Base Layers - Worth investing?

tailwindhome

Following on from DDD's Smelly Stuff thread.

I have been using cheap cotton tee shirts as a base layer and have been advised by my better half that they smell to high heaven after a ride (they're also soaked with sweat).

Would investing in 'proper' base layers help?

Would a 'proper' base layer still be effective under a cheap Lidl jersey?

What would the collective recommend at a budget price point (sub £20)?


Ta much.

Cafewanda

TWH, try soaking them in diluted vinegar before washing or put some vinegar in the rinse cycle and see if that helps.

Merino as the ultimate baselayer? More than twenny quid though.

DonDaddyD

These I swear by them:

http://shop.uniqlo.com/uk/store/clothing/heattech/men/

I don't wear them yet and probably won't until December/Jan/Feb.

Wear them under my £9.99 CC-UK (www.cycle-clothing.co.uk) jersey's and they do just fine. They're wierd, they do everything, absorb sweat, keep dry, keep you warm and let you skin breath.

I swear by them.

daviesee

I use Rapha base layers and they are great. Warm in the winter and wick the sweat away in summer. All smell free!
I don't go out without them now, even in summer. I do live in Scotland though.

Yes they are expensive, £100 for 3 but I think I have got my useage out of them and barring crashes i don't see how I will wear them out.

They show that in principle it is a good idea and there are cheaper merino alternatives out there.

Clever Pun

daviesee wrote:

I use Rapha base layers and they are great. Warm in the winter and wick the sweat away in summer. All smell free!
I don't go out without them now, even in summer. I do live in Scotland though.

Yes they are expensive, £100 for 3 but I think I have got my useage out of them and barring crashes i don't see how I will wear them out.

They show that in principle it is a good idea and there are cheaper merino alternatives out there.

3 for £90 in a bundle but only short and sleeveless

I've got a sleeveless one and it's great

I've got longsleeves in briko, helly hanson and dhb

badlydrunkboy

Have a look on mandmdirect and they have plenty, very cheap.

hth

WesternWay

TailWindHome wrote:

Following on from DDD's Smelly Stuff thread.

I have been using cheap cotton tee shirts as a base layer and have been advised by my better half that they smell to high heaven after a ride (they're also soaked with sweat).

Would investing in 'proper' base layers help?

Would a 'proper' base layer still be effective under a cheap Lidl jersey?

What would the collective recommend at a budget price point (sub £20)?


Ta much.

I use a very basic walking long sleeve wicking top and wear it underneath a Decathalon cycling top. They are a billion times better than cotton and are cheap.

Rich158

I use the DHB or Helly Hansen long sleeved ones and they're fantastic. They keep me warm all winter, and wick any moisture away from the skin keeping me nice and toasty. they're probably the best investment in cycling kit I've ever made

il_principe

Prendas £16.50 or £17.50. 'Nuff said.

http://www.prendas.co.uk/details.asp?typ=typ&fkid=22&ID=368

greg66_tri_v2.0

TailWindHome wrote:

I have been using cheap cotton tee shirts as a base layer and have been advised by my better half that they smell to high heaven after a ride (they're also soaked with sweat).

Would investing in 'proper' base layers help?

Two distinct issues here.

(1) wicking; cotton v the rest. Polyprop (or similar) base layers are great. They draw moisture away from the skin and allow it to evaporate. Cotton, not so much; cotton will soak up moisture but it's no where near as good at allowing it to evaporate. It retains it (like a towel). So a wicking base layer should be less soaked at the end of a ride.

(2) Repeating myself, the smell in your t-shirts is down to the bacteria (now) living in them. These laddies have bred from you to the t-shirts, and will break down your sweat in the t-shirts just as effectively as they do when they're on your skin. The by product of the break-down is smelly.

The shirts smell bad after a ride because you've just given the laddies a fresh helping of "food".

You can kill the bacteria with a very hot wash.

These self same bacteria will learn how to inhabit your wicking base layer though, just as they worked out how to inhabit your cotton t-shirts. Removal requires similar hot wash, which can be worrisome when your polyprop top says to wash it at 30 degrees (IME, you can wash them a lot hotter than that. Ironing them is a bog no-no though).

You can maximise the life of your shirts by (a) putting them on when your skin is freshly cleaned, and (b) minimising the time they are in contact with your body.

dennisn

I am completely UN-convinced by so called base layers, except for colder weather applications. I've owned my fair share and basically regret buying them. For hot weather -forget it. The only difference I have noticed between wearing a standard cycling jersey and wearing one with a "base layer" is the base layer one keeps me hotter. I've been duped and feel that everyone else has been too.

laughingboy

When the question involves smell, the answer is Merino Wool.

I have other base layers, and after one ride the niff is nasty.

Wicking? Wool wicks as well as anything else I have tried, and is toasty warm in winter and cool in summer.

Initial cost is high, but so is value for money. Be a real man, and keep a sheep in employment.

greg66_tri_v2.0

dennisn wrote:

I am completely UN-convinced by so called base layers, except for colder weather applications. I've owned my fair share and basically regret buying them. For hot weather -forget it. The only difference I have noticed between wearing a standard cycling jersey and wearing one with a "base layer" is the base layer one keeps me hotter. I've been duped and feel that everyone else has been too.

You're probably wearing them wrong.

cjcp

Base layers stop me from getting a chill or just downright freezing.

I have some from LewisKit. They've been a very good buy.

Canny Jock

Can't recommend merino highly enough, 2 Endura BaaBaa base layers do me all year, one short sleeve (red) for summer and a long sleeve under a jacket for winter. They look like they will last for years, so £60 total is great value instead of a few more cheap ones which need washing a lot more often.

roger_merriman

I use them for winter riding, though needs to be quite cold, or I over heat very quickly.

antlaff

The North West coast requires Merino wool for winter!!

I have a Endura Baa Baa for last winter - really warm and was able to wear all week with no smell - i do sweat alot aswell!! wore under LS jersey and was toastie. if you can find the extra £14 well worth it

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=26756

coopster_the_1st

TailWindHome wrote:

Following on from DDD's Smelly Stuff thread.

I have been using cheap cotton tee shirts as a base layer and have been advised by my better half that they smell to high heaven after a ride (they're also soaked with sweat).

Would investing in 'proper' base layers help?

Would a 'proper' base layer still be effective under a cheap Lidl jersey?

What would the collective recommend at a budget price point (sub £20)?


Ta much.

I wear a DHB base layer underneath a Lidl SS top and they work great.

For cheap base layers, try TK Maxx, I brought a great one from there last year and will be looking again when their ski wear is back on the shelves

cycle monster

I only wear them in winter because it is not cold enough otherwise. i have an Altura and a Fox. When exceptionally cold I wear the Fox over the Altura. My winter riding usually involves starts at sun up so it can be a bit nippy. Never considered the need to wear the outside winter though. The Altura one fits like a glove and I forget i have it on - super comfy,. The Fox one (still under a tenner from Rutland Cycles) is not such a fitted shirt but is warm and goes nicely over the other. All a case of personal preference i suppose, save that being wet and cold is not a good combo in the depths of winter.

Monkeypump

I tend to use Helly Hanson - get them slightly cheaper from various outlet villages (there seems to be an HH shop in all of them). Should get them for under £20 easily, and they come in different weights/warmths so you can choose how toastie you want to be.

I'm quite long-armed (comes with being 6' 5" I guess!), and find the fit perfect (long enough at the back too).

As mentioned in both threads, they start to honk a bit after a while, but this appears to be a bacterial issue.

stuaff

DonDaddyD wrote:

These I swear by them:

http://shop.uniqlo.com/uk/store/clothing/heattech/men/

I don't wear them yet and probably won't until December/Jan/Feb.

Wear them under my £9.99 CC-UK (www.cycle-clothing.co.uk) jersey's and they do just fine. They're wierd, they do everything, absorb sweat, keep dry, keep you warm and let you skin breath.

I swear by them.

+1. As we've both said before, brilliant stuff.

Radioactiveman

+1 for merino wool.

Feels good next to the skin, keeps me warm if its wet/damp. Doesnt smell after a week of use unlike a HH lifa which smells of cat piss after 30 minutes of use. I wear mine on its own on cooler rides in place of a jersey before I need full winter protection.

fossyant

Base layers are essential to prolong the life of the top layers.... they are the bits that absorb skin. sweat etc......

I'm fortunate my wife's hobby is sewing, so I get imported bamboo fabric and other materials to use as base layers. The bamboo is 100% smell free, but can take an age to dry..... the synthetic stuff can get a pit pongy, but drys fast and stops smelling.

tailwindhome

Thanks for the advice

Did a bit of Wiggle browsing and the DHB range are reduced to half price, but don't have my size. I'll look properly at the weekend

I anyones interested they have Mens in XL and XXL (46" and 48") and ladies in (12, 14, 16)

They are also 50% Bamboo as mentioned above.

Zephr

If youre looking for something to wash base layers in when they are ridden with bacteria (ie smell horrendous), the hot wash does kill them, but may have the minor side effect of making the clothes shrink to a quarter of the size.
I tend to use Grangers Base layer cleaner or Down cleaner- its got antibacterial stuff in it- and wierdly enough, no perfume (like most washing powders), so the come out smelling of .... nothing.

I tried it with a 12 year old helly, when I wore it, the bird thought Id splashed out on a new one. Must be good stuff.

Im trying out some merino at the mo- yes, it keeps me warm and toasty, just waiting for winter to kick in to see how it REALLY performs...

fatherted

fossyant wrote:

Base layers are essential to prolong the life of the top layers.... they are the bits that absorb skin.

+1

Vest base layer for the summer.
Short sleeved base layer when less than 10 degrees
Long sleeved base layer when it gets cold.
De Marchi make good base layers although they've stopped producing a long sleeved one. Still available though at some sites , ~ £25 ,e.g
http://www.slanecycles.com/de-marchi-st ... rrency=GBP

biondino

TailWindHome wrote:

I have been using cheap cotton tee shirts as a base layer and have been advised by my better half that they smell to high heaven after a ride (they're also soaked with sweat).

I know women are supposed to have a better sense of smell than men, but seriously, guys, can you really not smell yourselves? You shouldn't need others to tell you you reek, but so many people seem completely oblivious.

Being known as the smelly by friends and colleagues isn't a badge of honour, believe me

As for base layers in the summer, I agree with dennisn. I use cycling-specific jerseys, and these wick sweat fine. I wash them before they smell. I don't see how another layer would help.

biondino

Oh, and my winter recommendation for base layers is Canterbury - their wicking qualities are phenomenal, demonstrated by how they can be barely moist on the inside and properly wet on the outside after the commute (ideally they'd be dry on the outside but under a proper winter jacket that's not going to happen, so getting the sweat away from the skin is key).

cyclopsbiker

Zephr wrote:

I tried it with a 12 year old helly, when I wore it, the bird thought Id splashed out on a new one. Must be good stuff.

Im trying out some merino at the mo- yes, it keeps me warm and toasty, just waiting for winter to kick in to see how it REALLY performs...

the bird??? how does she put up with you....wearing 12 year old clothes!!!

I've been wearing a long sleeved icebreaker (merino) on my commute on cool/cold days and love it, well worth every penny. will get a short sleeved one for next year. I never wear anything else apart from a windproof gillet on all but very cold days (i.e. minus temperatures).

tailwindhome

biondino wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

I have been using cheap cotton tee shirts as a base layer and have been advised by my better half that they smell to high heaven after a ride (they're also soaked with sweat).

I know women are supposed to have a better sense of smell than men, but seriously, guys, can you really not smell yourselves? You shouldn't need others to tell you you reek, but so many people seem completely oblivious.

I have no sense of smell.

It is both a blessing and a curse.

DonDaddyD

biondino wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

I have been using cheap cotton tee shirts as a base layer and have been advised by my better half that they smell to high heaven after a ride (they're also soaked with sweat).

I know women are supposed to have a better sense of smell than men, but seriously, guys, can you really not smell yourselves? You shouldn't need others to tell you you reek, but so many people seem completely oblivious.

Being known as the smelly by friends and colleagues isn't a badge of honour, believe me

As for base layers in the summer, I agree with dennisn. I use cycling-specific jerseys, and these wick sweat fine. I wash them before they smell. I don't see how another layer would help.

It takes some seconds for the nose to get use to a smell* Having lived with my smell I'm pretty much used to it and therefore won't notice it. My smell however is more noticable to people who aren't used to it. Some hate it and some like it.

It's like farts, very very rarely can I not stand my own farts, in fact sometimes I enjoy them. However, I can't stand other peoples. Things would have to be pretty bad if:

i) I can smell myself
ii) I didn't like what I could smell.

*If you cannot get used to smell, like cat pee or gas (which is a man made smell actual gas used as fuel doesn't smell of anything) it probably means prolonged exposure could damage you in some way or possibly kill you.

Tailwindhome,

Seriously, it seems unusual as its not billed or marketed for sport but check out the Uniqlo base layers, they're fantastic! (Arms are a little short though).