Etxeondo & Gore-Tex. 30 years of partnership
The pioneering collaboration between Etxeondo and Gore began in the 1990s. Etxeondo was the first brand to bring Gore’s cutting-edge fabric technology to the Spanish side of the Pyrenees, both to the domestic cycling market and the country’s professional teams.
The pioneering collaboration between Etxeondo and Gore began in the 1990s. Etxeondo was the first brand to bring Gore’s cutting-edge fabric technology to the Spanish side of the Pyrenees, both to the domestic cycling market and the country’s professional teams.
Shared values
The two firms have always placed a high value on the performance and durability of their products. They have a clear, shared vision of sustainability: The best way to reduce the environmental impact of your clothing is to increase its durability.
The garments Etxeondo supplies to the professional teams it supports are among the few that incorporate Gore fabrics, incorporating all the expertise and product knowledge accrued over nearly three decades.
Gore’s Iberian sales director Donzilia Ramos explains: “After more than 20 years of close collaboration, with Etxeondo integrating Gore-Tex fabrics and Gore-Tex Infinium ™ into our garments, I would emphasize the passion the entire team has to provide high quality, innovative products, manufactured for the most demanding cyclists. We are delighted to work with a brand that has such values similar to our own; a market leader that offers products with high levels of technical performance.”
Gore has become synonymous with the production of fabrics, particularly its Gore-Tex range, but the company’s origins lie in the manufacture of materials for the medical industry and the military, among others. Founded in 1958, it was only through its ongoing investment into the research and development of fluorocarbon polymers that it discovered the potential for its technologies to be used in sporting fabrics.
Gore’s knowledge and confidence in their products is backed by exhaustive in-house testing, ensuring their fabrics only reach the market when they comply with exacting standards of quality and performance.
Etxeondo works with two of Gore’s technologies: Gore-Tex and Gore-Tex Infinium™ Windstopper®
Gore Tex ®
An icon in the world of performance clothing, Gore-Tex is the gold standard in waterproof fabric, designed to be able to cope with the most extreme rain (28.000 water columns).
At the heart of Gore-Tex is a super-thin membrane that is waterproof, windproof, and breathable, with over nine billion pores per square inch. These microscopic pores are 20,000 times smaller than a water droplet, but 700 times larger than a water vapour molecule, which means perspiration can escape, maximising breathability.
The construction of the garment is as important as the fabric itself, because even a completely impermeable material is useless if the garment’s seams are not properly heat sealed. It is this finishing process that must pass Gore’s demanding quality control regime, standards that must be met before a product can be released onto the market.
Because Gore-Tex is not particularly elastic, it requires great manufacturing skill to produce a close, athletic fit without restricting a rider’s mobility. Thanks to Etxeondo’s extensive experience with the fabric all our Gore-Tex products are extremely aerodynamic compared to other brands that use similar technologies.
Gore Tex Infinium Windstopper ®
The second Gore technology incorporated into Etxeondo’s range is Gore-Tex Infinium ™ Windstopper®, the latest iteration of the company’s legendary Windstopper fabric. Infinium is a foundation stone of Etxeondo’s range of winter jackets. It locks warm air inside the garment, combined with maximum levels of breathability and lightweight construction.
That exceptional breathability, which allows perspiration to escape, is what sets Windstopper apart from other windproof fabrics, keeping the rider drier and more comfortable, for longer.
While Infinium is not classed as waterproof, it is highly water resistant. It can withstand drizzle or light rain, only succumbing to more intense downpours. So why is it such a popular choice for professional riders on rainy race days? The answer is simple: Infinium is still warm, even when wet. By shutting out cold air so effectively, it allows the body to retain the heat it generates during intense excercise, giving the rider the ability to perform at their best, even in the worst conditions.
Gore-tex Infinium ™ Windstopper ® has one other major advantage. Compared to the fully waterproof Gore-Tex, its high levels of elasticity permit the construction of a sleeker, more aerodynamic garment. For the rider who competes head-to-head with the wind, whether they are towing the pack or alone in a breakaway, Gore-Tex Infinum ™ Windstopper ® will help them go faster, whatever the weather.