clothing ideas for cycling...

[Scottyf]

Damn straight its great wearing lycra. Scares all sorts of people.
Espcially if you get off your bike and start thrusting in there general direction.

Some good winter products posted here.

 

[hihihi]

My jeans, stretch-jeans, contain Lycra...hmm!

 

[eTim]

All my outdoor clothing has to do triple duty (and more), from extreme stuff such as moutainbiking, mountaineering, sea kayaking, skiing, scuba diving (under a drysuit) to less extreme such as cycling, woodland walks, photography, lazing on the sofa.

Over the years I've tried everything from natural fibres to synthetics, triple layer goretex, down etc and I've settled on the following:

Head:
A synthetic breathable, windstopper type hat, one with ear flaps and a draw cord to keep it on in wind. If it's really cold I'll wear a Buff type thing for neck, lips and nose.

Base Layer:
Merino wool is the best when the weather is not Summer, T-shirt or long sleeve, expensive but worth the money, will do several outings before needing to be washed. In Summer it can get a bit warm, so I'll switch to some synthetic T-shirts that usually need to be washed after a single outing as they get too smelly.

Mid-Layer:
I only wear a mid-layer when really cold as I run fairly warm and wear a Paramo jacket, but usually a thin fleece layer is worn as a mid layer.

Jacket:
Paramo do a good range of active jackets, some are pricey, but worth the dosh, they have good ventilation options, lots of pockets and can be washed in the washing machine (using Nikwash), there are 3 that I use:

The Quito is the most versatile for a wide temp range, down to minus temps, with good ventilation, reflective bits and a high viz version, I went for this one:
Páramo - Quito Jacket

Then for warmer weather, but still needing some protection I wear the Fuera:
Paramo Fuera Peak Mens Jacket - White+Bishop

For extreme conditions, out comes the Aspira Smock (I bought the Andy Rouse version):
The Andy Rouse Wildlife Photography range of garments from Páramo

I have also been eyeing up these:
Páramo - Torres Sleeves

Legs:
Ron Hills are pretty good, they do a Summer weight and Winter weight version, with pockets. They are not as close fitting as Lycra so women, small children and shopkeepers are not as scared of you. They are very warm in cold weather and only get too warm above 15C (depending on activity level), they can be worn in rain without losing much body heat. They also have reflective bits on them. They are also relatively cheap and can cost between £15-£30. When they get old or torn, then cut the legs off and have a pair of summer shorts that can also double up as swimming trunks.

Hands:
Depends on the weather, but usually either fingerless cycling gloves or Windstopper fleece gloves or Merino lined SealSkinz gloves.

Feet:
Either Merino sock liners on their own, or thicker Merino walking socks or Merino lined SealSkinz.

All the above stuff works well on a bike.

Did I mention that I like Merino and Paramo ?

HTH

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I went to work on my bike in slight drizzle this morning. Luckily it turned to mist quite quickly so I didn't bother with waterproofs. Unfortunately it started raining at home time and I set off without waterproofs, but after a few hundred yards I knew I was going to get very wet as it takes me an hour to get home. Then I remembered that I had my Cape that I bought in Aldis for about £7 in my battery bag, so I put it on and continued home at about 15 mph. I was expecting it to be bad, but I was quite impressed. My trousers were completely dry right down to the bottom. I was a little sweaty because I had my other jacket and gloves underneath. There was hardly any wind so no ill effects, but I can imagine that if it were breezy, control would be compromised because I could feel the bike wiggle a little when trucks passed in the opposite direction. It did collect a bit of water in my lap, but it didn't cause any problems. I think now I will use my bike in the rain, provided that it's not too windy. I tried before with waterproof trousers, but I got so wet from sweat that I took them off.