Gore Bike Wear Phantom II Lady Soft Shell Jacket and Sportive WS Lady Tights Review
By Rhonda Osborne
Mar 25, 2009 - 11:29:24 AM
Gore Bike Wear™ Phantom II Lady Windstopper® Soft Shell Jacket Review.
We review women’s bike clothing from Gore Bike Wear.
Comfort, style, and quality are important when it comes to the clothing I wear. On my initial inspection of the Gore Bike Wear™ Phantom II Lady Windstopper® Soft Shell Jacket, I liked the style and was very impressed with the quality. The jacket was true to size and the slim fit design was not too tight. There was no restricted movement regardless of my riding position. The fabric was soft and flexible.
It was 33 degrees Fahrenheit on my first ride with the jacket. I was wearing only a tank top underneath. It was chilly at first but was surprised how warm I stayed with just two layers. The Windstopper® fabric was impressive as I didn’t feel any penetration from the wind.
While on another ride, the temperature was in the 40’s with the sun shining. As I heated up during my ride and perspiration increased, the jacket kept me dry. I was very happy with this as I hate feeling my sweat. To cool me during the workout, I unzipped the two sleeve zippers for venting. The removable sleeve is a nice feature when you have to deal with body temperature changes throughout a long ride. They can be stored in the roomy rear pocket. An interesting feature is the inner short sleeve that remains when you remove jacket arms.
The high quality fabric is hefty and holds its shape. The form fitting cut is attractive and very well constructed. All seams are tightly finished. The collar did not rub or scratch as I have found some other jackets can do. Seam binding covers all outside edges. The zippers were smooth.
Gore Bike Wear Sportive WS Lady Tights review.
Like the jacket, the Gore Bike Wear Sportive WS Lady Tights were functional and warm. The Windstopper Soft Shell fabric is almost like a thin neoprene – very soft and flexible. The seams are reinforced with several rows of stitching. I can’t imagine them ever unraveling. They have traditional gripper elastic on the bottom hem and a side zipper for easy on and off.
While riding, the waistband didn’t cut into my midsection because the elastic does not reach around the entire circumference. Instead, the elastic attaches to a smooth front panel. This panel is made of same two way stretch fabric in the tights. Therefore there is no elastic to twist and fold when in a bent position.
These two pieces get high scores. A big plus is the efficiency of the outfit in terms of making adjustments while cycling. The quality shows through after wearing it for hours. It looked and felt as fresh as when I first put it on. No matter how long I wore them, I felt comfortable, well dressed, and stylish.
