Clothing

nialo

Hi all,

Looking for a top/jacket to wear for cycling. finding it a bit chilly in just a t-shirt and shorts! anyone have any idea where to get a warm/breathable light top for cycling? reasonably price and water proof would be a plus. not into skin tight gear. and most the cycling gear seems to be this way that i saw.

any help would be appreciated..

N.

Raam

www.chainreactioncycles.com have a tonne of stuff.
Very fast delivery

Ghost Rider

Bear in mind that when it comes to cycling clothing, a fabric that is both very breathable and very waterproof is something of a holy grail...

nialo wrote: »

Hi all,

Looking for a top/jacket to wear for cycling. finding it a bit chilly in just a t-shirt and shorts! anyone have any idea where to get a warm/breathable light top for cycling? reasonably price and water proof would be a plus. not into skin tight gear. and most the cycling gear seems to be this way that i saw.

any help would be appreciated..

N.

blorg

I have a Polaris Aqualite that is doing me well at the moment. Key thing is the lite, it's probably conceived of as more of a summer shower thing but is light enough so as to be less sweaty than my supposedly breathable Altura Night Vision sweatbucket.

Zorba

Assos Airjacket 851 best jacket ever is a bit expensive though ranges from 180 - 250 depending on where u shop but worth every penny.

Gavin

Got a jogging jacket thing in Dunnes I think. 20 euro.

It's light, windproofish, rainproofish. I warm up quickly when I get going.

beans

Vote for Altura Jackets

blorg

You mention warm and breathable. You may be better off going for warm in the base layers and light in the jacket- you can take the jacket off when it's not raining.

doozerie

I have worn a variety of outer jackets for commuting over the years. They were of various weights, and various materials, and their performance was varied too. None of them dealt very well with sweat though (not helped by my wearing a rucksack, which is likely to cause problems regardless of how good the jacket is). The most effective one was a GoreTex XCR jacket made by Patagonia, but it is a relatively heavy jacket and therefore only really usable during the coldest months.

When I go out for a "spin" on my bike though, specific cycling clothing is what I use and I believe there is no match for it. The tightness of it is part of the reason it is so effective as it acts a bit like a wetsuit - as it gets wet your body warms the trapped water and it acts as a kind of insulator. You can get by with a small number of thin layers if you are using good cycling kit. And you can carry a windproof jacket (cycling ones fold up extremely small so they will fit in a pocket) in case you get cold despite everything. You typically wouldn't wear something that was completely waterfproof as you'd probably drown from the build-up of sweat, although in extreme conditions clothing like that could be tempting.

If you are really determined to avoid cycling-specific kit then have a look at the more generic clothing such as that used for climbing, etc. In Dublin, Patagonia is a good place to check. Most of it is made from man-made fibres (no cotton, typically) although Merino wool has become popular for base layers. A base layer covered by a fleece might suit a lot of Irish conditions, with a waterproof and windproof top layer for cold and/or wet days. Add additional base or mid layers according to the conditions. Personally, I'd still recommend cycling kit though as its design really is the best suited for spending hours at a time on a bike.

doozerie

Just found the following page, which has some useful advice:

http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/buyers-guide-to-winter-jackets-46

billyk

altura nevis and night vision jackets are as good as any, if you want something a bit lighter adidas have a few too

nialo

Cheers all, Went with a windbreaker and two layers (one ski vest) under it for warmth. then long shorts. Legs really never had a problem with heat. seems to be doing the job at the moment. unless it gets much colder then pair of gloves will need to come into play!

macinalli

nialo wrote: »

unless it gets much colder then pair of gloves will need to come into play!

My hands were blue by the time I got to work this morning - a pair of gloves have just gone to the top of the shopping list!

doozerie

Altura Shield gloves aren't bad, and this is a good price too:

http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=21575

They claim to be waterproof, and they work fine for commuting in the wet, but a few hours out in the rain leaves them as soaked as any other glove. Also, they could do with longer cuffs on the very cold days 'cos even on a 30 minute commute you can end up with cold fingers and hands. Apart from those relative extremes though they work well - they were very good in todays weather, for example.