Its just that Gortex used to be the only thing on the block for breathable raingear and now there are a few more choices. They are probably based on the same technology, but the microporous fabrics are softer and lighter than any hardshell gortex suit that I've tried. Also most Gortex stuff seems to have lots of pulls zips, pockets and mulitple layers as it is targeted at general use and needs to be hardwaring if you are goiing to skin in it or climb a mountian. The microporous suits are pretty basic and only a single layer, so they are great for light weight and combining with other clothing when you layer. They are fairly fragile, but for me cycling isn't a contact sport.