Wearing a base layer

robinhood
robinhood Posts: 74
edited October 2009 in MTB general
I don't know if this is a stupid question or not to ask really but here goes :lol:

The purpose of wearing a decent base layer is to wick the sweat off your body right? But what happens then if i just stick a cotton t-shirt over the top, would i just be negating the effects of the base layer? as the sweat would build up on the tshirt

Who knows if i've made much sense but would appreciate your thoughts

Comments

  • Great Ayton
    Great Ayton Posts: 337
    No not really the base layer is there to warm you up. Though they are designed not to hold sweat to try and prevent them from becoming soggy. The advantage of them is cold air can not get in under them. In so you can stay warm wearing much thinner layers. When it comes down to it there just a old school vest.
  • P-Jay
    P-Jay Posts: 1,478
    Cotton's just a nightmare for riding. It's like a water/sweat sponge.

    If it's raining it'll get soaked, cold and just stick to you/the baselayer and just draw out heat.
    Shocker Enduro
  • Barteos
    Barteos Posts: 657
    The role of a base layer, as you said, is to wick the sweat off your body and then to pass it on to the other layers (thermal, windproof, waterproof), as long as all your clothes are breathable.
    That's the theory. In real life you'll be hardly ever completely dry but even though the difference between cotton and breathable stuff will be like night and day.
  • wordnumb
    wordnumb Posts: 847
    robinhood wrote:
    But what happens then if i just stick a cotton t-shirt over the top, would i just be negating the effects of the base layer? as the sweat would build up on the tshirt

    Yes and no. Yes the sweat will be trapped by the t-shirt and won't evaporate away very quickly, however this will be held away from your body so you'll be more comfortable than if you were just wearing the cotton t-shirt.
  • mikeyj28
    mikeyj28 Posts: 754
    As we are on the topic of base layers..Does anyone know of a decent base layer for approx £15.
    Also (silly question) does marino wool itch? Why i ask is that any woollen jumpers that are next to my skin irritate me.

    Thanks
    Constantly trying to upgrade my parts.It is a long road ahead as things are so expensive for little gain. n+1 is always the principle in my mind.
  • Andy B
    Andy B Posts: 8,115
    Merino doesn't itch.

    The Endura Baa Baa is a good & relatively cheap merino base layer
    2385861000_d125abe796_m.jpg
  • boogercj
    boogercj Posts: 316
    Also check out www.tenn-outdoors.co.uk. £9.99 for long sleeved base layers ;)
    SS Inbred!
  • Andy B
    Andy B Posts: 8,115
    boogercj wrote:
    Also check out www.tenn-outdoors.co.uk. £9.99 for long sleeved base layers ;)
    Not as good as a merino base layer though ;)
    2385861000_d125abe796_m.jpg
  • cee
    cee Posts: 4,553
    i would always recommend merino wool.

    the single most comfortable base layers i have owned are merino.

    not itchy at all...really smooth and comfy....

    wicks sweat away really well and even if you get soaked pish through...the magic merino still keeps you warm.

    If you only buy one base layer, make it merino.....and they don't smell as bad after use as other fabrics....you can wear them for days until they start to make their own way to the wash basket.

    :D
    Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.

    H.G. Wells.
  • wordnumb
    wordnumb Posts: 847
    That's the thing, merino base-layers are warm. Sure, they're comfortable and great in the winter, but most of the year I'd rather wear something synthetic.
  • Barteos
    Barteos Posts: 657
    mikeyj28 wrote:
    Also (silly question) does marino wool itch? Why i ask is that any woollen jumpers that are next to my skin irritate me. Thanks

    I have the same problem with anything made of wool and Merino is no different.
    It is much nicer to touch and smoother than typical wool but I just can't get on with it.
    Must be my amazingly smooth and sensetive skin :)

    Try before you buy.
  • TommyEss
    TommyEss Posts: 1,855
    I wear merino in winter and synthetic in summer.

    It's Howies in vest, SS and LS for the winter, and currently Northwave HOT SS for summer - though I may experiment with the Castelli ones if I can get over the string-vest look!
    Cannondale Synapse 105, Giant Defy 3, Giant Omnium, Giant Trance X2, EMC R1.0, Ridgeback Platinum, On One Il Pompino...
  • MrChuck
    MrChuck Posts: 1,663
    Wearing cotton over the top isn't ideal as it'll hang onto moisture much longer than an equivalent synthetic top, but you'll still be ahead if you wear a base layer next to the skin where you'd otherwise also have cotton.

    Strictly speaking the base layer's job is to keep you warm by keeping you dry, rather than though its insulating properties (although obviously they do that a bit too). Insulation is the job of the next layer(s) up.

    As for merino, I've had jumpers/hats I couldn't wear for too long because of itching, but never had a problem with merino.
  • dave_hill
    dave_hill Posts: 3,877
    mikeyj28 wrote:
    As we are on the topic of base layers..Does anyone know of a decent base layer for approx £15.
    Also (silly question) does marino wool itch? Why i ask is that any woollen jumpers that are next to my skin irritate me.

    Thanks

    Try Millets, they do a basic synthetic undershirt for about a tenner. Merino doesn't itch but I can't wear it anyway because any sort of wool brings me out in a rash.
    Give a home to a retired Greyhound. Tia Greyhound Rescue
    Help for Heroes
    JayPic
  • P-Jay
    P-Jay Posts: 1,478
    I love my Howies wool base layers.

    They had a discount shop open in Cardiff for a few days a couple of months ago and I bought a load of them.

    I wear them off the bike too. Any time I'm gonna be outside for a good while, out on my motorbike, anything really just chuck on under my t-shirt.

    Not even remotely itchy. They're as warm, soft and comfy as boobs.
    Shocker Enduro
  • TommyEss
    TommyEss Posts: 1,855
    P-Jay wrote:
    I love my Howies wool base layers.

    They're as warm, soft and comfy as boobs.

    This should be their new slogan! :D
    Cannondale Synapse 105, Giant Defy 3, Giant Omnium, Giant Trance X2, EMC R1.0, Ridgeback Platinum, On One Il Pompino...
  • deffler
    deffler Posts: 829
    Depending on the type of base layer it can also be a compression top too, the benefit being they aid circulation helping you get oxygen to your muscles, helping reduce lactic acid build up & reduce muscle vibration.

    Some people think its cobblers but im a believer
    Boardman Hybrid Pro

    Planet X XLS
  • dave_hill
    dave_hill Posts: 3,877
    deffler wrote:
    Some people think its cobblers but im a believer

    Can't say I'm a great believer in the performance attributes of compression gear, but I do like my Under Armour - it makes me look like I have a six-pack instead of a Party 7.
    Give a home to a retired Greyhound. Tia Greyhound Rescue
    Help for Heroes
    JayPic
  • steelo
    steelo Posts: 542
    Last night I had a HH long sleeved base layer with just an Altura Attack waterproof on top. Warm and dry against the elements until I got a sweat on after all the climbing! As soon as I got to the pub I switched the base layer for a North Face micro-fleece and was toasty all the way home!
    Specialized Rockhopper '07
    Trek Fuel EX8 '09
  • Smalleyboy
    Smalleyboy Posts: 9
    I do a lot of running and swear by long sleeved HH tops for winter training. I have used an Icebreaker merino wool top as a mid layer for mountain walking and it is outstanding.

    I haven't tried a Merino wool base layer which I believe should be great, but rightly or wrongly, I perceive them as taking longer to dry out and being heavier in weight if they get soaked.

    As an aside. I bought my icebreaker in NZ back in 2004 and I visited loads of hiking/mountain equipment shops. They all stocked clothing made of natural fibres. I was chatting to one of the guys in a shop who remarked about the North Face top I was wearing. He said he had seen NF gear in London when he travelled but hardly anyone in NZ stocked it, as everyone preferred wool based clothing.

    His attitude was: wool, it keeps sheep warm in some really cold areas, so it must be fairly good.
  • uk_mr_brownstone
    uk_mr_brownstone Posts: 343
    Andy_B wrote:
    Merino doesn't itch.

    The Endura Baa Baa is a good & relatively cheap merino base layer

    Agree, although Howies NBL is nicer all round. Maybe personal preference but I've managed to blag one of each in various sales and it's always the NBL i'll use when there's an option.

    I've got loads of cheap baselayers picked up from millets and other outdoors type places. They're basically the same as 'proper bike baselayers' but cheaper as they don't have the bike tax on them (some reason identical 'bike specific' stuff is more expensive). However, for the cost of 4 synthetic base Iayers I'd rather buy one Howies NBL or similar merino top. It'll need washing 4 times less often at least, it'll be warmer in winter, it'll feel a bit more comfortable, and it's made from sheep! Having said all that, I wouldn't pay the full RRP for one!
  • Airienteer
    Airienteer Posts: 695
    Helly Hansen are the only brand I consider when looking at base laters. Their long sleeve lifas are unbeatable. I wear 'em for running and biking.
  • captainfly
    captainfly Posts: 1,001
    Back to the original question, it depends on what the cotton outer layer is, I;ve been wearing baselayer tops (patagonia C2 being my favourite) under cotton windproof smocks for years and it work really well, but it is the brethability of the outerlayer that makes all the difference.
    -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
    Mongoose Teocali
    Giant STP0

    Why are MTB economics; spend twice as much as you intended, but only half as much as you wish you could afford? :roll:
  • REF123
    REF123 Posts: 13
    Stay away from cotton, baselayer or not, unless you have absolutely no choice or biking to the mailbox.
    Not worth the hassle and discomfort that cotton's surely to provide at even the most mundane pace.
    I swear by Merino as a baselayer (Icebreaker) and use some form of it for every ride, winter thru summer, except the hottest summer days where I opt for a sleeveless synthetic or remove it altogether.
    Icebreaker does make a nice thin "undershirt" (Apollo Crewe) that works great most days.
    None of the Icebreaker baselayers has ever been itchy, they last many rides before getting funkified and, although holding moisture a noticeably longer time than synthetics and being a bit heavier and bulkier, the fact that they keep you warm when wet and don't reek greatly offsets those minor disadvantages.
  • _Ferret_
    _Ferret_ Posts: 660
    Ever heard of ODLO? - got one of their base layers and ended up riding in just that last weekend. Great piece of kit but seemingly unknown on the island...
    Not really active

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