As you probably realise, we are great believers in Gore Bike Wear and have massive stocks of them. I have compiled this article in order to put together all the reviews we could find on the Internet to demonstrate that we are right to hold them in such high regard!
I think all of us in the shop have a Gore Phantom II jacket as they are so versatile for three or possibly even four seasons! You can zip the sleeves off (a short sleeve is below with a reflective strip) or just open the zips to cool you down. It is made of Windstopper fabric so I have found it to be fine with a Smartwool base layer at -9C with serious winds on the local hill but I have also ridden with it at 14C on a sunny day.
We have found a review below from www.bikeradar.com:
Gore Phantom jacket: Bike Radar review
If you’ve never had a Gore Bike Wear softshell jacket, live on beans and toast for a few weeks and then treat yourself to a Phantom. This is a must-have jacket if you love to ride no matter what the weather.
The Phantom jacket takes the impeccable Gore pedigree and adds a great twist – zip off arms. The sleeves unzip to reveal short (non-windproof) sleeves underneath, creating a great milder weather or harder riding top. Partially unzipping them works as effective venting too, giving this jacket an amazingly wide operating range.
There’s plenty to love about Gore Bike Wear’s Soft Shell N2S Windstopper fabric. It’s light, quiet to wear and warm when it has to be. It boasts low sweat levels and it's quick drying. The Phantom nurtures this love with its zip-off arms, which reveal two lightweight, black quarter sleeves.
The full-length front zip has a baffle underneath, the collar stands up to keep a seal around the neck, and there are triple rear pockets to satisfy the cycling jersey requirements.
The multi-panel cut with stretchy back panels means a snug fit for efficient wicking on the back, too. Add some reflective detailing on the arms and you have a jacket-cum-jersey that’ll see you through at least three seasons of the year.
If you don't fancy forking out for a Gore Phantom II jacket then a Gore Contest SO Windstopper jacket does most of the things that a Phantom II jacket does but while saving money (the disadvantages are fewer pockets and no removable sleeves. However, if you don't need these because you have other tops or use a Camelbak then this jacket is fantastic). We cannot find reviews for this fairly new product (redesigned for 2011 too) but we shall keep trying. As mentioned, it is effectively a Gore Phantom II jacket but without the removable sleeves so we sell a great deal.
Another favourite of ours is the Gore Path II jacket (review below). Most guys in the shop have this one but as the boss, I thought it would be better to go for the Alp X! Added benefits of the Alp X over the Path II is slightly nicer styling and a lighter fabric (so it packs down a little better) plus it comes with a hood (you can buy a hood from us for the Path II jacket seperately).
The Gore Path II was the only jacket to receive 10/10 in mbr's recent waterproof jacket test (December 2009 issue). This review is quoted below: "Being Gore-Tex Pac-Lite, the PATH II is a lighter and more breathable waterproof than the Fusion. It is designed for on and off-road use, when you're dodging the showers rather than riding in a deluge. It has the same long arms as the road jackets from Vaude and Mavic but there are plenty of mtb touches - like the high collar, Velcro fastening for separate hood and slightly looser fit and extra length at the front. The Path II is very lightweight - it packs down into a medium sized Camelbak easily. It also has a quality DWR proof and breathability is very good - layer correctly and this is one jacket you can ride all day long without being drenched in your own sweat. It's a very good value performance jacket andticks all the boxes, making it the waterproof we'd recommend for trail riding. 10"
