New cycle clothing from Gore Bike Wear and Sportful

A little look at some of the new cycle clothing coming soon from Gore Bike Wear and Sportful. Both have new winter clothing, including jackets and an interesting Windstopper jersey from Gore, plus there is a glimpse at spring and summer clothing. Yes, we know spring and summer are a long way off, but it pays to be prepared.

Gore Bike Wear

The Oxygen SO jersey looks like it’s been designed with autumn in mind. It uses Windstopper fabric in key areas, so that's the shoulders and chest areas ten, to keep the wind from getting at your skin.

Elsewhere they’ve used Gore Selected fabrics to ramp up breathability. Gore reckons it’s good enough that on warm days, you can wear it directly next to the skin, with no base layer, and not have to carry any extra windproof layer. And on colder days, such as those frequent in the autumn, a base layer and pair of arm warmers boosts insulation enough that you don’t need a gilet. It’ll be an interesting jersey to test, to see how these claims stack up. As we know, autumn is a tricky time of year to dress for and any clothing that makes the pre-ride decisions easier have to be welcomed.

Gore’s new Oxygen Jersey has a unique approach to combating the issue of sagging pockets, which happens on some jerseys when you load the pockets up with cakes. 

Gore took to a unique ‘rucksack’ approach, using strips of less stretchy material hooped over the shoulders, and across the chest and back, to hold the jersey up and prevent the pockets sagging. The rest of the jersey is made from stretchy material to ensure a good fit.

It was ably demonstrated by Alex from Gore, who reached for half a dozen espresso cups to show how it works. And by jolly it does what it sets out to do.

These Xenon Race bib shorts are brand new, and represent two years of development. Gore claim more money than other any other clothing manufacturer on the padded insert, arguably the most important part of the shorts. They've worked with Elastic Interface to develop a chamois specifically for their demands.

Those demands are a short that is designed for rides in excess of 5-hours, it’s a long-distance comfort short essentially. Like most top-end bib shorts, they feature seamless hems that rely on the elasticity of the fabric, rather than silicone and elastic bands, to keep the legs in place.

With half an eye on winter, the new Power GT AS jacket brings their Active Shell fabric, touted as their most breathable yet, to a lower price. It’s got a classic cycling cut, with a long tail and long arms so there are no exposed bits when you’re crouched in the drops battling a headwind.

There’s a rear pocket, and inside is a transparent phone pouch - Gore found the material was so breathable that it was drowning their phones. Available in three colours, including this smart blue and yellow colourway. I would say on-trend, but it’s been banned by Tony. Oh, I just did didn't I...

Gore have perhaps been described as a conservative company in the past, but this new Power SE Lady throws that right out the window. It’s available in sleeveless or short sleeve, with a full-length zip and three rear pockets. It of course has a women’s cut and fit. We’re just not sure about the look. What do you think readers?

Sportful

This is Sportful’s Bodyfit Pro Aero jersey. It’s identical to the BodyFit Pro Summer Race Jersey tested recently on road.cc, they just decided the summer tag was a bit misleading, so they’ve instead decided to concentrate on the aero properties of the jersey, and renamed it. Otherwise, the main change is a couple of new colour options. This is the jersey that is a direct descendent from the kit worn by Team Saxo-Tinkoff, so you get the exact same fabrics and fit, just without the sponsors logos.

Sportful have a keen eye on the future, with their R&D department busy working on new designs and fabrics. These new bib shorts offer a glimpse at what they’re working on. The most interesting detail is the new “double step openings”, which aim to increase comfort while still ensuring the shorts don’t ride up. They’re also working on seam placement, placing them to they provide no pedalling restriction.

They’re investing in women’s jersey, and this is a new development jersey they’re working. Looks pretty smart.

The Pista jersey, a well-priced jersey offering good fit and fabrics, is now available in seven colour options, including this nice orange and black over white combo. It’s made from Nimbus and Nimbus Mesh fabrics with a full-length zip and three rear pockets.

Ideal for current autumn weather, the Hot Pack Ultralight Vest is new. It’s based, as the name suggests, on the jacket made from the same material. In removing the sleeves the weight of the garment is just 39g, and most of that is probably the full-length zipper. It’s designed to be windproof and water resistant, with vents around the elasticated arm openings, mesh side panels and reinforced seams. There’s a rear pocket for stuffing the gilet into and reflective seam taping around it.

The Hot Pack No Rain Stretch jacket is the one for rainy days.  It’s totally waterproof, with waterproof zipper and taped seams. There’s a high collar to keep rain out, reflective details around the rear pocket (for stuffing the jacket into) and stretch panels across the back and under the arms.