you need to ride in the rain often and long to really need a membrane like gore, in my opinion. even the best of them don't really breathe well enough for a full-on workout, so you're more likely to get wet from the inside than the outside. for that reason lots of cycling raincoats are just sprayed nylon.

that said, i'd recommend marmot's precip as a great waterproof-breatheable that's much cheaper than gore but quite good. mountain hardware make some similar ones (epic), and MEC's super microft cycling jacket is a classic (www.mec.ca).

-mike

p.s - by way of full disclosure, i'm sort-of sponsored by marmot.

---

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

exactly. i LOVE the marmot precip--it works, breathes, and is a very fun piece of gear. as i've posted on this site before, when it rains my friend Jessica and I call each other to say, "It's a precip day!!!". i can't ever remember excited about a jacket like that before...lol.

there are pants too :)

The Precip is a great jacket, I've had one for two years. light, packable, etc.

---

--------------------------------------------------------------------

swimfan77,

Check out Concurve. They market some Gore-Tex jackets that are really great. I picked one up at Bikesport as the cycling season wound down last year for about $100. The regular price was $179 or $199. It was clearance priced.

Cannondale also makes some good rain gear. Not Gore-Tex but another excellent breathable fabric.

Showers Pass is another manufacturer that produces a competing product. It is somewhat less expensive than Gore-Tex brand products but a lot of it is the bells and whistles. When you get to the better made jackets with pit zips etc., then the price gets right up there with everyone else, $180+ range.

You definitely want to get pit zips if you can find a way to afford them. Without the ability to adequately ventilate your "waterproof" jacket, it will get pretty damp inside the jacket. These fabrics just cannot breath as fast as you perspire. Also recognize that perspiring inside the jacket is somewhat similar to a very light rain/mist/drizzle on the outside. If you can't vent the moisture trapped inside your jacket, it might as well be raining on the inside too. You will be as wet as if it were.

There maybe a few Gore-Tex knock offs that are significantly less expensive. Most of them don't live up anywhere near to Gore-Tex's performance. That's a main reason why they are significantly cheaper. Many of the new fabrics that are similar to Gore-Tex in performance are touted as "superior" to Gore-Tex and then are priced at about the same level as Gore-Tex as though Gore-Tex is the standard or benchmark.

Check for dealers near you that carry these brands and what size you need. Then watch for clearance sales. Timing is a big part of obtaining great value.

Good luck.

---

Ben Cline


Better to aspire to Greatness and fail, than to not challenge one's self at all, and succeed.

There are lots of non-goretex fabrics that work. if you want rain-proof you are going to get fairly steamy inside the jacket whether it's breathable or not. you can get a 100% waterproof non-breathable jacket for rain with a rear vent for 1/4 the price of a goretex jacket. if you want something windproof for the occasional rain shower, get a silicone impregnated nylon jacket. I have one that packs down to the size of a power bar and weighs 3 oz.

I ordered this gear:
http://www.outheresmartwear.com/multi_sport_main.htm

I haven't received it yet so I can't comment on performance. It is insulated a bit so probably too warm for summer.