Customer Reviews

Gore Bike Wear Men's Phantom II Jacket, Red/Black, X-Large

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Expensive, but worth it. Simply amazing, I ride with it all winter, and since I usually run hot being able to dump the sleeves is great. The only bummer about this thing is the lousy zipper. For this price, the zipper should be a LOT better. Yes, it's a YKK, but it's prone to get stuck, or zip improperly. I have to be careful when zipping it up. This material is soft, and windproof. On top of that, it is amazingly water resistant. Did a lot of rain rides last year and was amazed at how dry I stayed. Highly recommended.

12/26/11

Update. I noticed that Amazon had a couple of the colors on sale ($135!!) and I decided to get another one despite the front zipper issues. I went with black because
my yellow one has gotten really grungy looking and I can't get it to look really clean anymore. Bummer. I have had the black one for a couple of weeks and
Im really happy with it. And oddly, the front zipper on this one doesn't give me anywhere near the problems my other one does. They appear to be identical,
but this one works with no issues about 99% of the time. My other one, I still have to be really careful with when zipping it up.

Everything else is the same though it seems. Best cycling gear I own, though I can't wait for late Spring when I can hang it back up again!! Dang, I see the price
has gone back up on all the ones that were discounted.

I shopped a while and read many reviews before selecting this jacket. It has been a very good purchase and I would recommend it to others. So far, I have used it from 30 degrees to 60 degrees (F), always with a base later. It is a bit too warm for 60, and seems plenty warm for the going below 30 degrees.

The removable sleeves are a great feature, but I have to agree with other reviews about the zippers being a little delicate. I have been careful with the zippers and have not had any failures. But, I would advise not to take the chance of removing the sleeves while riding, especially wearing winter gloves as you could easily break the zippers.

The jacket is not as wind-proof as I would have liked, especially on a descend after your base layer is a little sweaty from a climb. On colder days, I have opted to carry a spare base layer and changed at the summit of a climb and have had good success.

I am 6'2" and 185 lbs and ordered the XL. The sleeves are long enough and the jacket fits snug. I think the bottom is a little short and the back tends to creep up during a ride when filling the pockets. I would opt for a XXL (or larger if they make it) next time.

I think the reflective material on the sleeves looks fairly ugly in the pictures, but is not a big deal after using the jacket. I purchased the red jacket and the reflective material wants to stay on the inside of my arm while riding. As a result, the sleeve appears all red in color to others who see me coming. The down side, the reflective material is not as visible as you would have thought. The reflective strips on the back are perfect, though.

This review is very critical and seems to have a lot of negative. However, I truly recommend this jacket and have two riders in my group who have already bought one based on my recommendation. I hope these details help you decide on the best jacket for you.

Got this jacket at the start of the fall riding season. Liked the fit right away and the quality is good too. Especially liked the ability to remove the sleeves in just a few seconds. This lets you use the jacket in the chilly morning ride to work then have a nice gillet to wear on the way home when it is a bit warmer. Really like the versatility. I've also been impressed with the ability of the jacket to turn water yet remain breathable. Got caught on a return ride (3 hours) in the cold steady rain wearing this jacket, a mid-layer and thermal T. The jacket turned the rain like a champ and I was comfortable the entire 3 hours. Very pleased with the jacket and would highly recommend it. For the value, the price is not bad at all.

I have one of these for myself and one for my son. It cuts the wind, breathes well, keeps light rain off you, comes down over your butt and generally feels good. Zip off sleeves make it useful for 3 seasons. Highly recommended.

This is a great jacket, thoughtfully designed and good looking. It's also warmer than I expected because the windstopper fabric on the front is so effective. By wearing layers underneath I can stay warm in just about any cold weather. The elastic fabric back panel provides ventilation and contributes to a form fit (ie. no fabric flapping when I ride.) I'm looking forward to trying it out with the long sleeves removed in the spring.

The cut, fabric, and look of the Phantom II are just what I was looking for in an autumn cycling jacket. It does a great job of shedding light moisture and insulating me from the wind. This is a very warm and breathable material. The cut in back makes it cycling specific, which I wanted, but doesn't hang as low in back as the Oxygen or Countdown jackets, which I didn't want.

I own plenty of Gore Bike Wear products (as well as cycling clothes made by others), and I know full well that zippers on cycling jerseys and jackets have to be light-weight and a little delicate. Nobody wants a fat, heavy zipper on these kinds of clothes. I've seldom had trouble with zippers before because I'm very careful with them, so I ignored the warnings about this jacket's zipper in other reviews here--attributing them to people not being used to these kinds of clothes. I haven't attempted to take off the sleeves yet, but it's true that the front zipper gets stuck and misaligned far too easily. Unless mine is unusual (based on the other reviews here that doesn't seem to be the case), there is something different about this zipper from what Gore uses on its other products. I haven't decided yet whether or not to return it, but wrestling with a cheap, flawed zipper isn't how I like to start and end my rides.

Sweet jacket, breathable, warm, no complaints. Might be too warm for San Diego's weather though. The white is easy to get dirty. I'd recommend another color.
~billy

While listed as a jacket, it's really a jersey-jacket hybrid. It has windstopper front and sleeves, but the material on the back and sides is similar to a jersey and very breathable. Removing the long sleeves reveals short sleeves underneath made of the same breathable material as the back. It has three pockets on the back, the outer two are slanted slightly to provide easy access and the stretchy middle pocket can hold a good bit of stuff. Although a tad bulky, both sleeves will fit in the middle pocket or one each in the outer pockets.

Performance:
I've worn this jacket on virtually every ride since I purchased it November and it hasn't let me down. If the temperature is above 50, I'll typically wear just a light-weight sleeveless base-layer under it. If I remove the sleeves, it's a comfortable jersey - cool enough to use with the temperatures into the 70s. I've ridden in temperatures as low as 30 with a mid-weight base layer, but below 40 I recommend a heavy base layer or outer shell. The windstopper fabric effectively lives up to its name and provides a reasonable amount of water resistance. I was caught in a cold rain shower for the last 10 miles of a recent road ride and was still relatively dry and comfortable. I've seriously splattered this jacket with mud mountain biking and it still looks nearly new after repeated washings.

Fit:
I'm 6' and 175 lbs and ordered a large which is snug but not uncomfortable (this is performance cycling attire and you don't want loose clothing flapping in the breeze). The fit is more like a casual jersey than a jacket, but there is room for a couple of body hugging layers underneath. It's definitely snug in the chest, but the material stretches and moves well with your body and I've never felt constrained when riding. It's cut so it actually feels more comfortable when on the bike than when standing or walking around in it. The sleeves are long enough that it's easy to tuck my winter gloves under them but not so long that they get in the way. The only nit I have to pick is the short sleeves can feel a bit bunched up around the arm pits, particularly with thicker or multiple layers underneath. And it would be nice to have a draw cord on the waist.

This the most expensive piece of cycling clothing I've purchased and I feel it is worth every penny.

I have been out with this jacket for a dozen or so rides now with a wide range of temperatures and conditions and have been extremely comfortable at all times. As long as you're smart about your base layer this is a VERY versatile jacket. I'm very happy.

This is a very nice quality bike jacket. The jacket size do run a lil bit on the smaller size. The zip away sleeves are great.