Summer clothing and sweating

John Burns said:

I'm looking for advice on summer clothing. Currently I just use a baggy
cotton t-shirt and shorts. I have a skin problem that flares up if I
sweat a lot and the sweat can't evaporate (i.e. if I have wet skin for a
while). At the moment it's only a problem on my back as the airflow
evaporates the rest nicely.

I'm interested in your experiences with tighter lycra based clothing.
The tightness is what concerns me, does this trap sweat? Or does the
sweat go through the lycra easily and evaporate?

The real key is lose the cotton: cotton absorbs moisture and doesn't let
it go easily (which is why towels are made of cotton...).

Look at the various tops available with the magic word "wicking" in the
description, as this means the cloth will transport moisture away from
your skin to evaporate from the fabric surface. General outdoor stores
are probably a better source than bike shops.

Lycra doesn't particularly do this, but may be combined with textiles
that do.

Quoted message said:

The idea of tighter clothing with less drag above 20mph is quite
attractive. I'm sure my baggy clothing flapping away in the wind is
slowing me down.

Plenty of the above tops are available in stretchy figure hugging
styles. I use Rohan's Tropical T shirts: they're not really either
tight or baggy, but allow very good airflow, stay dry well and still
block the sun.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

in message <[email hidden]>, John Burns

(') said:

I'm looking for advice on summer clothing. Currently I just use a
baggy cotton t-shirt and shorts. I have a skin problem that flares up
if I sweat a lot and the sweat can't evaporate (i.e. if I have wet
skin for a while). At the moment it's only a problem on my back as the
airflow evaporates the rest nicely.

I'm interested in your experiences with tighter lycra based clothing.
The tightness is what concerns me, does this trap sweat? Or does the
sweat go through the lycra easily and evaporate?

Lycra shirts and skin suits cling and can get sweaty. You want a shirt
made of something fast-wicking like coolmax - most cycling shirts are.
Also, if you're having trouble with your back, don't wear a camelback
or rucksack - get a suitable frame mounted bag for your gear, and a
bottle cage or two for your drink.

Quoted message said:

The idea of tighter clothing with less drag above 20mph is quite
attractive. I'm sure my baggy clothing flapping away in the wind is
slowing me down.

I only switched to 'proper cycling clothing' a few years ago, and
frankly I'm cursing myself for all the years I spent cycling in
unsuitable clothes - cycling clothes are just so much more practical
and comfortable when one is cycling!

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Do not sail on uphill water.
- Bill Lee

John Burns said:

I'm interested in your experiences with tighter lycra based clothing.
The tightness is what concerns me, does this trap sweat? Or does the
sweat go through the lycra easily and evaporate?

I can only endorse what Pete says - it's the material rather than the
tightness that matters, and for any activity that makes you sweat,
cotton is A Bad Thing - and what Simon says re wicking.

Quoted message said:

The idea of tighter clothing with less drag above 20mph is quite
attractive. I'm sure my baggy clothing flapping away in the wind is
slowing me down.

It does make a difference.

However, if you are bothered about the appearance of tight-fitting
lycra (unsightly bulges, etc) there is plenty of choice in slightly
looser fitting (but still not flappy) cycling clothing made from
appropriate materials that will help with the sweating problem.

d.

John Burns said:

I'm looking for advice on summer clothing. Currently I just use a
baggy cotton t-shirt and shorts. I have a skin problem that flares up
if I sweat a lot and the sweat can't evaporate (i.e. if I have wet
skin for a while). At the moment it's only a problem on my back as
the airflow evaporates the rest nicely.

Definitely try some sort of non-cotton shirt, if not a proper cycling
jersey, and some proper cycling shorts too.

Quoted message said:

I'm interested in your experiences with tighter lycra based clothing.
The tightness is what concerns me, does this trap sweat? Or does the
sweat go through the lycra easily and evaporate?

Sweat rapidly evapourates from the lycra material of tight cycling
shorts -- you're never aware of it there in the first place -- however, on
hot days the thick pad can become soggy! But that's something you get
used to and the pad will also dry out after a while.

Most cycling tops and jerseys usually aren't lycra exactly. They'll be a
bit softer and more absorbant than what I guess you're thinking. The
material wicks and dries much much faster than cotton does.

The conventional school of thought on fit is that a very tight jersey is a
good idea as it'll wick sweat away faster, BUT I find that doesn't really
work for me in hot weather, so I prefer slightly baggier jerseys. /Some/
breeze over the skin is no a bad thing!, IMO. The garment will still come
into some contact with the skin so mop up and wick away most excess sweat,
even if it's not skin-tight.

By the way, a coolmax sleeveless undervest with big string-vest style
holes is great to wear underneath on cooler days.

Quoted message said:

The idea of tighter clothing with less drag above 20mph is quite
attractive. I'm sure my baggy clothing flapping away in the wind is
slowing me down.

Yeah, you certainly could have tighter stuff than you get from ordinary
t-shirts . Also smooth outer surfaces make you more aerodyamnic as well.

~PB

John Burns said:

I'm looking for advice on summer clothing. Currently I just use a
baggy cotton t-shirt and shorts. I have a skin problem that flares up
if I sweat a lot and the sweat can't evaporate (i.e. if I have wet
skin for a while). At the moment it's only a problem on my back as
the airflow evaporates the rest nicely.

I'm interested in your experiences with tighter lycra based clothing.
The tightness is what concerns me, does this trap sweat? Or does the
sweat go through the lycra easily and evaporate?

The idea of tighter clothing with less drag above 20mph is quite
attractive. I'm sure my baggy clothing flapping away in the wind is
slowing me down.

All opinions thankfully received :-)

Get either some cycling jerseys or technical t-shirts. Technical is just
another way of saying wicking as far as I can tell.

I've just got a Merino t-shirt from Howies, and very nice it is too. And
it'll never smell, even if I wear it for *ages*.

Al C-F said:

I find that the Helly Hansen tops keep me dry. And they're thin
enough that they dry easily so you can wash them daily.

Or just keep it on while you shower and then hang it out to dry.

Roos

Roos Eisma said:

Quoted message said:

I find that the Helly Hansen tops keep me dry. And they're thin
enough that they dry easily so you can wash them daily.

Or just keep it on while you shower and then hang it out to dry.

I wonder if my client would mind me doing this after my morning
commute. There have been no complaints about the towel yet...

Roos Eisma <[email hidden]> wrote:

: [re washing hellys]
: Or just keep it on while you shower and then hang it out to dry.

For full marks, do what I do when hostelling. Wear top in the day. Take
off to have shower, then use it to dry yourself with. Rinse in sink,
leave to dry, wear next day.

Saves carrying a towel 🙂

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