ive owned this jacket for about 4 weeks now (ouch to my wallet)…its been simply stunning for the first 4 weeks, its lightweight, waterproof, windproof and nice looking……its been flawless, the water has beaded of it under around 4 rides of torrential rain..

i have not washed it in the 4 weeks, as its not got overly dirty and the waterproof seemed to stand up to any rain….

howeverrrrr last night it rained from start to finish on a 2and half hour ride – some drizzly, some heavy but it never stopped!

it was this ride that the jacket decided to stop beading, mainly on the arms, alot of the jacket is still beading, but the arms im sure are soaking through…..i was damp on the inside probably through some sweat but certainly some rain as well, as i let it dry over night and tried it under a tap this morning, and it soaked through leaving my hand a little wet……

so is it normal that waterproof should need washing and reproofing after just 4 weeks? and probably 4 or 5 rainy rides two of which were constant and heavy?

any jacket owners experiences appreciated 🙂

Not an owner but was looking hard at buying one. After a very similar experience with Paclite, I’ll give it a miss. Sounds like pro-shell is favorite again.

wrecker – its a seriously top jacket, i know it doesnt so above – but it has been pretty extreme weather the last two rides, im not saying i was wet, it was more just damp arms, everywhere else was dry (chest, back, lower front etc)….just literally my arms, but i guess they are exposed the most…

it may be totally normal for the beading to stop afte so many hours of getting wet and muddy though….as i said ive not washed it yet so could totally go back to beading all over if i do…

any thoughts any folksssss

Ask Gore and see what they say,

Rarely use waterproofs myself as I sweat like you wouldn’t believe thus rendering them basically expensive plastic wrapping for my body. I will aways end up with more sweat on the inside than there is water on the outside.

I’d try washing it before you ask Gore. They are likely to tell you to anyway.
Mine’s done about the same number of rides and is fine by the way. Its pretty dirty but still seems to work.

Sounds normal, they are all great when brand new.

what scruff said IMO. similar issues with Endura Stealth last winter. It has been washed half a dozen times and doesn’t bead at all. Still fine for most rides though and warm as toast

Yes all good when new.
Had a goretex paclite, then endura mt500.
Both awesome to start with, now only used for the odd shower.
Prolonged rain and they fail*

*even after reproofing.

I remeber reading that a gentle spin in the tumble dryer can rejuvinate the DWR finish on some materials. Might be worth a try if you’re washing anyway. I have a Paramo jacket which isn’t like the Goretex membrane, and that has instructions to wash regularly with Nikwax stuff (and clean dispensing drawer first or hand wash), not regular detergent which can damage the waterproofing properties.

cheers for the thoughts – ill email gore see what they suggest, or whether they tell me its normal after 3 weeks use….

ive just recently bought some new nikwax stuff with the new 11.1 and did my gorebikewear alp x shorts that were not beading off at all after a good winters use, wasnt expecting the result i got….

but the water totally beads off them now! even on the bum area which is sllightly worn….im not saying they will last, but its certainly a good sign that they have gone from soaking in the material to completely beading all over in one wash with the new nikwax formula…

i guess washing the jacket (which is the same goretex) should really do the same!

but ill wait to hear from gore before deciding!

well had a response – they want it back said they will look into as its a new model and would like to check it out themselves rather than the store…..

said they dont recommend using nikwax at all, which is weird given its designed best for goretex/event fabrics…..

told me i can attempt to wash it first myself, and if that fails to send it to them to look into…..

not really sure what to do now, dont really want to be without my only winter jacket for any length of time 🙁 gutting!

im sure washing it will cure it, though the woman on email said if its going through the fabric then its reached the end of its life!! after 3 weeks!!!!!

Oh dear.

🙁 im gonna wash it and if it fails ill have to send it back!

not sure what to think, i love the jacket and its been amazing for 3 weeks of rain! that said a 220quid shouldnt fail after 3 weeks 🙁

I would just send it back, If they reply on the same day to an email chances are they will just ship you a new jacket and test your old one when they’re ready! They arent fussed about the value of your jacket its worth more to them having a happy customer, all they will want to do is keep you happy. Bet a new jacket arrives in a couple of days. Simples

Oscillate Wildly – Member
im gonna wash it and if it fails ill have to send it back!

not sure what to think, i love the jacket and its been amazing for 3 weeks of rain! that said a 220quid shouldnt fail after 3 weeks
Sorry to drag up an old thread but i’m interested in a Fusion, how did you get on sorting it out?

Most goretex jackets won’t bead for long, the goretex fabric doesnt require beading for it to still work.

I’ve had loads of goretex over the years and they’ve always been fine even when not beading they’ve kept the rain out.

Remember it does have a rating still and it is possible running it under a tap will be higher than the rain rating.

It was my understanding that if the outer wets out it will seriously compromise the breathability, as you effectively has a continual film of water coating/blocking the pours?

Gore-Tex and similar products need washing as the ‘pores’ get blocked up with dust and dirt and stop working. Also as said above tumble drying and ironing (on low temps obviously) help restore their breathability. And don’t worry about it not heading off anymore the membrane isn’t on the surface.
They also don’t breath if they’re submerged as the air can’t escape

Tom Kp.

Resurrecting this thread as my Gore Fusion AS does exactly the same thing…wetting out on the arms. Sounds like I should get in contact with Gore.

I thought I’d share my experience with the Gore Bike Wear AS Fusion Jacket. I’ve worn mine about 6 times and whilst it has kept the rain on the outside, I’ve found that it simply doesn’t breathe. For example, when I got home after a 1.5 hour ride last week with only a short-sleeved jersey underneath, the jersey was soaking and not from the rain. I’m an average height/weight so don’t sweat as much as someone might do who is overweight so it seems to me that the jacket just doesn’t breathe. I haven’t washed it so it cannot be due to incorrect washing. I’m hoping this might just be a faulty jacket and have contacted Gore to see what they can do. What are other people’s experiences with the breathability of this jacket? Does anyone know of a waterproof that definitely breathes well? I had a similar experience with an Altura Nevis jacket several years ago and that was returned to Wiggle for a refund.

tobys how wet was the outside of the jacket when you were riding? It can’t breathe while the outside of the jacket is soaked.

@tobys

Unless you live somewhere much colder than the UK is at the moment riding for 1.5 hours in any waterproof is a recipe for boiling in the bag. Even the most breathable ones just aren’t that breathable.

That’s not to say they don’t breathe at all, just not enough to let it all out when you’re working hard, especially if it’s warm/humid on the outside as well as the inside.

Of course there is the odd faulty one, but I think maybe you just need to lower your expectations.