Gore contest soft shell, good Mtb jacket?

stantheman206

Hi there, I was thinking about ordering a Gore softshell jacket, used for Mtb and commuting on bridle ways. Evans have the Gore contest shell at the moment with £30 off making it £69.99, bargain. However the Gore website state this jacket is for road bike use, what's the difference to a Mtb jacks? I'm quite ok with it being a snug fit, will this make a nice jacket for me baring in mind I am no roadie!!!

Thanks Andrew

mudslinger

I bought a Gore jacket from Evans about a year ago that was reduced. I've never worn it for cycling though as it is too nice & I'd probably get too hot in it. It might be coming out this w/e though! Gore is real quality stuff & you can see why it is expensive. Roadie fit is more streamlined so no flappy fabric to reduce aero drag. Personal preference but I think it looks quite nice in black.

bails87

Road use=slimmer fit.
I say go for it. I'm chuffed with my Gore Phantom, incredibly versatile.

stantheman206

Thanks for replies. I was wondering what size I was? Normally a large but with Gore I'm border line large/x large. With the slimmer fit should I go for the XL ??? I'm 6ft and 40" chest, 34" waste ??

delcol

i would go for the bigger size, so you can layer up.. layers make a huge difference this time of year when it's cold.

cubicboy

I have one of these in black with grey inset panels. It's a great jacket and I wear it for winter 50+ miles road cycling, commuting and MTB jaunts. As I'm mainly a roadie, I went for a tighter fit so a medium was just right for my physique (6ft, 40" chest and 34" waist... the same as you). A friend also has one: he is slightly slimmer than my medium/slim build, and he also has a medium.
So where is it good? The fit is nice and snug; it's very breathable; the waterproofing is excellent; it looks like a quality piece of kit; it's quite toasty. The only downside – and this isn't that applicable to MTB – is that for road riding the single back pocket isn't that big: as all MTB riders carry a rucksack, this isn't going to pose a problem.
A highly recommended product!

njee20

I went for a tighter fit so a medium was just right for my physique (6ft, 40" chest and 34" waist... the same as you).

Really!? I'm a medium in Gore jackets (really like my Oxygen softshell) at 5'10"/36" chest/30" waist. I'm surprised you can bend your arms.

Don't be put off by the road moniker, they're excellent jackets.

cubicboy

njee20 wrote:

I went for a tighter fit so a medium was just right for my physique (6ft, 40" chest and 34" waist... the same as you).

Really!? I'm a medium in Gore jackets (really like my Oxygen softshell) at 5'10"/36" chest/30" waist. I'm surprised you can bend your arms.

Don't be put off by the road moniker, they're excellent jackets.

Honest guv, that's two guys at 6ft both with the same jacket, both fitting perfectly. Yes, I'd say snug-ish but sleeves bend easily and are a decent length – even with dropped roadie bars.

njee20

Well yes, you said your friend was slimmer, so not sure how relevant that is :?

It must be a much more relaxed cut than the Oxygen!

stantheman206

I tried my mates gore on today and his is a medium although not sure what model it is. If I didn't have a bit if a gut on me it what have fitted ok, a tad tighter than I would like. Therefore I have decided to go for a large, this should give me that all important inch more.....around the stomach ;-)!!.

Only problem now is I keep seeing the cosmo and Tool soft shells from gore on sale as well. Arrrrgghhh which one???

stantheman206

Done it, ordered the Large Gore contest SO in Black for £69.99 from Evans. Fingers crossed this will be OK.
Since then i have seen the Countdown at Alpine cycles for £80!! Too late now I suppose!!

cubicboy

njee20 wrote:

Well yes, you said your friend was slimmer, so not sure how relevant that is :?

What was getting at was that two people of the same height and shape both decided that the medium was the right size for them at 6ft medium / slim build. Just trying to give as much objective and relevant info.