GORE WEARGore Bike Wear Men's Xenon 2.0 Active Shell Jacket

Great, versatile jacket that weighs close to nothing, packs into a jersey pocket easily, but absolutely stops wind in its tracks.Fit:According to GBW charts, I am sized at a medium. I also purchased a large as well to see which would fit me best. Most (if not all) GBW clothes are optimized for the cycling position. While standing straight, the jacket may feel tight across the shoulders and/or chest. But hunch over, extend the arms as if in a cycling position and the tightness should go away. This is normal, and I think the fit should be evaluated in this position.The jacket is intended to be a slim fitting jacket, meaning it should be snug and allows a little bit of layering room (unlike the comfortable fit jackets, like the Phantom, which allows me to layer a lot more). I tried the medium and large with various jerseys and layers to evaluate which would be the most comfortable with the most combinations. In the end, I chose the suggested medium. While it was very snug with a baselayer and thermal jersey while standing, it was comfortable in the cycling position, and I appreciated the streamlined fit (i.e., not a lot of excess material flapping in the wind making me look like a parachute). When worn with just a summer jersey, the medium really felt right relative to the large as that felt too loose.Performance:As the title suggests, this is a really effective windbreaker! I was able to wear it on two rides recently, one with a thermal jersey (~50-60F) and another time with a summer jersey (~60-70F). On both rides, I absolutely felt no wind coming through the jacket. Given the +10F rise in temps, I thought I would take the jacket off later in the ride due to overheating on both rides. But the jacket did a good job of breathing and regulating my temperature. So while I was getting warm towards the end of the ride, I never really did feel like I needed to take it off. While grinding up hills, I did however wish they had arm zips like their  Xenon 2.0 SO Jacket , but that would just have added weight and volume, taking away from the jacket's intention IMO.Summary:Great jacket that can be used in spring and in fall. It's great for long rides where the temps change over time and you need/want to take the jacket off and stow it. It's highly packable and easily fits in a jersey pocket or bike bag. But you may find you just don't need to because it breathes so well.

Chose this jacket after reading a thorough review of "weather" jackets in ?Cycle Sport?, a British cycle mag. This was their Editors' Choice amongst a dozen jackets. First the sizing...as other reviews indicate, this jacket fits small, i.e. it is Euro sizing. I am 5'10", 160#, 33" waist and 40" chest and I ordered both a L and XL. The XL is the correct fit for me, as per Gore's sizing chart. I wear a L in Sugoi, Louis Garneau, Capo jerseys and jackets.Inaugural test today starting the climb up Haleakala volcano on Maui when the rain was coming at us sideways in sheets. Major soil run off on the roads too, and the jacket was snug fitting on my chest, no noticeable wind flapping. Sleeves and wrist cuff fit was excellent and good length down my back. In short, the jacket did what it was designed to do...keep my upper body dry, despite all the crud coming at it. My only quibble is that the jacket doesn't have a pouch for it to fold into. The rear zippered pocket works, but it has a larger capacity than what the jacket needs and therefore is not as small as it could be.

I bought this as a lighter, more packable version of my Gore Oxygen AS GoreTex rain jacket (which is the best rain jacket I have owned and I have tried many over the years including prior version of the Gore Oxygen). I was looking for a jacket that was not quite as waterproof, but would breathe better and fit in a jersey pocket more easily. The Oxygen AS fits great. It is very tailored and has a true race fit in both the arms and the body. It is also easy to take on and off while riding because it has zippers at the wrists. The Xenon jacket does not fit anywhere near as well. It is tight in the chest and much looser in the arms. The lack of zippers or Velcro closures at the wrists makes taking it very difficult to take on and off while riding. The fabric is great. It packs much smaller the the Oxygen AS. The fit and difficulty taking it on and off makes it much less useful than I expected when I bought it.

I wear a Large in other Gore Bike Wear jackets. An XL in Castelli tops and jackets. I had to go to XXL on this Xenon 2.0 Active Shell in order to get enough versatility in sizing to carry much food in my jersey's back pockets on 75 mile and 100 mile rides. (OK, I tend to get obsessive and carry more food than I normally actually need on long rides.)That said, the quality of the workmanship and materials on this jacket is superb. Very light weight and it packs very small. Wonderful weather protection from wind and rain. Looks like it will last a long time if given careful handling and no long slides on the road tarmac...

Choosing jackets such as these online, like footwear, has been a bit of a gamble. So I was relieved and again uber pleased with my Gore BW purchase on receiving and wearing this one. On time delivery as usual. I'm 6 feet tall / 180 cm 195lbs 41 inch chest. XL is a Perfect race fit. Jacket is super light and folds to fit pocket with ease. The high-reflective 3M build is spectacular visible day, rain and at night. Highly recommended jacket.

I must admit that every time I pull on a Gore cycling product, I enter a zen state of comfort. This jacket is no exception. I have never had a cycling rain jacket that was so effective and so perfect in many ways. The fit is tight, so this will not flap, even on a long, windy mountain descent. My only complaint is that the Xenon 2.0 AS is not offered in day-glow yellow. Gore sizes run small so make sure to size up if you've never tried on any of their products.

I ordered a large and normally wear a large in just about everything I buy for cycling. The chest was very tight and offered little room to breathe. I returned the item today and didn't think the XL would fit any better. I'm a short and stocky type person at only 5'6". I'm not the slim trim typical cycling person you see in the pictures. HA! The jacket looked bomb proof and I was looking forward to wearing it in our windy weather in Maryland. Better luck next time I guess.