Gore Bike Wear Xenon 2.0 AS Jacket

The catchily named Gore Xenon 2.0 AS Jacket is a lightweight, windproof and water-resistant jacket made from Gore's Windstopper Active Shell fabric.

When you don't need it the Xenon AS is airy light and packs down tight and small so it doesn't feel a burden in a rear pocket at all, happily taken along for just-in-case duties (so most rides then) without being a pain in the arse, literally, and when you suddenly do need it, it works.

The Gore Xenon jacket is not just a panic 'throw it on to get you home sort of dry' bin-bag style jacket seemingly made by someone that likes parachutes, it's designed for riding in, and to be comfortable when doing so.

The tailoring of the Xenon 2.0 AS is unashamedly cut for being on a bike, in the drops. The arms are plenty long enough and sewn on the curve to perfectly conform with your bent elbow, and the body fits high up the front and extra-long out the back for perfect coverage when you're chewing the stem.

The overall cut of the jacket is racer taught so there's no annoying flapping in the wind, despite the fabric being quite crinkly if you scrunch it in your hand. It's actually tight fitting enough to make it troublesome to fit over exuberantly stuffed rear pockets sometimes.

Those carrying a bit of a sportive tummy might want to look elsewhere, or admit it and go up a size.

The Xenon 2.0 AS isn't overburdened with unnecessary details - that helps it to be light you see - but what there are matter. The full-length zip has protective docks top and bottom to stop chin and lycra chaffage. The top is augmented further with a leatherette anti-rub tab, which is also handy for holding the jacket taut with teeth when pulling on the zip on the move.

The collar sits high to keep the chill off, but the rear is scalloped so it doesn't runkle up against the back of the neck, which is also why the hanging loop is offset to the right. Neat.

The ends of the arms are adorned with light neoprene cuffs, subtly tailored to extend further down the back of the hand, where they fit comfortably snug, stopping breezes from rushing up the wrist.

The sides are meshed internally, as are the arms, which makes the jacket comfortable against sweaty skin if worn with a short-sleeved jersey. Reflective piping slashes down the front over the shoulders help with low-light visibility and the patterns and logos spotted on the sides, along the arms and in the tail are also reflective.

The AS in the name stands for Active Shell, a Windstopper fabric that's designed for 'highly active people', it says here, being a membrane that offers a total windproof experience but with maximum breathability and added water resistance. Windproof it certainly is, and especially useful for those last few hills home when the temperature's dropped and the body's feeling the cold.

It's water resistant too, in fact it's a bit more than that. Is there a rating somewhere between water resistant and waterproof? Worn on those days that gently waft between depressing perma-drizzle and annoying light rain, the type that usually makes other water resistant jackets weep, the Gore shows a defiant two-fingers to wretched weather.

The AS jacket doesn't have any mesh panels or vents, zipped or otherwise, to help with ventilation All the breathing of the jacket is left solely down to the efficiency of the Active Shell. And it's a job it does very well - it can get a little warm inside but it doesn't get clammy or sweaty, which makes grey drizzly climbs a little less miserable.

The Gore Bike Wear Xenon 2.0 AS Jacket is a lightweight jacket that's a bit pricier than most, but then it's more water resistant and breathable than most too, and cut to be ridden in comfortably with thoughtful details that'll help defer the cost.

Verdict

Superbly thought-out lightweight packable jacket that you'll be glad to have in your back pocket.