Clothing Advice

MattyH1991

Hi guys,

First off i'm very new to road cycling having just purchased my first road bike. I'm looking for some advice on where to start with clothing and what items you'd consider most important. I already have a helmet etc so really i'm looking for advice on tights, jerseys and a jacket plus whatever else you would suggest.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/end ... 683#select

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/alt ... 3#delivery

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/mav ... y-ec049232

I've been looking at the above, would they be a good place to start?

Thanks

sloppyschleckonds

Smear yourself in embrocation cream, nothing else matters.

northpole

Very difficult question to answer in any meaningful way. You haven't said what type of riding you are doing - is it commuting, what distance, what weather are you prepared to put up with, etc? I'm sure this seems negative however, shops are full of all sorts of gear to suit all sorts of conditions.

My own preference, in UK at this time of year would be:

1. Decent bib shorts with good quality padding. You can combine leg warmers with these or wear bib longs over the top of them. I would not recommend leggings which rely on a waistband - they tend to constrict your breathing and with several types you can all too easily have the drawstring come out, never to be replaced!

2. Decent windproof jacket. I don't know about the one you identified, but the principal is sound ie protection on the front and breathable material on the rear. My own preference is to use one not waterproof to reduce sweating and combine with a packable waterproof jacket if the weather takes a turn for the worse.

3. Decent base layers - I have found that with a good jacket I can get away with one or two base layers depending on how cold it is. I tend to combine a short and long sleeved merino wool layering if it's very cold. I would wait until spring time before bothering about a short sleeved cycle shirt unless you find a bargain - you won't need one over winter.

4. Gloves - important to keep your fingers working! My approach is to use a liner glove with an early winter glove - only using the liner when it is cold (0 - 5 Celsius). I try not to ride when it's colder than that!

5. Hat - you can lose a huge amount of heat through your head. I mostly wear an Assos Stinger which is flexible and, when it's really cold, allows you to cover your ears.

6. Socks - you may already have hiking socks which will be fine for starting off. If you don't have any warm socks, get some! See Woolie Boolie thread.

7. Overshoes - they look daft as a brush, are a complete pain to get on, but in the wet they are a god-send. The neoprene type ones won't keep your feet completely dry but they are very effective at keeping you warm.

8. Glasses - not so obvious unless you are a spectacle wearer but a decent pair of cycling glasses are wonderful particularly on cold descents - my eyes are a bit sensitive and I was amazed at the difference it made to be able to see properly on downhill stretches! They aren't essential but more a really nice to have.

Other things to consider and which I assume you have already are shoes, bright lights, fairly robust tyres (the roads are full of sharp nasties which are particularly hard to spot when it's wet) and possibly even mud guards for winter (you would be amazed at the difference they make!).

As I said at the start, your question is very wide ranging in that depending on your situation, the answer could be very different. Hope this helps a bit and I'd suggest you spend some time running through threads on here when clothing items are being discussed. Stay warm & dry!

Peter

littledove44

northpole wrote:

Very difficult question to answer in any meaningful way. You haven't said what type of riding you are doing - is it commuting, what distance, what weather are you prepared to put up with, etc? I'm sure this seems negative however, shops are full of all sorts of gear to suit all sorts of conditions.

My own preference, in UK at this time of year would be:

1. Decent bib shorts with good quality padding. You can combine leg warmers with these or wear bib longs over the top of them. I would not recommend leggings which rely on a waistband - they tend to constrict your breathing and with several types you can all too easily have the drawstring come out, never to be replaced!

2. Decent windproof jacket. I don't know about the one you identified, but the principal is sound ie protection on the front and breathable material on the rear. My own preference is to use one not waterproof to reduce sweating and combine with a packable waterproof jacket if the weather takes a turn for the worse.

3. Decent base layers - I have found that with a good jacket I can get away with one or two base layers depending on how cold it is. I tend to combine a short and long sleeved merino wool layering if it's very cold. I would wait until spring time before bothering about a short sleeved cycle shirt unless you find a bargain - you won't need one over winter.

4. Gloves - important to keep your fingers working! My approach is to use a liner glove with an early winter glove - only using the liner when it is cold (0 - 5 Celsius). I try not to ride when it's colder than that!

5. Hat - you can lose a huge amount of heat through your head. I mostly wear an Assos Stinger which is flexible and, when it's really cold, allows you to cover your ears.

6. Socks - you may already have hiking socks which will be fine for starting off. If you don't have any warm socks, get some! See Woolie Boolie thread.

7. Overshoes - they look daft as a brush, are a complete pain to get on, but in the wet they are a god-send. The neoprene type ones won't keep your feet completely dry but they are very effective at keeping you warm.

8. Glasses - not so obvious unless you are a spectacle wearer but a decent pair of cycling glasses are wonderful particularly on cold descents - my eyes are a bit sensitive and I was amazed at the difference it made to be able to see properly on downhill stretches! They aren't essential but more a really nice to have.

Other things to consider and which I assume you have already are shoes, bright lights, fairly robust tyres (the roads are full of sharp nasties which are particularly hard to spot when it's wet) and possibly even mud guards for winter (you would be amazed at the difference they make!).

As I said at the start, your question is very wide ranging in that depending on your situation, the answer could be very different. Hope this helps a bit and I'd suggest you spend some time running through threads on here when clothing items are being discussed. Stay warm & dry!

Peter

I was mulling a reply and realised you had said it all. Perfectly.

What he said!

MattyH1991

northpole wrote:

Very difficult question to answer in any meaningful way. You haven't said what type of riding you are doing - is it commuting, what distance, what weather are you prepared to put up with, etc? I'm sure this seems negative however, shops are full of all sorts of gear to suit all sorts of conditions.

My own preference, in UK at this time of year would be:

1. Decent bib shorts with good quality padding. You can combine leg warmers with these or wear bib longs over the top of them. I would not recommend leggings which rely on a waistband - they tend to constrict your breathing and with several types you can all too easily have the drawstring come out, never to be replaced!

2. Decent windproof jacket. I don't know about the one you identified, but the principal is sound ie protection on the front and breathable material on the rear. My own preference is to use one not waterproof to reduce sweating and combine with a packable waterproof jacket if the weather takes a turn for the worse.

3. Decent base layers - I have found that with a good jacket I can get away with one or two base layers depending on how cold it is. I tend to combine a short and long sleeved merino wool layering if it's very cold. I would wait until spring time before bothering about a short sleeved cycle shirt unless you find a bargain - you won't need one over winter.

4. Gloves - important to keep your fingers working! My approach is to use a liner glove with an early winter glove - only using the liner when it is cold (0 - 5 Celsius). I try not to ride when it's colder than that!

5. Hat - you can lose a huge amount of heat through your head. I mostly wear an Assos Stinger which is flexible and, when it's really cold, allows you to cover your ears.

6. Socks - you may already have hiking socks which will be fine for starting off. If you don't have any warm socks, get some! See Woolie Boolie thread.

7. Overshoes - they look daft as a brush, are a complete pain to get on, but in the wet they are a god-send. The neoprene type ones won't keep your feet completely dry but they are very effective at keeping you warm.

8. Glasses - not so obvious unless you are a spectacle wearer but a decent pair of cycling glasses are wonderful particularly on cold descents - my eyes are a bit sensitive and I was amazed at the difference it made to be able to see properly on downhill stretches! They aren't essential but more a really nice to have.

Other things to consider and which I assume you have already are shoes, bright lights, fairly robust tyres (the roads are full of sharp nasties which are particularly hard to spot when it's wet) and possibly even mud guards for winter (you would be amazed at the difference they make!).

As I said at the start, your question is very wide ranging in that depending on your situation, the answer could be very different. Hope this helps a bit and I'd suggest you spend some time running through threads on here when clothing items are being discussed. Stay warm & dry!

Peter

Thanks very much, very helpful indeed.

It will initially be relatively short distances until i'm capable of more though eventually I would love to be out for a few hours covering mile after mile. I'm merely doing it for fun and enjoyment not for commuting, so weather will be anything except snow and extreme rain and/or wind.

Are there any jackets you could recommend at a reasonable price? I've been reading through threads already and a number of people have been discussing the mavic echappee, is there anything a little bit cheaper? If that's the best I can get, without spending a ludicrous amount, then I would be prepared to pay it.

Thanks once again, it's very much appreciated.

littledove44

Aldi winter cycling jacket. 12.99 yesterday. Wore it today for 40 miles in 4 degrees.

Get one and see if it suits you. It probably will. If not you will know what to buy next and you will have spent almost nothing.

At least that way you will feel your Gabba was an informed decision.

MattyH1991

Cheers. There's an Aldi on my way to work so i'll pop in tomorrow and check them out. Ignoring that for a second is this along the right lines so far?

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/end ... s-ec029755 (socks)
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gor ... 27#reviews (bib shorts)
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/lou ... 2-ec046272 (leg warmers)

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/end ... 48#answers (base layer)
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/mor ... 8#features (L/S jersey)
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/mav ... 1#features (soft shell)

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/ass ... 7-ec031926 (cap)

Would I also be best with a rain coat/gilet on top of that? Depending on the conditions of course.

Bobbinogs

Nice and measured response by Northpole but the main point is we are all different. I wear some stuff and would recommend it, others would differ even on the same ride.

Ride your bike, buy some basics and see what works for you. Unfortunately there is no short cut on this, for instance, on Sunday I wore bib shorts and leg warmers whereas some club members were wearing bib tights...yet some wore bib shorts and unpadded tights. Jackets/jerseys? I don't think I could cover all the options I saw but we were all happy (apart from those moaning about the pace but that's a different story ).

MattyH1991

Haha yeah I understand what you're saying. Obviously everybody is different and everyone is affected by the cold/heat in different ways. Generally speaking though are you better off having two different jackets/a jacket and soft shell?

bobones

MattyH1991 wrote:

Haha yeah I understand what you're saying. Obviously everybody is different and everyone is affected by the cold/heat in different ways. Generally speaking though are you better off having two different jackets/a jacket and soft shell?

A softshell and a decent packable rain jacket/race cape is probably the most versatile combination. I only use my proper rain jacket (Mavic HC H20 2013) when it's already raining before I start or I know for sure it's coming. Other times I'll go out in a jersey or softshell and put the packable in my pocket in case it turns wet or cold. In really heavy, prolonged downpours though, nothing will keep you dry.

The Aldi winter softshell is fantastic value if you're on a budget and can find one to fit you. The Aldi base layers are unbeatable value too. Decathlon also sell some good stuff if a little more expensive: I particularly like their winter long bibs. I also have a thick Endura Windtex jacket in my club kit which is great in cold weather and somewhat water-resistant.

You'll definitely need good gloves, socks, overshoes, a skull cap/beanie, cycling cap, buff or snood to keep going over the winter, but again it's all dependent on how much you feel the cold.

MattyH1991

Thanks again, it's all proving to be very helpful. Are there any decent packable rain jackets you'd recommend to go with the mavic soft shell?

huuregeil

Good advice here. One more thing to consider, and this is probably much cheaper and more versatile than a softshell, is to get a regular (non-windproof) long-sleeve jersey and a gilet to keep the wind off. The gilet you'll use all year round too.

Packable rain jackets are all much of a muchness - non of them breath too well, they're just bail-out options when it really comes down.

Also, check out www.prendas.co.uk for gloves, overshoes, base layers, bib shorts, leg warmers... quality kit at decent prices!

bobones

MattyH1991 wrote:

Are there any decent packable rain jackets you'd recommend to go with the mavic soft shell?

Look for one with taped seams to ensure best water resistance and one with a good fit so it won't flap around in the wind. I've got an Endura FS260 Pro race cape, which I like a lot. It has soft fabric so it doesn't rustle too much and a little storage pouch. It does the job for me. There are plenty of other options though, but best avoid the very cheapest ones.

MattyH1991

Onto a slightly different topic, what tools/multi tool would you recommend I keep in my saddle bag? To go with inner tubes, patch kit, pump. And am I missing anything important?

Thanks.

bobones

Topeak Hexus II - has tyre levers and a chain tool built in. I carry co2 as well as a pump - much quicker, which is important if you're in a group. Also worth carrying a quick link in case your chain snaps, and a tyre boot to fix torn tyre - Park Tools emergency tyre boot is good. Cable ties may come in handy, and latex gloves to keep your hands clean. Safer to carry 2 spare tubes (and 2 co2) - you don't want to be patching out on the road, especially during winter. Always have backup lights.

ic.

Remember to shop around for deals. Evans do have good prices, but there are other shops too!