cured the duct tape comes off and you can barely see the tear.

Holy smokes! Life hack of the year! Thanks for that

the situation:

in berlin, it's winter (sometimes it gets fucking cold over here, -10 to -15°C), bike messenger with 4-5h shifts. what jacket to wear?

atm i'm looking at the following products:

new gore bike one pro jacket
new gore bike one thermium jacket
7mesh revelation jacket

all very expensive

i've now discovered the sugoi stuff mentioned in this thread, would be a lot cheaper than the jackets on the list.

anyone got some more tips for inner city riding, in the cold, in the night with lots of short waiting times in warm restaurants?

https://missionworkshop.com/collections/outerwear/products/the-meridian-cycling-vest

looked into Mission Workshop , spendy stuff!!! nice vest , made in Canada !! funny that we don,t have a similar made product from Canadian sources .

Miley, we do…..
Your forgetting about 7mesh in Squamish, great product , great company.
My expensive jacket is totally worth it and at the end of the season I had a bail that resulted in a small rip in the elbow.
I dropped it off for a free fix and they paid the shipping back to return it to me.

If your going to ride at least one day a week I believe investing in this product is totally worth it, because never mind one day a week I still get out 3 time this time of year thanks to comfortable gear.

How often is that an issue? Serious question. And I'm off to thank my GI system for being so predictable and for rarely ever betraying me by requiring mid-ride attention (especially in the rain).

Heres a hazelcolgatesque tangent for you.

One winter day I left work with about an hour of light, just enough for a quick ride. As I was changing, I discovered that I forgot my belt so I grabbed what I had - steel skid strapping - and made do.

With so little light I opted for a solo shuttle; drive up, ride down, hike back up with a headlamp to get the car. In the first few minutes of riding, I slid on ice and ate shit hard. I was rattled, rode poorly the rest of the way down, felt off.

At the bottom I stashed my bike and started the hike up, feeling odd inside. By the time I got to the truck it was clear that my dim sum lunch wanted out. And by the time I got back to the bottom and found my bike in the pitch black with a bic, the poo situation was becomjng dire. It was diherrea for sure.

So there I was in the woods, in the dark, in the rain, without any kind of tool to remove this steel belt id put on, and totally unable to get my pants down for this very urgent shit. All I could do was head for home, hoping I wouldnt juice all over my drivers seat.

In the end I made it home with mere seconds to spare and I learned my lesson. Dont eat dim sum and then use skid strapping as a belt. This has guided me through life ever since.

How often is that an issue? Serious question. And I'm off to thank my GI system for being so predictable and for rarely ever betraying me by requiring mid-ride attention (especially in the rain).

When I started riding with bib-shorts in the early 90,s I had a couple of times I regretted layering the way I did . And seen many a DH racer with the old Dainiese Gladiator suits get caught .

the situation:

in berlin, it's winter (sometimes it gets fucking cold over here, -10 to -15°C), bike messenger with 4-5h shifts. what jacket to wear?

atm i'm looking at the following products:

new gore bike one pro jacket
new gore bike one thermium jacket
7mesh revelation jacket

all very expensive

anyone got some more tips for inner city riding, in the cold, in the night with lots of short waiting times in warm restaurants?

^I use a Merino wool neck tube (in addition to layers) at cooler times while out on the road bike. Quick and easy to pull up over my nose when I'm going fast and down below my mouth when putting in effort. I assume you wear an under helmet winter beanie or cap as well?

Mavic has some nice looking jackets. Norröna Fjora looks pretty ace too. Would match up with the Dri3 shorts swimmingly.
Ill throw in Rapha (classic and city as to look less droid like)so the haters can throw shade.

Heres a hazelcolgatesque tangent for you.

One winter day I left work with about an hour of light, just enough for a quick ride. As I was changing, I discovered that I forgot my belt so I grabbed what I had - steel skid strapping - and made do.

With so little light I opted for a solo shuttle; drive up, ride down, hike back up with a headlamp to get the car. In the first few minutes of riding, I slid on ice and ate shit hard. I was rattled, rode poorly the rest of the way down, felt off.

At the bottom I stashed my bike and started the hike up, feeling odd inside. By the time I got to the truck it was clear that my dim sum lunch wanted out. And by the time I got back to the bottom and found my bike in the pitch black with a bic, the poo situation was becomjng dire. It was diherrea for sure.

So there I was in the woods, in the dark, in the rain, without any kind of tool to remove this steel belt id put on, and totally unable to get my pants down for this very urgent shit. All I could do was head for home, hoping I wouldnt juice all over my drivers seat.

In the end I made it home with mere seconds to spare and I learned my lesson. Dont eat dim sum and then use skid strapping as a belt. This has guided me through life ever since.

now there's a life lesson if there ever was. duly noted mate.

we do…..
Your forgetting about 7mesh in Squamish, great product , great company…

7mesh stuff is really nice - as are the guys who work there. By that token Arcteryx makes awesome rain gear too.

Not to put words in Mike's mouth but he did put an emphasis on "Made In Canada" in his post. I don't think at the production level either company's jackets would qualify? The production Mission wool and waterproof jackets are physically made in Vancouver.

***edit: I stand corrected re. Arcteryx:

There's actually a new Arc'teryx factory in the area that's much larger than the old one. The main hard shell still made in BC is the Alpha SV, which has some great news features this season including a new much more durable face fabric (good for bikers), while other design innovations mean the jacket is actually lighter than ever.

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