2piece textiles
Time to swap the riding jeans and summer gloves for this…
Held Atacama Gore-Tex £967 £748 (jacket), (trousers)
» Held aren’t big in the UK but the Germans are huge at home and you can see why
– the kit is well-engineered, flawlessly put together and conservatively styled. This Atacama is 100% waterproof, very breathable and every detail is nailed
– the cuffs seal perfectly, the neck is comfortable etc. It is crazy expensive, but I bet I’m wearing it in 10 years. JW
Dane Ribe & Lyngby Gore-Tex £799 £530 (jacket), (trousers)
» I’m not bothered by fancy-named fabrics. I am bothered about kit being weatherproof, comfortable, easy to put on (or take off) and well made. Dane’s clobber is all of this, with the added benefit of things like a stretchy storm collar and the best storm cuffs I’ve ever used. It’s not cheap, but that’s because this Gore-tex Pro kit is great quality. MA
Alpinestars Bogota V2 £279 £189 (jacket), (trousers)
» This is decent mid-price kit that I’ve used for over a year on long and short rides and in heavy rain. Fit and comfort are good. The only issues have been a broken (and fixable) elastic collar tab and a stiff pocket zip. But I hate removable inner waterproof liners which require you to take off the jacket and spend 15 minutes fighting the liner into place. HW
Weise Onyx Evo & Baltimore £330 £270 (jacket), (trousers)
» An integrated face mask reduces cold exposure and the trousers use temperature-regulating fabric. However, separating outer and waterproof layers means that the only jacket pocket that is capable of staying dry in a rainstorm is the one sewn into the inner thermal layer. Which isn’t ideal. BL
‘Lest you ever forget that Guy Martin was a sublime road racer’