If you want to ride a bicycle in western Oregon, you have to own good rain gear. Riders are always on the lookout for the new new thing. But it is our nature to be skeptical of manufacturers’ claims that garments are waterproof. We have learned that the proof is in the riding.

Last year, when I was preparing for the Cascade 1200, one of the purchases on my list was a new rain jacket. Despite the fact that it was staged in late June, the 2005 event was hammered by rain and cold weather. I expected the 2006 ride to be the same. In fact, it was the mirror opposite, with temperatures soaring above 110 degrees. I had just one opportunity to pull my new Showers Pass Elite Rain Jacket out of my trunk bag and it was not for protection from the rain. I used it to keep me warm on a late night descent off the eastern slope of Mt. Rainier into the Yakima Valley.

Since then I have worn the Elite Jacket in the rain, but never long enough to call it a true rain-soaked road test. Then, last week, while looking at the NOAA weather forecast, I could see that the likelihood of rain increased every day through the week until on Saturday, it read, “chance of rain 100%.”

With Northwest Crank just 7 weeks away, and with my longest rides hovering at 100K, I can ill afford to bag a training ride and stall my mileage build because of a little wet stuff. I mapped a 70-mile route that would take us up-valley on a tailwind, then give us shelter from the storm on the way back behind 1,500 foot Chehalem Mountain.

A handful of die-hard Oregon Randonneurs were sitting around a table at the Coffee Cottage when I walked in the door. I took note of the rain gear these folks had on: Gore, Campagnolo, REI, were a few of the brands I recall seeing. Mine was the only rain jacket from Showers Pass, which is ironic, since Showers Pass is headquartered in Portalnd, and distributed out of Seattle.

It was coming down hard as we rolled away from the tiny hamlet of Newberg into the Wine Country. I was feeling badly right out of the gate. I routed us along the heavily trafficked State Route 99. Cars and trucks speeding down this two-lane highway were hydroplaning on an inch of water. Their tires were vaporizing it; the spray created a blanket of mist that hung over the roadway, gaving us a mineral bath of asphalt, sand, and motor oil.

It was as bad as it gets in Oregon, which was good news for me: at last I had the conditions I needed to see if the Showers Pass jacket was all it had been cracked up to be in the reviews I had read in Bicycling Magazine and at the Boure Web site. The jacket performed just as the reviewers described, perhaps even better. I believe that I subjected it to even harsher conditions for a longer period than the other reviewers had done. Yet, I had the same experience. The jacket kept the rain from coming in, while moving my body heat out, leaving me comfortable and dry throughout the ride, even while climbing.

The temperature hovered in the mid-40s during the ride. We were on the road for about 6 hours, about an hour longer than planned, due to flooded roads, numerous pit stops, and an unfortunate crash involving one of the riders in our group. The rain came down steadily upon us for more than four hours.

Underneath the jacket I wore a long-sleeve wool t-shirt, and a wool cycling jersey over that. I expected my arms to sweat as they often do when I put on a rain jacket. It didn’t happen. The arms of the Showers Pass Elite are designed to scoop the air and move it up to the chest and onto the back, where it can escape through a large meshed vent. Heat building up on the arms will rise and escape through the vents in the armpits, or it can be forced out rapidly by opening the cuffs and activating the scoops. The key is to keep the cuffs open. Cover them with a large glove and you will shut down the ventilation system. You will heat up, sweat, and get wet from the inside.

Unlike many rain jackets, the Showers Pass Elite is not a multi-sport garment. The jacket is cut to fit a cyclist’s torso, which is elongated when in the riding position. The arms are, therefore longer than usual to ensure the cuffs cover the wrists. The tail is long enough to cover your entire back and bottom, even when you are stretched out and riding in the drops.

Other technical features of the Elite Jacket include:

• large back pocket welded to jacket
• waterproof front zipper with two-way slider
• fully taped seams
• waterproof armpit zippers
• large, covered back mesh vent
• airflow regulating gussetted cuffs with velcro closures
• tall collar to keep rain off your neck
• elastic cinch-cords at collar and hem
• large zippered back pocket
• extensive 3M scotchlite reflective taping
• light loop (for attaching an LED flasher) on rear vent
• micro-fleece collar
• velcro attachment points for (optional) compact hood

Lots of manufacturers claim their waterproof garments breath, but I have never owned one that actually lived up to that claim – until now. The Showers Pass Elite is made from eVent fabric, a waterproof material that is said to be 100% more breathable than Gore-tex. That is something I could not verify on my road test, but here is one fact worth noting. At the end of the ride, I took off the jacket and laid my wool jersey on the washing machine. The could see the jersey was totally dry, except for a two-inch line around the neck where my balaclava carried water in. I think that is remarkable.

Just as Shimano, Brooks, Mavic, and Paul are synonymous with the best in cycling components, Showers Pass has set a new standard by which all other rain gear will be measured. If you have to ride in the rain, you should be wearing an Elite Rain Jacket. It is worth every penny you will spend on it.

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