Interbike Vendor Spotlight: Gore Bike Wear

December 29th, 2009 by Ron Callahan View Comments

We saw a lot of new products for women at Interbike this year, but Gore Bike Wear had something fairly revolutionary in their new XENON SONIC Lady Bibtights. Gore claims that these are the first high- performance bibtights perfectly tailored for women.

XENON SONIC Lady Bibtights are a more functional garment than any previous women’s shorts. They provide top performance, as well as simplifying toilet stops. The problem that turned many women away from this kind of cycling gear has been cleverly solved. Zip fasteners placed above the hips can be opened and closed with a single hand movement. And because of the extremely elastic material, once the zips are open the trousers can simply be pulled down. So there’s no need to remove your jersey, vest or jacket.

The specific mix of fabrics used in the XENON SONIC Lady Bibtights is designed for the anatomy and requirements of female road bikers. The design features a compression effect in the upper thigh to stimulate blood circulation, increasing performance and reducing recovery time at the end of a long day on the bike. And the material on the outside of the upper thigh features a golf-ball effect to cut down wind resistance.

The elastic leg straps and soft, comfortable suspender elements made of skin-friendly mesh material keep the trousers sitting perfectly for the whole trip. A special feature is the fastening point over the breast section of the garment, forming the suspenders into an X configuration across the wearer’s sternum. This provides much greater comfort for female bikers than any equivalent products in the past. The fastening can also be opened to make the trousers easier to put on.

The designers paid meticulous attention to the seat insert. Broader sit bones and the sensitive perineum area require a different chamois design than those for men. The solution was the use of an extremely dense perforated foam material for optimum sit bone comfort, also offering maximum breathability and ventilation. In contrast, only a thin cushion layer is provided in the area of the perineum, to protect this sensitive part of the body, with its numerous nerve channels, from any unnecessary pressure. The designers knew that an ideal pressure distribution is the only way to relieve stress and ensure a comfortable sitting posture. The overall cushion structure has been kept as thin as possible to prevent any diaper effect.

The special carbonium material developed by E.I.T. (Elastic Interface Technology) provides stretch in all directions, and therefore optimum freedom of movement in the saddle, balanced heat distribution and less friction.

Finally, the XENON SONIC Lady Bibtights come with an extensive range of reflective prints and a reflective logo, ensuring all-round visibility, and therefore maximum safety, for the wearer.

ALP-X Zip-Off Jacket

The first ALP-X jacket was launched on the market in 2005. The GORE-TEX® Paclite® Shell material used at that time already provided reliable protection from the wind and wet, along with its breathability.

The new-generation ALP-X jacket still does all this, but has also been reworked with some impressive new features. The garment is now reinforced with high-strength material on the shoulders and the outside of the lower arms – essential protection for narrow trails or when riding through forest country. Stretch gussets at the sides of the back and in the upper arms also ensure total freedom of movement for the biker.

In hot temperatures or during a tough ascent, simply open the front zip cover strip to start a flow of cool, fresh air via the patented ventilation insert, made of mesh material. And if you’re riding in the rain, the foldaway, removable hood can be worn to protect your sensitive head zones from the cold and the wet.

Weighing in at just 345 g (size L), the ALP-X jacket provides robust, lightweight protection. The long drop down tails offers spray protection but folds away for when your off you bike. The ultra-soft collar material prevents any unpleasant friction against your neck. The jacket is so compact that it’ll easily fit in your back pocket or stashed in your backpack – just the job for a long trip or a moorland crossing, when the weather can change without warning.

For more information, visit Gore Bike Wear.

Tags: cycling, gore alp-x jacket, gore bike wear, gore xenon sonic lady bibtights, Interbike, technology, women