Originally Posted by
wolfchild
I tried that approach very early on when I first got into cycling....The biggest problem with cotton other than poor wicking and long drying issues was durability. I have worn out way too many cotton cargo pants and cargo shorts and cotton t-shirts...When I was riding a lot I used to get an average of a few weeks out of cotton cargo shorts before having to throw them out due to ripping and holes. I never worn out any of my cargo shorts made from technical synthetic fabrics yet. When it comes to long term durability good quality synthetic fabrics win every time.
One of the big advantages of cotton is the cost is so cheap. They do wear out while riding over time, but I have so many of them that it doesn't really matter. They also have the advantage of being comfortable for other uses that don't tend to wear them out, so I get plenty of non-cycling wear out of them during the warmer months. Basically, in months where wearing shorts is appropriate, that's pretty much all I'll wear if I'm not in my dress clothes.
I don't disagree that durability while cycling is an objective advantage to synthetics, but how much that advantage means to us is entirely subjective.