It’s been two years since Gore announced the retirement of Gore-Tex Shakedry technology. That was before the ban on environmentally harmful PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl) fabrics, which was rolled out state by state in the US and will soon be adopted by the European Union.
Shockwaves have been felt throughout the cycling industry ever since, as it wasn’t just Shakedry’s iconic jacket that included the chemicals. Almost all fabrics used to build best waterproof cycling jackets use these chemicals. Brands had to start over.
The undercurrent during this period of change has been the fear that all of our wet weather gear is going to get a lot worse to keep us dry.
We caught up with a number of cycling apparel brands to hear how they’ve adapted to and overcome the challenge of going PFAS-free, and what that means for your favorite cycling rain jacket.
Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel and Team Soudal Quick-Step in the rain ahead of the 2024 103rd Tre Valli Varesine wearing Castelli rain jackets.
(Image: Getty Images)
Castle
Castelli was hit hard by the PFAS ban with its iconic The Gabba one of the first to feel the consequences of the US ban. Castelli quickly turned around with a recycled Gabba R.
Castelli Global Brand Manager and half-inventor of the original Gabba Steve Smith explained: “If you asked me. [about the legislation] even six months ago I would have been really negative.
“The brand looked at a number of ‘impervious membranes,'” he said, but they just kept the rider wet from the inside.
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“A lot of fabric suppliers were going down this road, all thinking about waterproofing but not breathability,” he admits, confirming that this was the reason for the breakup of the long-standing partnership with Gore-Tex fabrics.
“For some reason, the industry has put a bit of a ridiculous value on what can be defined as waterproof,” says Smith, explaining that it has historically been tested to 10,000mm of water column, or 10m of water pressure, which puts you under pressure. “If you’ve ever dived to a depth of 10m, you know what the pressure feels like,” he says, adding that the standard is designed so that you can sit with your full body weight in a pool of water.
“On a bike, we don’t really have this level of pressure pushing water through,” says Smith, explaining that a typical rainstorm is equivalent to about 800mm of water, add the rider’s speed and, according to Smith, the Cyclist will remain effectively waterproof even in 2000mm of water. in the column.
“Once again we have a ‘standard’ designed to sell over-engineered fabrics that go beyond what we actually need and sacrifice breathability in the process,” says Smith, before he confirmed that Castelli’s new Gabba R product tested up to 5000 mm. from the water column.
“We still have waterproof cases,” he explains, before concluding that waterproofing isn’t off the table, but you’ll be drier and more comfortable all day in something much more breathable.
(Image: Getty Images)
Santini
A technological breakdown of cycling rainwear
(Photo by Rachel Sokal)
The fabric of most waterproof jackets is a sandwich of three layers; exterior with a durable water repellent (DWR) treatment that visibly repels water as it repels, a breathable waterproof membrane in the middle and a softer knit next to the skin. Gore-Tex Shakedry eliminated the outer layer, exposing the PFAS-containing ePTFE membrane, and did not need a DWR coating. This is what makes it so light, waterproof and breathable, and convenient because it has never needed repairs. The challenge now is to recreate it without the use of PFAS chemicals.
As a brand that hasn’t used Gore-Tex fabrics since 2017, opting instead to work with fabric manufacturing house Polartec, Santini says it was ready to phase out PFAS fabrics much earlier than some cycling apparel brands.
“The fabric has to work harder because you’re sweating, and a cyclist gets to that point much faster than someone going for a walk in the woods,” says Fergus Niland, Santini’s creative director.
“Critical Criterion [in cycling] it’s the air exchange that keeps you from getting wet from the inside out,” adding that it’s this internal accumulation of sweat that’s responsible for getting cold on a wet ride,” he adds, explaining the challenges of creating a breathable waterproof membrane.
Made from Bio-Nylon, which is Polartec-certified to contain 48 percent plant-based content, the Polartec Power Shield Pro fabric, which Santini uses for its best water-repellent jackets, returns to a three-layer membrane system while being PFAS-free. which Niland confirms will require PFAS-free DWR processing over time.
Last week, Santini launched its Magic rain jacket, one of the first garments to use the new Polartec Power Shield RPM fabric, a very light, stretchy, packable and highly breathable material. The fabric is made from environmentally friendly, recycled polyester.
Michael Storer, Tudor Pro Cycling Team Giro d’Italia 2024, Stage 17, Team ASSOS Rain Jacket
(Image: Getty Images)
Asos
What are PFAS?
(Image: GORE)
Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as “permanent chemicals”, are not only used in cycling kit. Found in various foams, pacemakers, non-stick pans and thousands of everyday products, PFAS is resistant to heat, oil, grease and, most importantly, cycling, water. The problem is that they don’t break down, finding their way into water systems, into the soil, into us. Chemicals have been linked by scientists including United States Environmental Protection Agency and: European Environment Agencyto serious health and environmental problems.
An exception to the PFAS no spin is Assos. The brand’s senior development manager Luca Zanaska and textile expert Claudio Lanfranco confirmed that it is just starting to phase out the fabric from its collections, with summer 2025 seeing the first changes, and the brand hopes to be PFAS-free by autumn. /winter 2025/ 26.
Asking the pair more about the expected performance of these new entry fabrics, Lanfrancon explains that “there won’t be much of a noticeable difference for the rider,” adding that users may notice a little less water resistance.
“We have big changes planned for 25/26,” Zanaska lets slip. “Winterwear performance will remain the same, but accessories will avoid waterproofing.”
Asking Zanasca more, he tells me that much of the focus will be on the brand’s best-selling Mille GTS. [Wasserschnause] Rain jacket S11. “The new version will improve on the last iteration, with similar waterproofing but improved breathability,” he says, before concluding that “it’s not just a case of making a rain jacket, its application and fit are just as important.”
The Altura NightVision Storm rain jacket is a favorite among British cyclists.
(Image: Altura)
Altura
British brand Altura, which only caters to UK riders, is not subject to US or EU PFAS legislation. Own brand boss Ian Yang was keen to insist that Altura is still working to permanently remove the chemical from its fabrics, stating:
Young says the popular Altura Night Vision range is nearly PFAS-free, but legacy stocks are still in circulation.
Yang confirmed that when comparing the older PFAS-based fabric to the newer version of the Night Vision range, the waterproofing didn’t last as long.
“New fabrics require you to wash and retread more often. It won’t come out of the box. You just have to be a little more mindful of them,” Young explains.
“If anything, the new fabrics are going to be better,” he adds optimistically. “They will be stronger and more stable than the old Gore-Tex Shakedry [ePFE), which had a lot of usage restrictions, such as the risk of damage when using a rucksack or riding off-road.”
The Women’s Cinder Kinetic Waterproof Biking Jacket
(Image credit: RAB)
RAB
Rab (Equip Deutschland GmbH group) has very much led the charge on PFAS-Free fabrics, as early adopters of the Gore ePE (PFAS-Free) fabrics.
Cycling Weekly has already covered the brand’s move to providing Material Facts transparent data sheets for every piece of RAB apparel, and its road map to becoming completely PFAS-free can be found on the Rab website.
Equip Deutschland GmbH PR and Communications Manager for Europe, Sarah Kampf, informed me that the brand is now focusing on educating consumers who have “become very used to the performance of older PFAS waterproof fabric”.
“The newer solutions perform differently and have a different look and feel when wet,” admits Kampf, adding that fabrics now have to be treated and cared for differently after purchase, which she believes is the biggest challenge going forward.
The AlpKit Arro shell rain jacket
(Image credit: AlpKit)
AlpKit
Award-winning independent outdoor brand AlpKit has gained a loyal following of UK customers who buy into the brand’s ethical ethos.
Head of Clothing Ronnie Legg told me that the brand started moving away from PFAS-based DWRs more than five years ago, although, surprisingly the brand isn’t yet PFAS-free.
Legg says the challenges are often due to limits with supply-chain options on small amounts of fabric where sources of PFAS can cross-contaminate garments, such as the oil in sewing machines.
According to Legg, PFAS-free DWR fabrics are an imperfect solution. “It’s not that it doesn’t repel water as well [compared to PFAS), but that it doesn’t repel oil,” he says, explaining that dirt and contaminates can prevent the water-repellent effect, and will happen much quicker with PFAS-free DWR compared to the older formulations.
Legg reiterates the importance of customers doing more aftercare, washing, and re-proofing, which adding to customer demands for lighter-weight fabrics with higher levels of breathability, will mean a compromise on durability
Georg Steinhauser of Team EF Education – EasyPost in the Rapha rain jacket at the 20224 Tre Valli Varesine
(Image credit: Alamy)
Rapha
With Gore as a main fabric partner, Rapha was in a similar boat to Castelli when having to re-consider life without old PFAS-based fabrics. However, Rapha remained loyal to the brand and has just announced a new Rapha Gore-Text rain jacket.
Using the same new ePTE [PFAS-free] Featuring Gore-Tex fabric like the Gore Wear SpinShift Rain Jacket (see below), the rain jacket launched to much fanfare and fanfare, boasting that it’s completely windproof, reliably breathable and durable waterproof.
Committing to the fabric’s first performance wear, Rafa notes that the three-layer membrane is as thin as possible and is guaranteed to keep you dry.
However, what isn’t guaranteed is actually PFAS-free, which is the interesting small print reading hidden beneath the big headlines.
New GoreWear SpinShift Cycling Rain Jacket
(Image: GOREWEAR)
Price dress
As a fabric house and clothing brand, Gore and Gorewear have pulled a double act when it comes to forever moving away from chemicals in their range, creating a brand new fabric as well as shaping it into rainwear. Quietly announcing his groundbreaking slow departure Shakedry jacket and fabric two years ago, Gore had actually already been working on replacement Gore-Tex ePE fabrics for significantly longer.
Still launching in 2021, the expanded PFAS-free polyethylene (ePE) fabric is described by GoreWare product specialist Christian Mayer as ultra-thin and lightweight, while being able to provide the same level of “durability and durable waterproofing.”
The SpinShift GTX jacket, constructed using a new fabric, was released earlier this year as the brand took the opportunity to increase its use of sustainable textiles to include a recycled face textile and a recycled and dope-dyed backing material.
Michael Jean-Jacques Production Line Manager Gorewear explains the challenges of achieving a sport-specific fit and minimizing bulk created by waterproof taped seams. Despite the switch to a three-layer shell, Gorewear tells me there’s only a 37g gain when comparing its C5 GTX SD 1985 jacket and the new Spinshift GTX jacket (both sizes Large).
What does this mean for me?
It seems that the old days of melting endless water beads are over and, as many brands say, it’s now up to us as consumers to play our part in adapting to the ‘new normal’ when it comes to. Lifetime rainwear performance expectations.
The big take-home message for cyclists is that aftercare will be critical to the longevity of your future or existing PFAS-free cycling rain jacket.
We have tried to demystify how to do this waterproof your cycling gear using (eco-friendly) DWR treatments, which should help take some of the worry out of sticking a normally very expensive jacket in the washing machine.