One Lady Gore-Tex Shakedry Bike Jacket

We rarely leave home without Gore’s super-lightweight and breathable Shakedry rain jacket. Even a short ride into the mountains could mean rain, hail, or snow during the shoulder season, and this packable jacket helps ensure we won’t freeze on a wet descent. The Active One jacket is now available in a women’s-specific cut so lady riders don’t have to sacrifice fit for Gore’s superior rain and weather protection.

The One Lady Gore-Tex jacket is narrow through the arms and shoulders but provides extra room across the chest. It fits snugly and stays in place rather than flapping in the wind like we experienced with the men’s cut. The women’s cut also flares out at the hips, while an elastic hem helps hold the jacket in place without digging in at the stomach.

The jacket’s sleeves are bit too short for those of us with long arms, leaving a small patch of skin exposed between the cuffs and cycling gloves. (To be fair, our tester’s arms are atypically long and this is a normal problem for her when testing women’s gear.) For a rain jacket aimed at full protection, we’d like to see the sleeves measure slightly longer.

Gore’s Lady jacket uses the same Shakedry technology as the original Active jacket, making for an incredibly light and protective defense against the elements. The fabric is constructed in such a way that gives water nowhere to soak in, no chilling effect as you sweat, and no extra weight from moisture build-up. Water simply beads up on the surface of the jacket and easily shakes off.

Gore-Tex Active’s waterproof properties are built into the jacket’s single membrane material. It’s not a DWR coating, so it won’t wear off over time. According to Gore, the jacket remains waterproof no matter how long you use it in gnarly conditions. We’ve been caught out in some spring showers so far this season and the jacket kept us impressively dry.

Without a DWR coating, the single-membrane fabric is extremely light and packable. Our size medium One Lady jacket weighs just 96 grams and packs down to the size of two energy bars. We can fit it in any jersey pocket, including that odd middle pocket on Rapha jerseys. It is somewhat delicate, though, so use a little extra care when stuffing it in your pockets.

With the Lady One’s exceptional protection and ideal fit comes the hefty price tag of $280. But this is one piece of cycling gear that is truly worth the money. We use this jacket more than any other piece of outerwear in our closet and it’s saved us from foul weather more than a few times. If there is one piece of cycling wear to splurge on this year, Gore’s Lady One Shakedry jacket is it.