diphthong

i've had pretty good success staying coolish running the rapha short sleeve merino wool undershirts in the dryer/lower humidity southwestern us during summertime (or during santa ana fire/wind conditions)
but i've never worn them in conditions with both superhot and superhumid summer conditions as experienced in the american south and east.
have not experienced any sunburn through that particular material during all-day/century rides any time of year.

vmizera

Year-round cycle commuter in temps ranging from 0F/18C to 100F/38C.
Brynje wool blend mesh in tank top for summer and long sleeve in winter works just fine.
Hand wash when needed. Dries overnight. Can't go wrong with this stuff.

3speed

I've also had good luck with planetx merino. The first thing I got from them was a base layer t-shirt. I wore it on one tour with Lots of rain and temps ranging from ~50-80F. It worked great the whole time and was still holding up fine for quite a while after that tour. It's still fine now minus a couple holes that some a**hole moth larva chewed in it(and a nicer sweater). Now my wool stays in a specific drawer with moth balls and all has been fine since.
I also have a merino sweater from Amazon, their brand, that has been a great cool and/or wet weather warmer base layer. I'd recommend their merino if the rest of it is comparable. It was sized Quite large, though, so be sure to look carefully into sizing before buying. I normally wear a medium or small. In this sweater, I ended up going XS(first time in my life) to get a decent fit. And I'm not talking a tight fit, but a comfortable, relaxed fit. The sizing is just Way off. It's been a good sweater, though.
The only brand I've had that I would say look elsewhere is minus33. It didn't last long before starting to develop small holes. The arms were kinda short on it too, so it left some bare wrist for sure when in a cycling position. I wouldn't say it was a terrible sweater, but would recommend looking elsewhere.

TimothyH

Ashmei makes year-round wool cycling gear.

https://ashmei.com/


-Tim-

seedsbelize 

Not to confuse, but I bought one of those Amazon sweaters, for an upcoming tour, and ordered my regular size--XL. I was concerned by the comments I'd read regarding size. But it fits like every other XL piece of clothing, for me.

Rick

I used Kucharik wool bicycle shorts and Wool blend jerseys year round in CA when I was in the military.

3speed

I wonder if maybe it depends on the particular model of sweater. I got the Goodthreads v-neck version. Or maybe there just isn't a big difference in sizes, and the smaller sizes are just on the large end. Amazon says the guy in the picture is 6'2" and wearing a medium. If someone 6'2" wears a medium in that sweater, it makes sense that I had to get an xs(though that's differently sized than I've ever experienced) and would expect the large to fit someone ~6'5"? That just seems crazy to me. XL fits someone 6'7"+?? That's a pretty small market... Luckily Amazon does make a return pretty darn easy, so as long as you don't get one at the last minute, returning for a different size is easy if needed.

seeker333

Polypropylene thermal underwear is lightweight and quick drying, good for aerobic activity, when it's not too cold. I've used polypro crew neck tops for decades, starting with spring snow skiing, and now for cycling even in the summer, for sun/insect protection, also when I'm walking or mowing the lawn.

Duofold used to make it in traditional long johns tops and bottoms. I can't find Duofold right now but these Indera Mills products appear to be identical to my Duofold tops and bottoms:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=indera+po...ref=nb_sb_noss

hagenandeggs

GReat advice everyone!

ehcoplex 

Apologies for reviving an old thread, but maybe useful for future searchers..

Something I've noticed with merino wool clothing in warmer weather is that for me the color can have a big impact on comfort. A dark jersey on a hot, humid day and I really feel it- a light color and I'm very comfortable.

On the subject of merino, I'll plug Oregon Cyclewear (www.oregoncyclewear.com). Beautifully made, very soft, great price. I do wish they offered a few more (& lighter..) colors, though. Black gets too hot for me in the summer, and with the inattentive, speeding drivers on the twisty, shoulder-less country roads where I live every bit of extra visibility helps...

ehcoplex 

Anyone have a recommendation/source for light(er) weight merino wool shorts? I've got a pair of the Cima Coppi merino shorts that I like a lot, but on the hottest/most humid days they are just a little bit too much. They're 285gr wool (which hopefully/probably means they'll last a long time!). Seems like something around 180gr or so would be ideal for those hot days...

timdow

I am glad this three got resurrected. I bought a Smartwool Merino 150 long sleeve and short sleeve tops for my upcoming tour. Should cut down on the frequency of doing laundry (I hope).

kevmcd

I love my 2velo merino wool shorts with leather chamois. It took a while to receive my order and I thought it was lost but when I contacted them they immediately sent me the tracking information. Apparently international post from Serbia to the US can take a while.

I'll probably order another pair soon in case I do an extended tour. I've just been using this pair for daily rides and 4 or 5 day tours.

https://2velo.com/

PedalingWalrus

I found the 2Velo shorts on ebay. They say it has leather pad. I'm intrigued. Could You comment on the leather pad please?

PedalingWalrus

I use wool all the time in warm or cold conditions. I just finished circumnavigation of Denmark where I tented or sheltered exclusively. Throughout the 14 days I wore one wool top and my trusty IBEX wool knickers. Every night I rinsed out the shirt and every other night the knickers. The temps were in 70's Fahrenheit and throughout the tour my garments never got any funk.

timdow

I have a month on the Pacific Coast this September. I think the merino top will work well for that. Otherwise, I live in San Diego... it is in the high 80's / low 90's this week. The merino top is a bit much here, at least in Summer.

PedalingWalrus

I agree on San Diego area for wool tops. Probably less practical.

ehcoplex 

Hmm, those look interesting. Can't beat the price. I like the Cima Coppi merino shorts I have a lot, but they have fairly thick padding and when it's really hot and humid it's actually the padding that gets a bit uncomfortable. Thinner, 'classic' chamois might work better for me in hot weather. How stretchy are the 2velo shorts? I'm almost always a size M in just about everything, but based on their sizing chart it seems I might be a little closer to a S... I wouldn't want to get M and have them sag (though I suppose if they did, I could 'force' them to shrink...), but also don't want to order S and have them be too small......

kevmcd

I traded emails with 2velo last night to verify that their chamois was indeed natural leather.

They said their chamois is cowhide. In my memory it seems that the best chamois's are sheepskin but I don't really know. The best pair of bicycle shorts I ever bought were from Protog maybe 35 years ago. The chamois in the Protog shorts was thicker and softer.

But I'm not sure that thick and soft makes that much difference. You don't want your bicycle seat to be soft and fuzzy or you will get a heat rash on your sensitive parts after a day of riding.

The great thing about a leather chamois is that the longer and sweatier your ride the more slippery the chamois gets. And it continues to breathe. Synthetic materials do not get slippery the way leather does.

kevmcd

I typed a long response in regards to your "sizing" question but it doesn't seem to have made it onto the forum. Excuse me if this is a duplicate post.

I bought my XL size 2velo shorts 2+ years ago when I had a 38" waist. Sizing seemed accurate to the website recommendation. Now I have a 36" waist and the shorts are still a snug fit. They loosen up at the bottom of the legs after 3 or 4 days riding but tighten back up after a wash in the sink with woolite and hang dry.

I am surprised that Peddling Walrus can rinse his shirt and shorts so frequently because I find it often takes 2 days 2 dry unless I am in summer weather. That is why I am planning to get a second pair of shorts. My strategy is to be neurotic about keeping my bum clean when I am touring.

I think dressing in wool makes you less stinky than any other material. I remember my first work trip to China for work 20 years. The detour to China was an unplanned 2 week extension of a 3 day trip to Japan. The only work clothes I had were a few white shirts and a dark blue wool suit. The whole country seemed to be a construction zone with thick pollution and dust in the air. More often than not the taxi could get us within 2 blocks of the customer site and we would have to drag our suitcases 2 block on unfinished dirt sidewalks. None of our customers had air conditioning. I had the suit cleaned once during the 2 weeks but it always looked good and just smelled like wool even though it was caked with dirt and sweat.

ehcoplex 

Looking at the photos they remind me of the Castelli wool shorts with leather chamois I had decades ago. With those shorts I recall after a couple washes the chamois would get a bit stiff and needed a treatment with chamois cream. I remember a stretch of several cool & wet days riding in Europe with them and a pair of wool leg warmers without any washing opportunity. The short's legs and the leg warmers began to sag enough that I had to buy some snaps to 'attach' the warmers to the shorts.
I think the dry-time is very dependent on weight and weave. The thin merino T's and (most of) the merino socks I have will dry overnight, but the Cima Coppi stuff is thicker and takes a little longer.
Wool's anti-stink properties are pretty amazing.

PedalingWalrus

well, if the shirt is not dry in the morning I put it on before I start packing. The body heat dries it right out and if not completely then the subsequent bike ride will...until it dampens from my sweat :-)

The pants - agreed - it is hard to dry out a wet chamois...it would take at least until noon time of wear in good weather

ehcoplex 

My first impressions on the 2velo merino shorts are positive. Only a few hours in the saddle with them, but I think I'm finding them more comfortable than the Cima Coppi shorts I have- counter-intuitive maybe, but less padding seems to work better for me (the Coppi's have quite thick padding). The wool weight is lighter than the Coppis (I'm guessing around 200gm vs 285gm), and the inseam is a good 2" shorter, both of which make them more comfortable in heat and humidity. 2Velo's sizing seems a little odd- I wear size M in pretty much everything, but going by their size chart, S in the shorts seemed to be the one to go with (I compared the measurements given against those for size M on the Coppis, which fit me well, and the 2Velo S looked pretty close to the Coppi M)- and it was. It will be interesting to see how they hold up, do in the rain, etc, etc. I like the small back button-up pocket- a good place to carry ID. No silicone band in the leg openings like the Coppis, but they haven't seemed to ride up while riding.... yet.

kevmcd, I'm curious what your 'maintenance' routine for your 2Velo merino shorts is? Do you 'treat' the chamois after washing?

kevmcd

Glad you like the shorts. I bought a second pair with the intention of going on a long tour again (someday)


With regard to treating the chamois: I am not an expert on this topic. 2 weeks ago I bought a stick of Glide Cycle to experiment with after the topic was brought up in this thread. Prior to that I had never treated my leather chamois. I just wash the shorts in woolite, rinse in cold water 3 times and hang dry. The chamois does get a bit stiff after washing but I don't find it uncomfortable when I get on the bike and it quickly softens up. As I noted in a post above previous shorts I have owned had thicker and more supple chamois's than the 2Velo shorts. But it doesn't seem to affect my ride comfort or at least it is never enough of a distraction to take my concentration away from the road..


The Glide Cycle does make the leather more supple and "stickier" but I am not sure that is a good thing. It may take a while for me to reach a conclusion.


With regard to the second pair of shorts I received they appear to be identical to the pair I bought a couple of years ago. I notice that the leather chamois is a little fuzzy almost suede like and I assume my first pair was like that when I received it and after a couple of rides it was worn smooth.

ehcoplex 

Yeah, I don't remember ever 'treating' the leather chamois in the shorts I had in the late 80s/early 90s.... but I don't remember not treating them, either!
I need a bunch more hours in the saddle with the 2Velos, but I'm tempted to order a second pair just to have, what with ongoing supply-chain issues and the impending end-of-the-world....