O.k I admit it.. I didn’t notice that Mountain Equipment Co-op stopped carrying the Bernoulli jackets — you know the ubiquitous Gore-Tex cycling jacket that nearly everyone wears (or the very similar lower cost non-waterproof version, the Venturi? (now Super Microft)). This probably happened over a year ago too… Now I’m looking to maybe replace my Bernoulli because it’s starting to get a few too many tears and grease stains. And what does MEC come up with as an alternative? The Zik (…who was the ad-wizard for that… Zik sounds like something that grows in between your toes…) This jacket doesn’t have the butt flap protector, no reflective tape, no thumb straps, and possibly no back ventilation zip. WHAT the HELL!??!? There is the slightly cheaper, non Gore-Tex “Whoosh”–almost no reflective tapes – and it’s a lower reflectivity black tape! (apparently silver tape is too gauche to be seen wearing it during daylight). WHAT IS GOING ON!?!?!?! The Bernoulli was an amazing jacket, and the designers at MEC used to tweak it each year based on customer feedback. Now it’s gone, and the replacements are crap! What am I going to do?
