Maelochs

Sounds expensive but really functional. I had an old wool army surplus pullover--basically a double-weight long-sleeved wool T-shirt--and I would buy another in a heartbeat. As you say, even works as rain gear.

RR3

Depends upon your perspective. T shirt was $35, shorts $75, old sweaters can be bought cheap on e-Bay. The retro cycling jerseys are about $120. All of this is a fraction of my Assos stuff. I'd call it cheap.

fietsbob

Harder to Pee behind a roadside tree, wearing bibs , & No need for the Nascar like Ad festooned Pro replica Jersey

But other than that why Not? Just bring a second pair of shorts/bibs, so you have a Clean Pair in the Morning.

Happy Feet

Dude, are you stalking me?

I've got the beard, banana, bell helmet, duct tape and like peanut butter. 2015 - 1988... same helmet.

bikenh

It's all I take with me. I don't take any street clothes with me at all. When I go in anywhere I go in wearing cycling clothes, jersey, shorts and cycling shoes, including cleats. If no one likes, tough crap! I keep the comfort up, by keeping the weight on the bike down. There's no reason to take along any street clothes. I will fess I did take a tshirt with me and did end up buy a pair of lightweight, unpadded cycling shorts at Walmart or wherever during the trip to put on when I would go into the laundrymat since I would normally drop off the clothes and head out to grab groceries or whatever while the clothes were washing. The only time I ever wore the other stuff was while doing laundry.

psy

Reasons not to:
Wicking t shirts are lighter, pack smaller, dry faster and are more versatile for off the bike around town type stuff.
i find that I don't generally need the venting of a zipper or the pockets. I have plenty of storage on my bike. Jerseys are great when I'm on a go fast ride, but don't really make sense for touring.

I do wear mountain bike shorts and shoes. Zoic shorts and pearl Izumi or shimano shoes are favorites of mine, along with Patagonia and smart wool t shirts.

winston63 

Pretty similar to me - I own road jerseys but I don't usually bother with them when touring. I also don't really care for bibs when I tour as I find them inconvenient and they don't pack up as small as shorts. I'll bring both road & mountain bike shorts, and I bring some chamois liners for the mountain bike shorts so I've always got a clean chamois to put on no matter what I'm wearing.

The mountain bike shorts are kind of nice because they double as street clothes.

cyccommute 

Considering that bicycle jerseys are made of the same material as a wicking t-shirt and work the same, how can a t-shirt be better? Personally, I find the ability to vent a jersey by unzipping it to be a necessary function for riding. And the pockets come in handy for some items. I don't use them a lot but they are handy.

psy

They are better ( to me) for the reasons I stated above, weight, pack size and versatility. Others, such as yourself, may feel the pockets and zippers and looking like a biker all the time are a good trade offs, I personally don't.
A light weight Patagonia t shirt keeps me nice and cool and when I'm wearing a jersey on tour the only thing the pockets ever end up holding is trash. Plus it looks "better" off the bike.

All my clothes look pretty normal off the bike, but are also extremely comfortable on it.

*Im in no way "anti-jersey", I own many, I just feel like they are designed for bikes with little to no storage, and my touring bike has plenty.

Maelochs

Cycling jerseys and tech t-shirts are a wash---neither one packs noticeably smaller or works noticeably differently. In fact, I got some t-shirts from Nashbar made out of exactly the same material as their jerseys, with a zip-up pocket on the back---look like t-shirts, work like jerseys. I like them because I hate to leave my essentials anywhere but on my person--I can lose everything--bike, bags--but I have never lost myself, so I always have my wallet and keys.

Personal choice, nothing more or less.

As for what "looks better"---I am so handsome I look good no matter what I wear. Seriously, everyone thinks something else looks "better" and no one much agrees with anyone else. In any crowd looking at you no one will agree on what you should wear ... and after 20 seconds, they are all lost in their smartphones and have forgotten about you anyway. They don't care, why should I?

jonc123

Be careful, I've had clothes stolen before. I keep one eyeball on the washer and dryer now.

psy

I disagree, I feel like jersey material in general, though similar, is usually slightly thicker, the fits a bit more "aero" than I need for touring, plus I tend sweat more, specifically in the areas were jersey pockets and zippers are(obviously double material and thick seams). I also have mountain bike jerseys (fox, others) that look like t shirts with zippered pockets, again they are overall thicker, heavier and not as comfortable as a smartwool or Patagonia tees.

The pack and weight differences though small, are there. i think I save about 150 grams or so by going t shirts vs jerseys (I usually carry three). Not huge, but still.

Bottom line is, overall your right, these are MY personal preferences and that is all.

NeilGunton

Back in 1998 I did my TransAm (3 months, ~5000 miles) with pretty much just my cycling gear. Not sure if it's technically "roadie kit", but it was Pearl Izumi padded shorts and "screaming yellow" short sleeved jerseys. I think I had maybe three pairs of shorts, a few of the jerseys, and a pair of loose swim shorts for when I had to do laundry. I also had a wool long sleeved top, and rain jacket, but not much else. I think I initially had off-bike clothes, but sent a bunch of stuff home as soon as I hit the mountains in Virginia. Also sent the stove crap home. Continued on with just my bike clothes for three months, and it was fine. Actually I found it was better than having "off bike" clothes, because it meant that people were always aware of "what" I was - a cyclist, vs some random dude, and it was a conversation starter. Even going to the movie theater, I just wore my cycling stuff, and nobody really seemed to notice or care. For food, I also realized that all I really needed was a bowl and a spoon, for cereal in the morning, so I picked those up when I sent the other crap home, I think it was in Afton, VA.

No reason at all why you can't just take cycling clothes, though I would add the proviso that you might need cooler weather clothing depending on where you are going, and time of year. Altitude can make things much colder, as can rain etc. But I was on a summer ride across the USA, hot most of the time, so it was pretty ok to just have a wool top, tights and rain jacket.

Walter S

Change when you decide it's time. I go a few days on a pair of shorts/jersey. Saddle sores?? I only pack one pair too. Not sure why you need spares for rain. If they're wet when I camp I'll sleep with them and they're OK in the morning. Maybe not "dry" but good enough.

fietsbob

More than one Pair washed along with your skin, to knock back the Bacteria that lay on your skin

and can Make those puss filled carbuncles .

pdlamb

I prefer to make sure my jersey is visually striking. Some roadie kits are dark, some are bright. I prefer to be visible.

People's skin sensitivity varies. I'm one of those who needs to get out of the shorts and clean down there as soon as possible, and wear clean shorts every day. Saddle sores are no fun, and they've ended some people's tours. Ergo, I take off-bike clothes.

But on the bike? For hours of daily cycling, I can think of no reason to wear anything less than bike shorts. When you go into a store, diner, etc., look people in the eye. They'll look back.

staehpj1

For me, for avoiding saddle sores two things are key.

1. Getting out of my bike shorts and airing out down there once in camp for the evening and overnight. I take a pair of running shorts for that purpose (Nike DriFit, 5" inseam, about 4 oz.)
2. Application of zinc oxide diaper cream worn over night works wonders and I use it at the first sign of chafing. Any irritation is gone in the morning.

I typically only take one pair of bike shorts and they sometimes go a few days without washing. I don't find that to be a problem. BTW, when it comes to killing anything that might be growing in the chamois turning them inside out and laying them out in the sun for an hour is probably as effective as laundering wrt killing anything that grows there.

veganbikes

; )

Tourist in MSN

I used to work with someone that had a tee shirt with printing to make it look like a tux. But, it was pretty obvious it was a tee shirt.

Bandera

Personal hygiene and the maintenance of clean kit was emphasized "back when" by my 1st coach in the days of wool shorts w/ natural chamois leather liners to prevent saddle sores for high mileage riders out in all conditions. A simple and effective policy that is much easier to maintain w/ modern synthetic kit and wet wipes today.

If not changing into dry kit when rain abates or sleeping in the day's moist stinking riding clothes instead of cleaning up and donning camp attire is your idea of "good enough" it falls far short of mine.

As always, suit yourself.

-Bandera

veganbikes

That is what we call a classy co-worker! Only a certain few can go out and get a tuxedo t-shirt, a very rare, elite breed of only the top echelons of society ; )

DropBarFan

Wool is the new polypropylene eh? Seems intuitive that plastic clothing would resist microbe growth better but turns out not so. Reminds me of a study about food cutting boards--people/restaurants use plastic avoid bacterial contamination but actually the porous wooden cutting boards had less bug growth. I'm using the Smartwool socks that are working great incl resisting smell.

In re OP I think racing clothes are a good choice for touring esp if one is already used to certain brands/models. Using new clothing on long rides can prove painful. Personally I usually prefer non-clingy shorts w/pockets but race-type shorts have the absolute edge for comfort.

rifraf

For this reason I don't take cycle shorts with me on tour.
They simply take up too much room in the panniers compared to 5 pairs of clean underwear and normal shorts.
There can be many days between towns and opportunities to wash here abouts and i like clean underwear everyday.
I take nylon or wool shirts but rarely cotton and then only in summer.

Buffalo Buff

no.

Buffalo Buff

Glad I'm not the only one. Basketball shorts to wear over your cycling shorts if you need to stop in a store? No one gives a **** if you're in spandex, lol. Most people will either ignore you or ask about your biking trip. I have never, ever had someone remotely imply that they would consider denying me service at a restaurant because I walked in wearing shorts and a jersey. Then again when I tour I'm not dining on 30$ steaks at the end of the day, I'm going to some blue collar food truck or grabbing a sub to go.

My last tour I brought a dri fit T and basketball shorts to sleep in. Ended up mailing them back home because I just didn't need them.


Sink / water fountain / spigot + liquid soap = clean cycling shorts. No reason to bring more than 2 pairs IMO.