Gore has been further developing the design of its ShakeDry jacket, and last weekend I got the chance to head over to Surrey to try it out while riding the Wiggle Ups & Downs Sportive with Fabian Cancellara. How could I say no?
Check out our review of the Gore C5 Gore-Tex Shakedry 1985 Viz Jacket here.
The designers have been listening to the (very few) criticisms of the existing jacket and this is what they’ve come up with.
The new jacket includes more stretchable Gore-Tex panels to keep the fit close while allowing the rider freedom of movement.
The stretchable fabric is heavier and less breathable than the Gore-Tex Shakedry fabric. It’s still not a heavy jacket, though, at only 160g. It doesn’t roll up quite as small as the existing jacket but it’ll still fit in a jersey pocket when not in use.
Out on the road, the conditions we encountered were ideal for testing the jacket. By that I mean the weather was foul. It was 8°C, damp, windy and the rain and road spray mix quickly covered the jacket.
To be honest, I quite like this kind of weather, apart from the cold hands part, and chances are that if you ride in the UK you’ll need to at least tolerate these conditions too. A good rain jacket is pretty much essential.
Before we rolled out, I was given a jacket in size medium. I’d usually take a small for my climber build, but the cut is close, meaning that this medium wasn’t too flappy at all.
As racing is the only time I care about getting aero, I’d opt for the slightly larger size so that I could layer a cosy winter jacket underneath if necessary. If you’re using this for racing then just go for the smaller size.
Gone are the elasticated cuffs and hem of the old jacket. That’s been replaced by the stretchy fabric in selected places.
The cuffs are perfectly long and fit nicely with the winter gloves I started out wearing and the stretch material here is useful for getting the jacket on and off.
The biggest feature of this jacket is the breathability. On this fast ride, I didn’t get that boil in the bag feel, even with a winter base layer, jersey and thermal jersey underneath. I’ll be looking to take this on some hillier rides to really test that breathability.
Talking to the guys from Gore, it’s clear that they’re keen to stress how much fabric development was done with the military. Luckily, we cyclists don’t need to wear a bulletproof vest, so less of the stretchy material has been used.
The designers have also taken feedback from the likes of Fabian Cancellara, as racing in the rain is where good breathability is really difficult to achieve.
Washing this jacket is easy enough. Machine washing at 40°C is recommended and tumble drying on low is fine too. I used this the day after the Wiggle Ups & Downs Sportive for a four-hour ride and it just needed a quick rinse.
You can get more information at Gore’s website.
The C7 costs £279.99 and is available from Wiggle in sizes S-XXL.
Fabian Cancellara rode the Up and Down Wiggle Sportive to promote the new Gore C7 ShakeDry stretch jacket – get there now at wiggle.co.uk
Look out for the full review soon!
12 thoughts on “First Look: Gore C7 ShakeDry Stretch Jacket”
IMO the shake dry jackets are
IMO the shake dry jackets are the best available for inclement weather. I’ve got a version and my only gripe is with the fit, which they sound like they’ve fixed, and the visibility being that it could do with some reflective bits on it.
peted76 wrote:
I had a chat with them and they’re really pushing to get brighter colours. Science is getting in the way right now… Dammit science!
got the C5 with yellow bits –
got the C5 with yellow bits – by far th best foul weather jacket I’ve ever owned.
Ninja club ride?
Ninja club ride?
dassie wrote:
If yah can’t see black sonshine suggest you stay off the roads in any capacity, for everyone’s safety.
I assume the waterproofness
I assume the waterproofness is compromised by the stretch panels, in heavy rain, water is definitely going to get in around the shoulders.
schlepcycling wrote:
I was told by the rep from Gore on the day that the stretch elements were also waterproof.
If it’s ‘shake dry’ why
If it’s ‘shake dry’ why tumble dry?
fixation80 wrote:
The outer layer is shake dry – a flick will get ridof the water after a wet ride or quick rinse-but the lining needs airing/tumble drying when wet.
To be clear this is a Jacket
To be clear this is a Jacket designed to be carried, rolled up, in a Jersey Pocket for use when the inevitable happens.
For all the talk about ‘fit’ no mention has been made about the fact that this Jacket would need to expand at the rear to cover, the remaining probably still in use, bulging Jersey Pockets. Or have I missed something?
If there has been no mention regarding how this Jacket copes with ‘fit’ in the area mentioned perhaps the Full Review can pay attention to this matter?
Gelphyn wrote:
That’s why Gore have added the stretch panels near the hem. I haven’t yet had enough in the pockets to fully test, but it’ll be in the full review.
And you can have it in any
And you can have it in any color you want so long as it is black.