sweaty jacket

thelawnet

Just bought a red waterproof Altura Night Vision Evo jacket, having not had any cycling clothes before.

It looks very nice (which is why I bought it), but I find that even in this cold weather I'm bathed in sweat (I do go fairly hard) - basically I'm wearing say cotton t-shirt, thin sweater and the jacket, the sweat just stays in the t-shirt and sweater and has nowhere to go.

Did I buy the wrong kind of jacket?

pete54

Try wearing a breathable synthetic or (preferably) merino baselayer underneath. Cotton will just trap sweat.

dhope

No, you're wearing the wrong kind of t shirt and sweater.
You need something that'll let the sweat away from your skin.

Look for something like a merino base layer, that with the jacket should do you fine in most weather.

Mr Plum

The problem with jackets is that you can get a waterproof one OR a breathable one. It's a trade off really. I find with my waterproof jacket that if I unzip the front by about 1/4 and slightly unzip the pit zips I have no sweat or 'boil in the bag' problems at all, but not all jackets have under arm zips. If it starts to rain then I just zip up and I'm considerably dryer, even with sweat, than I otherwise would be...

cyclopsbiker

+1 for merino or wicking base layer
make sure you set off cold or cool....you'll soon warm up and could be just wearing one too many layers.

dhope

If you're near a Decathlon then have a look there, they've got good cheap kit


I'm wearing a merino base and this
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-long-sleeve ... rsey-2011/
No jacket.

and it's fine for my commute (London, so not that cold)

Cold for first minute or two, then I warm up and I'm quite toasty but not sweating profusely when I arrive at work

sketchley

If you don't fancy Merino I use these and they are very good and not as expensive.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-corefit-lon ... ase-layer/

Canny Jock

I love merino because it can go a whole week without washing. I was in a similar position to you though, and find a breathable softshell a better option for commuting. 40mins of heavy rain doesn't get through much, and you don't end up drenched in sweat.

sketchley

+1 on softshell. I heard good things about the Gore Phantom 2 but it was not exactly cut of the larger gentleman. After much searching I now have one of these and very pleased with it.

http://www.greyville.com/products/5758- ... ferer=true

Canny Jock

^^ It's a Phantom II I've got, cheap second hand from eBay. Perfect for winter commuting. It is cut pretty slim though

wyadvd

ive also gone from altura boil in the bag , to an endura(non-waterproof) softshell windchill jacket. IMO (and very limitted experience compared to some here of less than 2 years of commuting), waterproof jackets are the most overrated bit of kit out there. You can be wet and comfortable if you dress right (skin is waterproof after all!). Even in what you might categorise as "tipping it down" My windchill jacket is barely damp on the front (where it has a windtex membrane) and remains totally dry on the back (where it is super roubaix with no membrane) after my 15 mile commute. Inside the jacket I am almost always dry, and always comfortable even if not dry . I believe that if you have a high workrate on the bike and dont overdress, then up to a certain precipitation rate (possibly around 10mm/hr???) the majority of the rain evaporates from a softshell that has an effective DWP, within about 15mins of no rain.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... cket-32190

MichaelW

When I used gortex, I only wore it when raining. For dry conditions, a non-waterproof breathable is far better. Membrane windproofs are not worth the effort when you can get good, cheap, durable ones from a very tight-weave fabric such as pertex.
Merino is excellent as a base layer but with a suitable shell, synthetic ones can be OK.

I use wooly jumpers as midlayer.

meanredspider

I don't have a lot to add except that I wear softshells and expect them to get sweaty. It sounds like you're wearing far too much and the wrong stuff. I wear a very thin baselayer (Nike Pro) under a Gore Phantom 2 or Assos Airjack for temps -4C to 4C. Above that, I wear just the softshell.

godders1

I wear a Paramo Fuera smock in most conditions (adjusting base and mid layers to suit temperature).

http://www.paramo.co.uk/en-gb/garments/ ... UERAUNISEX

Only about £45 and I absolutely love it. Not cycling specific but the cut is good for on the bike anyway. Really light and packs up really small too. And although not advertised as waterproof it'll hold up pretty well in a light shower.