NoWhammies

Anyone wear polyester cycling jerseys? Or are you all your jersey's some kind of technical fabric?

I tend to avoid all things polyester but in looking at some cycling jerseys online I'm seeing the material being polyester mesh.

My concern with wearing polyester is that polyester doesn't breath and I'll get excessively hot/warm on rides.

WhyFi

Most people that wear cycling jerseys wear polyester. "Polyester" is a pretty big umbrella and many (most?) technical fabrics are polyester.

caloso

My jerseys are all made of a technical fabric called. . . [checks label] "polyester."

dmanthree

I have one or two wool jerseys, but the rest are all made of the rare technical fabric...polyester.

Carbonfiberboy 

Polyester technical fabrics breathe extremely well and dry very quickly. That's the reason it's used. My only concern about your description of the fabric is "mesh." Many popular lightweight jerseys have mesh backs for ventilation, but I'd worry about sunburn on long rides.

Iride01 

Please tell me you don't wear cotton while road cycling on anything but a short ride down the driveway after you adjusted something on your bike.

Seattle Forrest

Wool. Or a Craft.

NoWhammies

I do not! I ride in a cycling kit that likely consists of some kind of polyester micro fibre. But in looking at some jerseys online (say eBay, for example) when I look at the details the jersey is made of polyester. So was picturing some kind of material that did not breathe.

Yeah, I didn't have any additional information. The listing on the website just said polyester. I pictured something that would cause me to heat up on my ride, but reading the posts here it seems as those polyester is quite common in cycling clothing.

Iride01 

I resisted getting the cycling jersey for a few years after I gave in to the cycling shorts. However now I will seldom ride without them for anything but a very leisurely ride.

Some are warmer than others even though their material seems lighter. But they all breath and continue to do so even when soaked with sweat. If you buy cheap jerseys like I do, then you might consider getting a fully zippered one. The seams on the cheap ones can pull apart fairly easy and a full zipper makes it easier to get out of a sweat soaked jersey without pulling on the seams too much. Also, look at the sizing charts carefully and any reviews as to how the sizes run. I bought some really cheap imports in a large size that would fit a 140 pound rider better.

black_box 

Agreed on the full length zipper.

There are many different weaves of polyester. I have cheap short sleeve jerseys I bought for their decorative design that are noticeably warmer than my castelli shirts.

puma1552

Probably need to drop 10 more lbs to wear a club fit without looking stupid.

delbiker1 

Almost all "breathable" material is made from polyester of some variety

canklecat

The only old style polyester shirts I've found the past few years were in hardware stores for less than $5 each, mostly hi-vis yellow, green or orange for work crews that require those colors. The fabric was awful. Felt like wearing plastic wrap, stunk after one wearing and the odor could not be washed out. Reminded me of the bad old days of poly fabric from the 1980s.

Fortunately even the cheapest cycling jersey I've bought for less than $20 from no-name makers/sellers on Amazon were far better. The lower end poly fabrics do tend to smell funky after a long sweaty ride but clean up easily in any good detergent. I usually hand wash my cycling cloths in a plastic tub at home using Tide or Gain -- any good detergent with enzymes. The key is to let 'em soak for 15-20 minutes to give the enzymes time to work.

Try a Garneau Lemmon 2 jersey. They're frequently discounted -- check the outlet section on Garneau's website. Most comfortable "polyester" I've worn in warm, humid weather. Doesn't feel like most poly/elastane jerseys. The fabric feels more like an ultra-thin fine cotton or merino wool. Only downside is it prints sweat more readily than other fabrics, but is so comfortable it's a minor issue. Cleans up well with hand washing, holds up well.

Much more comfortable than the usual laminated fabric jerseys -- the kind with smooth fabric on the inner layer, with fine pores, laminated to a mesh outer layer. That's the material I see most often in jerseys in the $30 and cheaper range. Not bad in cool and warm dry weather, but those tend to feel clammy in hot humid weather.

NoWhammies

Thanks for the Garneau suggestion @canklecat.