This year, W. L. Gore & Associates is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its GORE BIKE WEAR™ brand.
What began back in 1985 with the development of the first GORE-TEX® cycle jacket has today developed into the world's most successful cycle wear brand.

Pioneering spirit and passion
It was only thanks to some of its employees and their persistence and enthusiasm for sports that Gore was able to establish a new business segment in 1985. The employees in question were passionate racing cyclists, and included Dr. Heinrich Flik, then managing director and current chairman of the supervisory board. They were looking for an innovative solution that would allow them to indulge in their favourite pastime in any weather. The requirements were as follows: a waterproof, breathable jacket that could be stowed away in a small space, was extremely light, and which fitted perfectly and would protect the rider in the racing position.

The result was the "Giro", a bike jacket that was made for the first time from an extremely light GORE-TEX® laminate, and had the impressive properties of being waterproof, windproof and breathable as well - a first in race wear for cyclists. Up until then, the GORE-TEX® brand had only been known for outdoor wear.
As well as featuring a revolutionary material, the "Giro" was notable for its functional racing cycle design, which was immediately patented. Today, the principle features of this special cut with an extended back form the basis for virtually every sports cycling jacket.

The first jackets were produced and then distributed to cycling teams for testing. Encouraged by some very positive feedback, Gore offered the "Giro" jacket to manufacturers like Gonso, Castelli and Adidas. Up to that point, Gore's business model did not envisage it operating as a manufacturer itself, but instead, focused on selling materials and technologies to its strategic licensed partners.
However, these partners were not convinced that such a jacket could be successful. Many reckoned that the potential offered by such a narrow niche market was too small. As well, because of the complex processing and the use of new technologies, the garment retailed at a price level unheard of at that time in the cycle wear market. 
But Gore remained undeterred, and began direct negotiations with the leading sports cycling dealer in Europe at that time-and ended up by securing its first customer. The "Giro" jacket was given a full-page display in the company's catalogue, highlighting all of its functional benefits. The response was overwhelming and the first orders started to come in. This success story spread rapidly in sports biking circles, and the jacket quickly became very popular. This heralded the birth of GORE BIKE WEAR™.

New technologies and applications
A major breakthrough came in 1992 with the introduction of GORE BIKE WEAR™ products with WINDSTOPPER® liner fabric. The new products protected the wearer against wind chill effect, ensuring that the cyclist could perform better, since less energy was needed to regulate body heat. Thanks to the new technology, the functional range for the products was greatly expanded, now making it possible to target groups such as mountain bikers and sports touring cyclists. From the start, special products were developed for women, incorporating gender-specific features.

The success of these new, highly functional products was enough to convince many well-known manufacturers such as Löffler, Castelli, Santini and Etxe Ondo to trust the special properties of the Gore textiles and upgrade their own collections accordingly. GORE BIKE WEAR™ is proud that it was the first company to offer finished products made from its own laminates, and that it expanded the market as a result.

The next important step in the development of GORE BIKE WEAR™ followed in 1993. "We received constant feedback from the market through our close and extremely valuable cooperation with international specialist cycling stores, and we incorporated this into the development of our clothing ranges. We still do this today," explains Matthias Zaggl, Global Business Leader at W. L. Gore & Associates. For example, the company recognized the need for a complete clothing system, and so the first jerseys and pants were presented at the Eurobike trade fair in Friedrichshafen, in Germany. Gore was now developing products for the first time that were not based on a membrane system. This move allowed it to offer a comprehensive, functional, and perfectly coordinated clothing system, encompassing all layers from head to toe.

High-quality products
Twenty five years later, the GORE BIKE WEAR™ brand has undergone a dramatic expansion-from a single jacket to a comprehensive collection with 235 products for the current spring/summer season. But the company's philosophy remains unchanged. Today, clothing and accessories from GORE BIKE WEAR™ still stand for innovation, perfect fit, quality and durability. This helps them guarantee ideal weather protection and maximum wear comfort for sports cyclists.

Our slogan is "Our products do what we say they do", and when developing a range, we always pay particular attention to the special circumstances of the individual sports biker, for example the particular saddle position, and the length of time they will spend on the bike. This focus is reflected in appropriately functional designs and in the selection and development of the best possible materials and processing techniques in each case. Thanks to continuous product innovations, such as the introduction of the first WINDSTOPPER® gilets for cyclists, and women's bib tights with a patented solution for taking quick toilet breaks, Gore has repeatedly set new standards and kept one step ahead of its competitors. Hundreds of test victories and a host of international awards for outstanding designs bear testimony to this success. The GORE BIKE WEAR™ brand is the only clothing manufacturer member of the German Design Council. This institution is one of the leading competence centres in the world for communication and technology transfer in the field of design.

The success of GORE BIKE WEAR™ is also reflected in consumer opinions. In 2010, the brand was voted the best sports bike wear brand for the tenth time in succession by the readers of a well-known German mountain bike magazine.

Development and expansion
The stability of the brand can be seen in the fact that over one million products are manufactured annually and in the sustained market growth achieved.
Matthias Zaggl explains: "Our partnership with specialist dealers was extremely important for us from the very start, and that's the reason our partner companies are always taken care of by our dedicated sales staff". GORE BIKE WEAR™ is now successfully sold in 24 European countries, and since 2002, in the USA as well. The Canadian market followed in 2009, and since 2010, GORE BIKE WEAR™ products have also been available in Asia.

Looking to the future
For 25 years, the GORE BIKE WEAR™ brand has stood for innovation, quality and functionality in cycling. "Our goal is to sustain and expand on this success", says Matthias Zaggl. The Product Development, Logistics, and Sales and Marketing divisions of GORE BIKE WEAR™ are headquartered in its German location in Feldkirchen-Westerham near Rosenheim, in Bavaria. The company also has sales staff working in all the relevant countries, ensuring a close focus on the individual markets. In terms of strategy, GORE BIKE WEAR™ is focusing on product leadership and the continuous development of innovative product solutions offering special benefits for customers. Its first priority is always the requirements of the different groups of cyclists. As Matthias Zaggl explains: "We are consistently investing in research and development, and in constructive partnerships, for example with the University of Portsmouth (England), which we have commissioned to conduct a study into the thermo-physiological requirements of bike racing. We are fully aware that the key to success lies in innovative strength and in the passion of our employees".  The company's strategic and long-term global expansion is being directed from Feldkirchen-Westerham. Investments are being made in markets with the right consumer and trading structures to help achieve the ambitious corporate goals and promote the global growth of GORE BIKE WEAR™ as a reference brand for functional bike wear.