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Waterproof jackets

(19 posts)
  • Started 10 years ago by I were right about that saddle
  • Latest reply from ianfieldhouse

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  1. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    So my Night Vision Evo has died and I sent an e-mail to the manufacturers;

    Hi, I have a Night Vision Evo jacket dating from October 2010. I recently started using a rucksack on the bike and in twelve weeks the PTFE membrane on the jacket has totally disintegrated on the shoulders and back, exactly where the rucksack touches the jacket. The membrane has just turned into fluorocarbon dandruff. The jacket has been washed according to the care label maybe twenty times in its life. Is this normal for an Altura jacket? I need to replace this item now and I think I'll be looking at the Gore bikewear range if this is normal Altura performance. Thanks, IWRATS.

    Back comes the reply;

    Dear IWRATS,

    Many thanks for your email regarding your Altura Night Vision Evo jacket and we’re sorry to hear that you have an issue with it.

    We have been in touch with our Technical Support team who have advised that if the location of the degradation of the lining corresponds to where the friction from your rucksack occurs then this is highly likely to be due to a combination of friction and possible moisture build up within the jacket. Regrettably the jacket is now outside of its two year warranty and we’re sorry we have been unable to help you further on this occasion.

    So I'm disappointed that another cycling jacket has bitten the dust. (Though heartened that Altura employ people who can use an apostrophe correctly.) 150 hours of rucksack use should not rub straight through Goretex.

    Anybody got any recommendations for a good waterproof? I had a Gore Bike jacket before that lasted ages and still lives on as a running jacket.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  2. gembo
    Member

    There was a thread a week or two back with the holy grail of waterproof, breathable and pack able. Now to add. Rucksack resistant. Goretex seems very light these days. Will it resist rucksack rub?

    Posted 10 years ago #

  3. wingpig
    Member

    Nope. Gore succumbs extremely quickly, given how early it happened with my Gore Paclite and how little I had worn it. I have a photo somewhere...

    Posted 10 years ago #

  4. gkgk
    Member

    Four years and twenty washes then 150 hours of ruckyrub isn't bad going.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  5. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Rucksack resistant.

    Odd. Hillwalking waterproofs are very resistant to this, and it's usually one of the things they cover when reviewing on tests. I know they're generally heavier weight than cycling ones, but it shouldn't me impossible now should it?

    Posted 10 years ago #

  6. steveo
    Member

    I doubt a walking pack moves as much as smaller lightweight rucksack one would be comfortable using on a bike.

    Its at this point that I say, Carradice or panniers, any light weight wind/water proof and no worries about abrasion.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  7. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Even a messenger bag if a backpack is your thing.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  8. DaveC
    Member

    "150 hours of rucksack use should not rub straight through Goretex."

    I'm sorry but I have to disagree.

    This is one reason I moved to panniers, I have stuff no my back whilst cycling too. As others have said, 4 years, seems a good length of time for a regularly used jacket, made from Gore Tex.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  9. crowriver
    Member

    Yeah, ditch the rucsac and go for one of these:

    - courier bag (pref. with clippable waist belt to stop it swinging about)
    - saddlebag (Carradice Camper Longflap holds masses of stuff. Other saddlebags are available)
    - panniers (you will need a rear rack)
    - rack pack (you will need a rear rack)

    Posted 10 years ago #

  10. steveo
    Member

    - rack pack (you will need a rear rack)

    Or one of those seat post racks Americans favour over Carradice.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  11. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Or one of those seat post racks Americans favour over Carradice.

    Ugly, ugly things. Best avoided!

    Posted 10 years ago #

  12. twinspark
    Member

    IWRATS - Thanks for starting this post. I have an Altura jacket that must now be pushing a dozen years old. It ceased being 100% waterproof a few years back. I always carried luggage on the bike and not my person back then.

    For various reasons, although having a rack for bulky objects I now use a courier bag.

    As the jacket had ceased being waterproof I can't say if there's any causal link between the bag and waterproofness. I *DID* however have a replacement Altura Night Vision Evo "Saved for Later" on Amazon for a purchase this year. Looks like not actually buying may have been a smart move at present given your issues.

    In the case of my Altura Jacket, you can see the membrane coming away. This is the same as what happened with a Berghaus outdoors jacket I owned previously. I currently have a different Berghaus jacket which will no doubt go the same way. The sad thing is that between the 2 Berghaus' I had a Paramo. As long as it was washed and re-proofed it remained 100% waterproof (the only reason I got rid of it was that I eventually - again after a dozen or so years - wore a number of holes in it and then the zip went).

    I don't know if Paramo do anything cycling specific however I'd definitely recommend the brand / the Analogy fabric they use.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  13. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I don't know if Paramo do anything cycling specific however I'd definitely recommend the brand / the Analogy fabric they use.

    Unless you run hot / are a natural born sweater! I have and love my Paramo smock, but for cycling I would boil in the bag with it.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  14. Nelly
    Member

    @crowriver

    saddlebag (Carradice Camper Longflap holds masses of stuff

    The saddlebag of champions.

    Mine has been in almost daily use for 3 years now, and not a drop of water has seeped through - amazing item, carries astonishing amounts and doesnt give you a sore back !

    Posted 10 years ago #

  15. Roibeard
    Member

    Re Paramo, I've got their Quito jacket, which is their solution to the usual warmth - "analogy light".

    I've found it to be fine for weather that had been toasting in my Freestyle (yep, that old!) Gore-tex jacket, which has a thin fleece lining.

    Indeed the Quito is a bit cool in winter, where the Freestyle jacket would have sufficed over a t-shirt. I put this down to the windproofing, as the Quito is definitely less windproof (and thus substantially more breathable) than the Gore-tex. One can actually breathe through the Quito! Quite how it is water proof, I'm not sure...

    That said, if you sat on wet ground in the Quito trousers, I'm sure you'd get a wet behind, compared to sitting in Gore-tex trousers, but for bike use, one isn't usually sitting in a puddle!

    You probably won't get to try the Quito on locally, but the Velez smock is often available - same fabric, but different design (no full length zip, different pockets, etc).

    I should add that Paramo don't recommend the Quito trousers for cycling - I don't think they'd stand up to the saddle wear, compared to my Gore trousers with reinforced seat...

    Robert

    Posted 10 years ago #

  16. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Thanks folks. I think I probably will go back to pannier use. I took the rack off when I was using a trailer last summer and never put it back on until a couple of weeks back. I was enjoying the fact that the rucksack stayed clean. Panniers (I use Vaude roll-tops) get filthy, which is a bit out of place in the office.

    I'll look at those jackets, and maybe even get around to making a pair of waterproof overshorts. That's something that seems to be missing from the market.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  17. ianfieldhouse
    Member

    I'm intrigued by the Carradice saddle bags since my current rucksack is on the verge of giving up the ghost. I'd never really considered them as an option, but since my cross bike can't take a rack they might be something I'd be interested in. Does anywhere in Edinburgh (or nearby) stock them? I'm not really sure what size I'd need for my daily commit so would prefer to see them in the flesh before deciding to buy one.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  18. chdot
    Admin

    Old thread/pic, but I assume BikeTrax still does them -

    http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=4235#post-44417

    Posted 10 years ago #

  19. ianfieldhouse
    Member

    @chdot Thanks. I should have thought to use the search – I'm blaming the wine! Looks like I need to take a trip down to BikeTrax in my lunch break.

    Posted 10 years ago #

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