Seattle Forrest

It's been sweltering lately, sometimes in the lower 80s F.

Merino wool is awesome when it gets hot. A thin wool shirt offers almost no insulation, so it doesn't make you warmer. Never feels clammy no matter how much you sweat going up those hills and mountains. And it's anti-microbial, so it never smells like body odor.

I'm posting because a lot of people aren't aware that wool is made of wonderful, and I think a lot of people have the idea that it's impossible to make wool that's comfortable when it isn't snowing.

garciawork

I never ride without a wool baselayer, hot or cold. I love the darn things.

Elduderino2412

merino wool during the summer is a super wet sauna here. You produce way more moisture here then it will wick away.

svtmike

Um, yeah, that's not sweltering.

But wool can be nice. Just not when it's really and truly sweltering.

Seattle Forrest

Dude, 80 freaking degrees. You could melt an egg on the sidewalk. Women are thinking about going to the beach without three layers and goretex.

relayer66

Check back in when it gets to 90.

Seattle Forrest

It gets to be 90 when people travel to Las Vegas.

Joking aside, wool is the only thing I'll wear out in the desert east of the Cascade Crest where I spend most of my weekends riding, backpacking, or mountaineering. Over there 90 is mild heat.

Velo Vol 

Commodus

Some guys in my rando club said that the only time wool let them down is when they went for a 1200 way down in...I want to say Georgia, but I'm not certain...anyways, the humidity was really high and everything just became completely saturated. It's great up here though, all year round.

znomit

Hot

rearviewbeer

Forrest is correct, over about 75 and it is hot here!

I found a jersey material that I really like as well recently, bamboo white ash from Danny Shane. Has many of the same properties as wool. Kept me nice and cool yesterday in the sweltering 84f PNW sun! Does not stink, wicks moisture away, feels great, stretches where needed (breathing on the climbs). Happy customer.

fstshrk

Come to the east side of the state. I rode home yesterday. Garmin reported 93 degrees and I was climbing a 12% grade.

SpeshulEd 

It's 110 outside right now...and I'm going out for a ride.

80 degrees is early spring/late winter here, I'd wear wool too.

Machka 

80F = 26C ... yeah, that's cool enough to wear merino wool.

I have managed merino wool up to about 30C (86F), but then it's too hot, and starts to feel really scratchy.

I really like my merino wool tops, but they've got their place, and hot weather (i.e. 30C+) is not it.

clausen

The better processed merino does not due that. It's more expensive but I have base layers I have worn in the 30s without issue.

Walter

Joking aside, I do agree that wool is fine in higher temps but, as the poster from Baton Rouge pointed out, high temps and high humidity are issues wool can't really deal with. Really, nothing is great in that combo but synthetics are better.

Machka 

I have some good quality merino (100% merino), which I really like. It's smooth and comfortable in cool temps, and in room temps, and even when the temperatures start to climb. But when it gets hot, it gets scratchy. But then, there aren't many fabrics that don't get scratchy when it gets hot ... which is part of the reason why I like sleeveless jerseys. Less fabric to deal with.

danvuquoc

I've come to love my Rapha lightweight jerseys 20% merino, 80% polyester great in 70-100F -- I just wish they came in more colors than fig and cream.

pallen

Funny Lower 80s is what we call "winter" here. Ok, maybe fall/spring.

I wear my thinner wool jerseys up to about 90. They are great up to what I would call "warm" weather, but not "hot".

RT

...



Wool is great here on the high plains in all seasons. I do wear cotton sometimes though.

Seattle Forrest

I don't think you understand the basic physics I tried to explain the OP: very thin and light-weight wool offers no more insulation than any other fabric. Temperature is irrelevant.

Seattle Forrest

Thanks for the invite!



This was last summer.

kimconyc

Wool can be good when warm but when there is no breeze or there is high humidity, it's the pits. This was on Monte Zoncolan wearing a wool jersey. I never previously sweated that much in my life!

I believe I was about 3 pounds heavier from the soaking wool jersey at the top of the summit--and that was after I vomited a few times from food poisoning--ahh the things we do for the pleasure of suffering and self loathing!

Seattle Forrest

If you had the pukes from food poisoning, that's more likely why you were sweating so much than the wool itself.

kimconyc

The whole trip was a blur! I only have the pictures to prove it