So as I mentioned in the last post, I'm one of those always warm kind of people, so getting the right balance between layering up and not getting too hot I find a real struggle. There's no way I can wear more than a baselayer and a top even in the pit of winter, the addition of a Gilet and I'll be overheating, so this Monday I had a problem, at 5:30 it was 4c and 20 mins into my ride it dipped to -1c, which even for someone who runs on the warm side is a little on the chilly side. Contrary to this on my way home it was 17c dropping to 8c as the sun began to set, that's a pretty big drop in an 1 1/2 hours ride, but also raises the question what should I wear? I mean I could take a set of riding home clothes in with me, but to be honest I want to carry as little extra weight as possible, and don't see that as an option. So I found myself riding in in my Aqua repel jacket, short sleeved base layer, shorts and leg warmers, bearable on the way in, but I had to completely unzip the jacket and ditch the leg warmers on the way home, so not the perfect balance. With the spring commute budget being signed off, after pay day I decided it was time to try to fid something in between windproof and water repellant but short sleeved which lead me to the Lusso Repel Corsa V2 (Road.cc review). Having had positive experiences with the Aqual Repel Jacket my theory is with decent arm warmers I'll be warm in the mornings and then in the afternoons ditch the sleeves and hope that the breeze on my arms cools my core down a little, as whilst there are breathable panels in the jersey, my experience of the Aqua repel is it isn't overly breathable, but then again it's not a summer jersey. My next purchase was the 2-Zero Thermal Bib shorts, again the same principle as above, wear them with leg warmers and fingers crossed come the evening whip them off and I'll be the perfect temperature, I think I'd prefer it if they weren't thermal but I'll be happy to trade off that with being dry which come next week when the rain is due I expect I'll be appreciating. Which brings me on to my next point, coupled with my Sportful Norain arm and leg warmers I should be pretty much warm and dry with everything having a water repellant finish to them. So anyway has my choice paid off, well yes it has, the Lusso top and shorts coupled with arm and leg warmers meant this evenings ride, which was a steady 8c, other than some initial chill on my arms (maybe need to invest in some better arm warmers) I was comfortable the entire route round, unlike Dave, who had to change when we got to the pub. The other lovely benefit of the evenings ride was that it was tipping down with rain the entire way which meant I could test for water repellance. Finishing the ride I did have slightly damp arms but my base layer, body and legs were all bone dry which meant the pub trip at the end was all the more pleasant, but I'm very happy with the performance in the cold and wet, although, I'll need to try it in hotter conditions but I think if it got a bit too hot a partial unzip would get some airflow into it and keep me cool. I've struggled to find anything cheaper that would fit the bill of providing some waterproofing at a reasonable price, and I think a decent alternative for me could be a water repellant Gilet over a normal jersey. That coupled with some arm warmers pretty much being completely covered, but then when it gets warmer the GIlet can be removed and stuffed in a pocket, I'd not wear a baselayer in that scenario though. I am very conscious though that my efforts to reduce the costs of my commute does seem to come across a bit expensive, but I have to keep reminding myself, most of this stuff is worn for 3 days a week 6 - 9 months of the year so to put that into monetary terms, conservatively, if I only wore it for 1/3 of my commutes (30 days a year for 6 hours a time) thats only £5.60 a commute, less than 3 weeks train or car travel, and that's assuming you don't buy some of the clearance items that are all perfectly good too. (The original Repel Corsa only being £74.99 at the moment as an example) but some more alternatives are listed below
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Right, I’ll open this up with NEVER, EVER buy any kind of cycling shorts that aren't black, no one needs to see that.
Right moving on, bib tights, bib shorts, shorts and leg warmers, tights with pads, tights with out, Seriously how can there be some many variations, and on top of all that do you want to be wearing lycra in the first place, it's not always the most flattering of outfits. First off if you've not dipped your toe into lycra, you really need to consider how far you're commuting, your backside will bear the brunt of most of your commute or ride, sure if you're riding 5 miles or so you might get way with not having something padded, but anything longer than that, suck it up, you soon get over any body embarrassments you may have, and it's much more preferable to a sore backside. My introduction to shorts was a pair of decathlon undershorts under a pair of baggy shorts, this was so uncomfortable, I see tonnes of people do this but personally I found the pad kept slipping out of position and then the shorts would slide all over the seat, I quickly ditched this idea. My favourite at the time Aliexpress, bib tights for about £13 and to be honest they were a revelation, I used them on my first big ride (120 miles) and they did the trick, although for the last 30 miles or so I did find myself having to constantly get out of the saddle. The issue wasn't the shorts themselves but the pad and I think for the commuter that's the real thing to concentrate on here, a decent pad that wicks away sweat really makes it easier to stay in the saddle, and the cut of the pad is really important too, too wide and it sort of sticks out at the front a bit and doesn't offer much support, I've not tried anything too narrow yet, but would impinge that might ride up a little. next up... Planet X Roubaix tights are a little better, a little more expensive, a little warmer and a little more comfortable but not much. I have to say cost really has been a driving factor in my purchases, so trying to find something that ticks all the boxes was really difficult and in winter that's really hard too. So my next experiment was Decathlon B'Twin 500 in grey (NEVER buy cycling shorts that aren't black) and leg warmers, the shorts themselves are fantastic and at £40 really hard to beat value wise, the pad is comfortable and fit me well, so on balance a really good first choice for any shorts and the leg warmers keep it functional for the winter but are another cost to consider but.... your legs will be dry and your crotch will get wet which makes drying stuff before your return journey a challenge and something you need to keep in mind, and also no one wants a wet crotch. So this winter i made a decision to invest in some winter tights, Lusso Termico Repel Bib tights, I spent hours researching this and these weren't my first choice, knowing full well that water will run down the tight I wanted something that would go over my boat, and Pearl Izumi had made some but sadly they were obsolete. That said, since the weather got cold in October until this morning I've been wearing these. They repel water, they're really warm and it's the most comfortable pad I've had in a pair of shorts, at £99 they're not cheap, but given I've ridden these in rain, hail and snow and got to work/home warm and dry I'm pretty sure I'll be getting a second pair of these for next year. I've also just placed an order for the 2-Zero Repel bibs tights that I'll pair with my Sportful leg warmers, which will be nice for this unseasonably warm weather. So my order of preference 1. Lusso Termico Repel - the added water repellence has really made a noticeable difference in my commutes, I've found that even big gobbets of rain that would feel chilly if I were wearing waterproof leg warmers aren't cold. 2. B'Twin 500 with leg warmers - they do the job but can get a bit cold and damp around the crotch, if my ride were a little shorter I could probably put up with that. 3. Planet X SuperRoubaix Bib tight - they're warm and offer good value for money for shorter rides, but I find the pad holds too much moisture making it uncomfortable for me if you start sweating or get wet, but this doesn't stop them being a good option, they just weren't for me, but they were warm and I did where them last year so have held up pretty well. Price is a real issue here, my favourite shorts are also the most expensive and that does really go against my ethos, my main consideration this year has been keeping dry and that probably has bumped the price up a bit, I don't think at the time I could find anything cheaper than Lusso. If As an a side note, I do tend to run pretty hot, this morning it was 4c dropping to -1c at points, I see 8c as the ideal temp for me to switch to shorts, so maybe a bit early to make the change but I didn't fancy riding in tights this afternoon when it's set to reach 15c or so. |
Mike GaskellI started commuting around May 2017, mainly to save the £45 a week train fare and get ready for the Dunwich Dynamo. Archives
August 2022
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