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Who makes THIS jacket?

3269 Views 15 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  d365
Looking for a 3-season riding shell (Tahoe area). Requirements:

1. Breathable
2. Water resistant
3. Wind resistant
4. Abrasion resistant
5. Breathable
6. Little bit of stretch
7. Under $250
8. Easily available in the US

NOT looking for something warm and insulated
NOT looking for a hardshell rain jacket
NOT looking for a paper-thin windshell
NOT looking for a hood, but willing to be flexible here

Neoshell would be perfect. A single layer soft shell would be perfect. I'll wear a thin long sleeve merino layer underneath when it gets cold. Blissful riding comfort going BOTH up and down!

What do ya' got?
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also this but it is light on the precip protection. does great in wind and light snow and light precip, but any decent precip will soak through. easy to regulate temp with layers underneath.
Casteli ROS series is absolutely amazing, fits all your needs. But they are a road fit.

https://www.altitude-sports.com/pro...0e4bWPOdsMi1Fe0iUQFJAtHEFMvgW7ssaAv8KEALw_wcB
Casteli ROS series is absolutely amazing, fits all your needs. But they are a road fit.

https://www.altitude-sports.com/pro...0e4bWPOdsMi1Fe0iUQFJAtHEFMvgW7ssaAv8KEALw_wcB
My Castelli Gabba 2 is still the single best piece of clothing I’ve purchased.

Size up (or two) if you are, um, built like many mountain bikers.


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1. Go to a thrift store.
2. Buy some flannel shirts.
3. Enjoy every ride.
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Years ago this was called a windshirt, and was a nylon outer layer melded with an internal poly type soft weave. Came in anorak or jackets, was all the rage in lightweight backpacking as the only warm layer for 2.5 season use. I took one on a JMT thru hike in 2002.

marmot driclime windshirt
That's a tough nut to crack, maybe vest and arm-warmers would bet suit the requirements? I've done that at times. I think that's going to meet the requirements the closest. Stretchy/breathable and abrasion resistant is going to be diametrically opposed IMO unless you get to some pretty thick material that inherently won't breath well.

I picked up a cool packable jacket at REI this spring, kinda normal packable and windproof but-not-waterproof type, but has some mesh insulation on just the torso, yet still packs down real small. More durable than some of the packables that I've used, I've had one that was basically just a plastic trash bag in the shape of a jacket, haha. Otherwise I like the waterproof shells because they block wind so well and on the lighter end with just a base layer, you can deal with some pretty cool temps. But the other big reason is durability, since these are typically more durable than the thinnest nylon packables. There's a NF one that's right around 100 bucks retail that IMO is a great value, pit-zips, good hood, etc. For the price, I have a few. I agree, nothing waterproof is actually breathable, so I have to do things like use the pit-zips, roll up the sleeves, take it off and tie it around my waist on a climb. Cycling is too variable for body temp/moisture output due to climbs and descents IME that you just can't do this with one garment without managing it, it's chasing your tail to a large extent. When it gets a LOT colder, then you can leave a jacket layer on...except you get the same issue, going downhill now will super-cool you, so you need another layer available. It's even similar to my frustration with the waterproof stuff in the rain. The rain intensity and temp has to be just right, to not overwhelm the fabric, but provide enough cooling that you don't sweat like crazy within. With less intensity, you don't get enough cooling effect on your skin and with more, it just soaks through.
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Not marketed towards the bike crowd but the Black Diamond Alpine Start jacket and hoody are super breathable. I’ve owned one of the hoodies for a few years and it’s my go-to wind shell.


REI has the jacket version on sale right now. If you’re a member and haven’t used the coupon code yet then you can take another 25% off of the sale price for a total of under $93.

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Mammut softshell without a hood, not sure if they make them with thumbholes on the sleeve anymore or not but that is a nice feature. There is always some new old stock on ebay.
I don't know what their latest version is like, but check out the Gore Phantom jacket perhaps.
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I don't know what their latest version is like, but check out the Gore Phantom jacket perhaps.
I have a Gore Bike Wear Oxygen jacket that is exactly what you described. Not sure if it's still in production. My most coveted jacket. Works with a light layer up to about 45/50 deg. Have used down to 20 deg with proper layers. Rain has not got thru. Breathes as well as any piece that meets this criteria can.
Thanks for all the considered replies. Definitely not into the roadie styling, as some have suggested. Patagonia Dirt Roamer nailed it (except for the hood), BUT I'm going to wait until next season for something other than the overly-typical black, or vomit-inducing kermit green, color ways.

Happy trails!
I would recommend jackets made with Gore Windstopper fabric (stretchy, breathable, windproof):


This is one that Gore Makes:
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OK, sorry to revive this thread, but need a little more insight from the cycling jacket nerds out there. If you are someone that just throws on a flannel and rides, there's no need to read any further. Whereas, if you are someone that pays attention to quality and details and materials, and has used a variety of different shells, I'd appreciate your insight.

I have this narrowed down to three different offerings:

7mesh Cypress Hybrid
Castelli Finstre jacket
PNW Lander jacket

Again, looking for a highly breathable and wind resistant jacket for riding in cool DRY temps (will later underneath in cold temps).

Both 7mesh and Castelli are made of Gore-Tex Infinium material, which is a new and highly breathable material. Both 7mesh and Castelli are a "road fit," which I'm on the fence about. They will definitely fit better than the PNW, with less flapping of sleeves and hood in the wind. From my experience, the fit of 7mesh clothing is unparalleled. The PNW is along the same lines as the Patagonia Dirt Roamer, which is a 4-way stretch soft shell. The PNW definitely "looks" more like an MTB jacket.

Castelli also makes the Go jacket option. Per Castelli, the Finestre has a slightly thicker (warmer) upper torso material (you'll see in the below photos). The Go jacket is all the same material. The Finestre jacket is slightly boxier than the Go jacket

Any insights that I'm not considering here?




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I just purchased and returned a pair of 686 Infinium pants because the material had terrible skin feel. It felt like cheap nylon even though it's much more high tech. It could've been just that pair of pants but I've never had another garment made out of Infinium so I don't know first hand.

I'm not sure there's a direct comparo on the internet anywhere but I'm telling you, that Schoeller material is freaking fantastic for breathability and skin feel.
I went with the Patagucci Houdini Air. Ultra-packable, breathable, wind protection was my criteria. This thing is super breathable/thin... to the point that I don't think it provides much warmth at all, just cuts wind. Doubt it has much water repellency, but that's not what I was after.
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