Mountain biking聴any bicycling, really聴poses what I regard as maybe the toughest test for high-performance outdoor wear. Chances are you aren聮t out when it聮s below freezing, so it聮s easy to overheat when cranking uphill. But it might be cool and wet, so long downhills can chill you in a hurry.
Marmot Evolution Jacket
Evolution JacketMy principle is to keep biking rainwear as light and breathable as possible, even at the expense of complete moisture protection. That suggests something made from the new-generation Windstopper N2S (next to skin) fabric that Gore is pushing. It聮s not in widespread use, but Marmot has done an interesting piece with its Evolution Jacket ($150; marmot.com), a very clean, close-fitting jacket that聮s meant to be worn with not much more than a T-shirt underneath.
Here I must briefly lament Gore Activent, a high-performance fabric developed in the late 1990s that never found a market. W.L. Gore, please bring back Activent, and let gear designers do whatever they want with it, such as skipping the seam-taping.
Another Gore product, PacLite, has promise in this arena as well because it聮s, wait for it, light. The Gore Bike Wear Countdown Jacket ($189; performancebike.com) has a trim, hoodless design with a long back for full coverage when cycling.
I also like anything made with eVent, a material that聮s chemically similar to Gore-Tex but has a different molecular composition聟or something like that. It breathes wonderfully well and is, for all intents and purposes, waterproof. Pearl Izumi聮s discontinued Channel Jacket ($200) used it, and still can be found at some online retailers (such as performancebike.com). Westcomb聮s Chimera Jacket ($379; westcomb.com) is pricey and really designed more for mountaineering, but it uses eVent and is an excellent all-purpose jacket.
Check out 国产吃瓜黑料‘s picks for Gear of the Year and 400-plus gear reviews in the 2007 Summer Buyer’s Guide, on newsstands now.