PFAS & CYCLING APPAREL...THE RULES ARE CHANGING.

Dec 10, 2024 by Paula Dyba

Effective January 1, 2025, two US states, California and New York, have banned the sale of products containing PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances). These are chemicals that have been used in all kinds of consumer products since the 1950s, because they have unique characteristics that, depending on their use, can keep food from sticking to cookware, create firefighting foams that are super effective, make carpets stain resistant and make clothing with weather protective qualities. For cyclists, PFAS has been a blessing when it comes to technical outerwear. The downside is that the carbon-fluorine bond that makes PFAS effective, comes at a price – it doesn't degrade easily and, over time, can have an environmental impact on water, soil and air.

What manufacturers are doing about it.

Companies have been hard at work to re-engineer technologies to remove PFAS from their products. Going PFAS free has not been an easy mission as other materials don't have the same caliber of hydrophobic surfaces for water- and windproofing.

GORE, the leader in cycling outerwear, has developed a new GORE-TEX membrane that, "Is light and thin yet strong, and enables durable waterproof, windproof, and breathable performance. Bonded with carefully selected textiles, the resulting laminates are PFAS-free* and have a reduced carbon footprint." The new Spinshift collection is the first of its kind in the GORE outerwear line to use this technology and fortunately, we were first adopters. It seems to do all the things we've come to expect from products with the GORE-TEX label, though it does come with a premium price.

Showers Pass was the first company to introduce a new, waterproof/breathable fabric called Porlite, which they describe as follows:

"Porlite is a microporous membrane technology like PTFE, but it’s made from polypropylene, a simple polymer containing only hydrogen and carbon atoms. It’s extremely efficient to make and work with, reducing the consumption of electricity, water, and raw materials during production. Porlite performs as well as PTFE in standardized water resistance and breathability tests, making it the ideal candidate to replace PTFE in our product line."

In the meantime.

There's never been a better time to buy outerwear that has yet to make the shift to PFAS free. Many companies are discontinuing styles and discounting existing inventories, Terry included. Check the deals out here >