I love GBW. I've got four pairs of their bibshorts, a jacket, knee warmers and two jerseys. Gore is the world's #1 high performance outdoor sports textile supplier for a reason: they are really smart people, and they require mfrs to adhere to specific fabrication standards, so that Gore is synonymous with highest-tier quality.

It's no accident that the main contender to GTX in breathable waterproof membranes, eVent, is actually... GTX, post-patent-expiration. Robert Gore was a genius. His dad worked for DuPont, where Teflon was invented. GTX and eVent are Teflon. Cool stuff. Assos claims to have invented "Spandex" [sic] bike shorts, Assos talks proudly about having worked with DuPont on this and other projects. Your bike shorts, no matter what brand, have DuPont-invented fabric . If you ride puncture resistant aramid tires, you're riding a DuPont innovation.

Wm Gore & Associates is perennially get listed in "Best 100 Companies To Work For". People get to choose the bosses they work under, which is also to say the projects they want to work on. How cool is that? The Gores are a Western outdooring family. Bill died hiking in the mountains. A great way to go.

With GBW, you're buying the ideas of really smart people. Fabrication is mostly in China. But if you get tony Italian (or Italian-canton Switzerland Assos) or Scandinavian, most of their stuff is too, or in former Soviet Bloc states, or Mexico. But with excellent-oversight quality control, durable garments can be made anywhere. So, it boils down to thoughtful design concepts, and performance guarantees to back products up.

My experience is limited. I have found the following brands to make very pleasing stuff (in bike-specific apparel): Assos, Bellwether, Castelli, Craft, GBW. I would add De Marchi, but steer clear of their second tier stuff. Santini is comfy but not durable.

PI, I'm mostly not interested, having tested shell (good for the money but only on sale), jersey 3/4 zip (okay on sale, but after discovering full-zip, 3/4 just seems like a dumb design), Ultra sensor shorts (full price), Nooooo! They will hurt your butt on long rides. PI's topline pro shorts are designed in Italy. Skip the middleman and buy Italian brands.

With Showers Pass now being covered by REI guarantees, that's a no-lose proposition. It's mid-ranged price. Right now it's a money-back proposition for anybody wanting to try it. One of the very nice things about REI is that they have the sales volume to make product-performance assessments, and to inform mfrs of what's not working. When mfrs responsively fix the problems REI sticks with them. Mfrs who don't do this get dropped. REI is the most trusted name in outdoor gear retailling for a reason: they act in their customers' interest.