Sit me and one of my riding buddies within earshot of a non-cyclist in a local cafe and I’d wager our chat would slip completely under the radar. Not because it’s dull – although perhaps not everyone wants to hear about the best waterproof cycling jackets – but because it would be laced with enough jargon to totally baffle any casual listener.
The world of cycling is absolutely stuffed with specialist terminology. That’s all well and good for a tech journalist like me, or my equally nerdy mates, but it can make the sport feel a bit impenetrable – especially when you’re shopping around for tech-heavy kit. Weather you’re looking for the best winter cycling jacket, a new groupset, or maybe the best winter cycling gloves, you’re going to be greeted with a whole host of jargon.
Take waterproofing, for example. What on earth is “PFAS”? And how can a single waterproof jacket somehow boast a three-layer membrane? With so many fabric brands, coatings, and design features competing for attention, it can be tricky to make sense of it all. So, to help stop you drowning in the jargon, I’ve put together this waterproofing terminology buster, in alphabetical order. Come back to it whenever you need, and as brands add more jargon to the pot I’ll update it.
2-, 2/5-, and 3-layer waterproof fabrics
Waterproof jackets tend to consist of three layers: A face fabric, a membrane, and a liner.
The outer two layers, those being the membrane and the face fabric are bonded together. The presence and form of the third layer, usually the liner, is what determines that kind of fabric you’re dealing with.
3-layer jackets are usually bonded to a slightly thicker inner layer. This is what most ‘normal’ waterproof fabrics consist of, especially when dealing with cycling clothing.
2.5-layer jackets combine the two outer layers with an ultrathin laminate lining. This drops weight and makes things more packable, but can reduce durability.
2-layer jackets in general are cheaper and feature no internal lining to the fabric itself, with the mesh being ‘backed’ by a floating mesh sewn into the lining of the jacket as a whole.
Somewhat confusingly, some 2-layer fabrics, like the old Gore-Tex Shakedry, dispense with the face fabric instead, and are…
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