Cycling clothing

"Micheal Artindale" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I normaly wear "normal" clothes -- tshirt and shorts.

I have never cycling shorts, or jerseys.

Most of the trails I ride in are muddy, even during a dry spell.

I am looking to get clothing that are better for riding -- I sweat profusely. Also, I am looking
for clothing that are easy to clean, sheads water, and comfortable.

Wuld the lycra shorts and jersey be my best idea, or is there something better?

Also, what do u wear under them, or do you? I have heard various things.

Joe Boxers look pretty nice. Briefs show a panty line which is no good. And if you stink when you
ride, a little Old Spice will clear that up.

Dave

"Micheal Artindale" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I normaly wear "normal" clothes -- tshirt and shorts.

I have never cycling shorts, or jerseys.

I started out the same way you did, ending every ride with a soaking wet t- shirt. The jerseys
really do keep you dry, no matter how much you sweat, which is really nice. BTW, if you don't want
to spend so much, you might be able to find really low priced jerseys at a discount store. I found
that here in the US, Target stores carry a jersey made out of Coolmax (the same stuff used in the
more expensive jerseys), for only about $12.

Good padded bike shorts will make things a lot easier and allow you to ride longer (they do for me,
at least). Don't wear underwear under them, as it defeats the purpose of the seamless padding of
the shorts.

"Micheal Artindale" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I normaly wear "normal" clothes -- tshirt and shorts.

I have never cycling shorts, or jerseys.

Most of the trails I ride in are muddy, even during a dry spell.

I am looking to get clothing that are better for riding -- I sweat profusely. Also, I am looking
for clothing that are easy to clean, sheads water, and comfortable.

Wuld the lycra shorts and jersey be my best idea, or is there something better?

Also, what do u wear under them, or do you? I have heard various things.

Micheal

If you are interested in Lycra, try some out. It's a love-it-or-hate-it thing; I happen to enjoy it,
except I feel like a poseur with a bunch of sponsor logos on my chest that I didn't earn - that and
most jersey designs

way to go, I have a few Nema shirts (synthetic, with a weave similar to Powerdry) that are very
comfortable and clean up easy. I found them on Ebay for about $12 each; I don't remember the
product name.

All the synthetic stuff'll shed water a lot better than a regular T-shirt, usually the thinner
fabrics with tighter weaves shed the fastest.

Never wear anything under Lycra...what the hell is the point of that?

In my experience, Lycra padded bike shorts (I use EMS brand, because I got them with the employee
discount. I'm usually not seated enough to notice they're low-end. I wouldn't want them for road use
though) under whatever nylon shorts I have lying around, Nema tops or Lycra jersey (usually the $29
Tomac/RaceFace from cambriabike.com because it was cheap and says 'RaceFace' all over it), Smartwool
socks and a cotton bandanna under the helmet to tame the wicked mass of ridiculous hair. And, full
finger Fox gloves year round - I was tired of having to break and shift with cut fingers, which
seems to happen a lot.

If you sweat profusely, try the heavier-looking synthetic tops. I mentioned Polartec PowerDry, and
the Nema look-alike stuff. They don't dry quite as fast as lighter stuff like Lycra and CoolMax
Alta, but I find they feel better soaking wet. Also, look into Mountain Hardwear's new stuff...I
can't remember it's fancy name, but it has silver fibers embedded in the weave to kill BO, and it
works. Also, anything by Mountain Hardwear is tougher than algebra.

I just pulled out my Nema shirts...the tag says "Trans Link," which I'm pretty sure is the type of
fabric they are made of.

Chris

Quoted message said:

I normaly wear "normal" clothes -- tshirt and shorts.

I have never cycling shorts, or jerseys.

Most of the trails I ride in are muddy, even during a dry spell.

I am looking to get clothing that are better for riding -- I sweat profusely. Also, I am looking
for clothing that are easy to clean,

sheads

Quoted message said:

water, and comfortable.

Wuld the lycra shorts and jersey be my best idea, or is there

something

Quoted message said:

better?

I worked at a retail shop for a year and a half selling cycling clothes. If you have any specific
questions, feel free to email me and ask anything.

For starters, I should say that there is a LOT of clothing out there that works really well. The
more expensive brands do offer some extras, such as better style, better cuts, better trim, and more
exotic materials. Spending time with many different brands of cycle clothing has made it easy to
spot a well-made product.

Rule number 1... contact areas are the most important. If you are going to spend money, spend the
big bucks on shorts, gloves, and shoes. Then you can go cheaper on jersey, socks, jackets, warmers,
etc... if you like.

If you have a big retail shop in your area (such as Supergo... I can plug them now, since I no
longer work there), go check it out and try on numerous types of clothing to see what suits you the
best. Well known quality brands are: Pearl Izumi, Sugoi, and Fox Racing. Many of the smaller brands
also make nice stuff: Nema, Oakley, etc. You'll find that some brands specialize in making a
particular item of their line. (Like Pearl Izumi shorts).

Good luck.

-John Morgan

Micheal Artindale said...

Quoted message said:

I normaly wear "normal" clothes -- tshirt and shorts.

I have never cycling shorts, or jerseys.

Most of the trails I ride in are muddy, even during a dry spell.

I am looking to get clothing that are better for riding -- I sweat profusely. Also, I am looking
for clothing that are easy to clean, sheads water, and comfortable.

Wuld the lycra shorts and jersey be my best idea, or is there something better?

Also, what do u wear under them, or do you? I have heard various things.

Micheal

Lycra shorts and a cycling jersey is about as good as it gets for riding. Get them if you don't mind
spending the money. It can get real expensive to have a decent selection of riding clothes. Most of
mine are Performance brand to cut the cost to something sane, but if you have the cash, the name
brand ones are a little spiffier. You can get shorts that have the padded liner and regular looking
shorts on the outside, but lycra is less restricting and keeps you cooler if you don't mind the
look. I consider good riding shorts to be essential for long rides, but jerseys aren't as critical.
Any store with a decent clothing selection will have sports oriented shirts and tank tops made of
water wicking material, even Wal-Mart. Still, cycling jerseys are nicer because they have convenient
pockets and are form fitting, so they don't flap around and won't snag as easily.

I have two main rules about bike clothing :

1 - I get shirts made from Poly - usually a coolmax thing. Get them as seconds or clearance, usually
they get ripped or greased up on the first ride. They are actually more comfy than cotton,
especially if you ride with a backpack. If you need water shedding, get a single layer water
resistant breathable jacket to wear on top. A decent one will cost a few bucks and last several
seasons, barring major endos.

2 - I avoid any bike clothes that have a big brand name on them. I refuse to pay money for the honor
of free advertising for a clothing maker. Just part of my personal conspiracy theory, I guess. Makes
me cringe when I see toddlers wearing shirts with "GAP" all over them...

Seriously, inexpensive performance wear costs no more than your standard stuff if you shop well.
Costco, REI, Nashbar, they all have decent stuff. As for shorts, I usually wear baggies just to get
some air circulation while I peddle. In winter I wear lycra for the saddle pad, with a windbreak
pant over it. As for a next-to-skin layer, again I prefer a wicking material close in. Some folks
say don't wear anything under shorts, I just can't handle it.

"Micheal Artindale" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I normaly wear "normal" clothes -- tshirt and shorts.

I have never cycling shorts, or jerseys.

Most of the trails I ride in are muddy, even during a dry spell.

I am looking to get clothing that are better for riding -- I sweat profusely. Also, I am looking
for clothing that are easy to clean, sheads water, and comfortable.

Wuld the lycra shorts and jersey be my best idea, or is there something better?

Also, what do u wear under them, or do you? I have heard various things.

Micheal