I don't understand the cycling clothes. Help me out, here.
#51
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Gotta say, for commuting or local rides over 7 or 8 miles, wind resistance isn't really a factor for me. In the winter, I'll wear lycra with a loose cycling jacket over it, even for rides with 30+mph descents. It's comfortable and doesn't get caught in the chain and that's all I really care about. I have some loose exercise pants I use when it gets very cold. I also cycle in canvas sneakers or boots pretty much year-round, for the same reasons.
I also don't own any cycling jerseys. I don't like the idea of a zipper against my skin, and I have a good handlebar bag.
This isn't an either-or question. Use the kinds of cycling clothes that work for you.
I also don't own any cycling jerseys. I don't like the idea of a zipper against my skin, and I have a good handlebar bag.
This isn't an either-or question. Use the kinds of cycling clothes that work for you.
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#52
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It really would have been a valid question if it were not for "inappropriate" slip. Looks like OP came to BF so BF members can validate his fear of Lycra. Guess what - ain't happening.
#53
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I have no problem with people who choose to not wear lycra and coolmax. As long as they don't have a problem if I choose to do it. For me the bike-specific stuff is just more comfortable.
And for Chipcom, I don't consider 20 mph 'racing.' It's more like a moderate conversational pace.
And for Chipcom, I don't consider 20 mph 'racing.' It's more like a moderate conversational pace.
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I've overcome my fear of being in spandex in public now that I've got a bike.
And for the OP - why do you think there are women who do yoga in lululemon Groove yoga pants? Why do competitive swimmers wear speedos/jammers or skinsuits?
And for the OP - why do you think there are women who do yoga in lululemon Groove yoga pants? Why do competitive swimmers wear speedos/jammers or skinsuits?
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*good* shorts actually supply compression to your quads which helps reduce fatigue. They are also infinitely more comfortable on long rides than shorts.
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I have no problem with people who choose to not wear lycra and coolmax. As long as they don't have a problem if I choose to do it. For me the bike-specific stuff is just more comfortable.
And for Chipcom, I don't consider 20 mph 'racing.' It's more like a moderate conversational pace.
And for Chipcom, I don't consider 20 mph 'racing.' It's more like a moderate conversational pace.
My point was that the slight reduction of wind resistance isn't a big deal unless you are racing.
There are much better reasons why cycling shorts are nice to have for non-racers than the wind resistance benefit of a few milliseconds.
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One other reason is the spandex shorts aren't as likely to snag on the bike. I used to wear Mountain bike shorts which are like padded swim trunks the problem was the leg openings had a tendency of snagging up on the saddle horn. so I went to roadie shorts full time.
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"Let us hope our weapons are never needed --but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government -- and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws" - Edward Abbey
"Let us hope our weapons are never needed --but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government -- and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws" - Edward Abbey
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Just because the wearer isn't ashamed, doesn't mean its desirable for the viewer. Although I'm an advocate of wear whatever you're comfortable in. I just prefer not to see the guys sporting the plumber's crack.
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Errr... What? I've never seen any even halfway decent pair of bike shorts that would show "The Crack" Not unless you had an XXL squeezed into a XXS. And that's not the fault of the shorts..Anyway, I wear bib shorts.
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Personally, I don't know what his problem is, it's not like he doesn't have the same "stuff"
Maybe they were confused, and thought I was female. Though that would be a stretch.
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If it's warm out and you're sweating, wouldn't you want the coolness from it? That's why we sweat. It cools you down. Maybe I'll take a couple extra shirts with me next time I'm riding in heat and change them out a couple times to see if I'd prefer a dry shirt vs. a regularly sweaty t-shirt. Do you think that would be a decent comparison without having to spend the $$$ not knowing if I'd even care about wearing a jersey?
Bottom line, try one quick dry fabric t-shirt and you will probably never go back to regular t-shirts. Once you start sweating, new fabrics let your skin breathe that out, so you're not soaked trough with sweat once you reach your destination. Cool down and drying are much much faster. It is all about suitability for use.
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Bottom line, try one quick dry fabric t-shirt and you will probably never go back to regular t-shirts. Once you start sweating, new fabrics let your skin breathe that out, so you're not soaked trough with sweat once you reach your destination. Cool down and drying are much much faster. It is all about suitability for use.
pulling heat = good in hot weather
Cotton is a terrific material in warm/hot weather. I even wear it through the winter, but it's for other reasons.
Also, most synthetics do NOT breathe worth a crap -- even folks who like them often notice this. Plus they stink something fierce after even minimal wear.
There's actually only one thing in that paragraph that is 100% correct - synthetics do dry quickly.
Last edited by TurbineBlade; 10-03-10 at 04:28 PM.
#67
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Fabric needs to be skintight in order to carry the sweat to the outside of the fabric where it can evaporate and cool you.
Loose clothing cools the body better than tight-fitting clothes.
#68
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If people want to take clothing technology advice from folks stupid enough to live their lives in the dessert, fine by me. All I know is that when I tried a Nike coolmax shirt in the mid-90s (when I was a runner), I knew instantly that I would never again do any sporting activity in cotton, especially not in humid Tokyo where I was living back then! It's just a night and day difference. Same goes for cycling clothes.
The fact that "synthetics" dry faster is the reason why they keep you cooler: they can continually draw moisture off your skin and have it evaporate. Cotton just soaks it up and once wet, can no longer transport any more moisture off the body. If it's baggy, it also doesn't contact as much body surface as the "tight" shirts do and therefore is missing out on a lot of cooling opportunity.
The fact that "synthetics" dry faster is the reason why they keep you cooler: they can continually draw moisture off your skin and have it evaporate. Cotton just soaks it up and once wet, can no longer transport any more moisture off the body. If it's baggy, it also doesn't contact as much body surface as the "tight" shirts do and therefore is missing out on a lot of cooling opportunity.
Last edited by pacificaslim; 10-03-10 at 05:18 PM.
#69
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I ride in cotton most of the time. There are only a couple days a year here that are both hot and humid enough to really make cotton suck.
I don't think I could hack a summer in Turbine's neck of the woods in cotton, however. I lived in Fairfax county for a few years and recall some warm, thick air back there.
I don't think I could hack a summer in Turbine's neck of the woods in cotton, however. I lived in Fairfax county for a few years and recall some warm, thick air back there.
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If people want to take clothing technology advice from folks stupid enough to live their lives in the dessert, fine by me.
BTW- way to toss millions of people under the bus as if they chose to live there anymore than a diabetic chooses not to produce insulin.
https://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/extr...heat_guide.asp
The Center for Disease Control and basically everybody else worth their salt will advise loose clothing to be worn in the heat. On a bike, at decent speed, it is even better because you generate a headwind and loose clothing catches wind and will "flap" too cool you.
As far as synthetics, it may be true the if they are loose fitting and have a zipper or vents that they could do as good or maybe a better job than cotton keeping you cool.....some of my old bike jerseys are thin and probably just as cool as a cotton t-shirt when unzipped.
They also cost what an entire pack of t-shirts cost. Cotton is cheap and doesn't stink.
Different strokes.
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Different application. In the Desert, the whole aim is to avoid sweating in the first place, ever seen an Arab in full robes jogging? They also typically move slow, some people think it's because they're lazy, then they try moving fast in the Desert, and find out WHY they move slow.
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I can't believe this thread has gotten so much milage. It took me 2 seconds into OP original post to see that he was not asking a question but rather making a statement. Personally I think he is a fricken Moran.
#74
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I don't consider it racing either...and don't require cycling shorts to maintain it.
My point was that the slight reduction of wind resistance isn't a big deal unless you are racing.
There are much better reasons why cycling shorts are nice to have for non-racers than the wind resistance benefit of a few milliseconds.
My point was that the slight reduction of wind resistance isn't a big deal unless you are racing.
There are much better reasons why cycling shorts are nice to have for non-racers than the wind resistance benefit of a few milliseconds.
#75
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Fabric needs to be skintight in order to carry the sweat to the outside of the fabric where it can evaporate and cool you. Fabric also needs to have quick evaporation properties so it can transfer that moisture much faster, and not be like a wet damp brick on your back once it gets wet. It needs to dry quickly so it regulates you body temperature well.