The main purpose of cycling clothing is to keep you dry and warm. Clothing should be lightweight and non restrictive. These requirements have forced cycling clothing to the forefront of fabric technology. Many items are vary expensive due to the hi-tech materials used. If you wear underwear or cotton for longer periods of time, it will become moist, clammy, restrictive and cause chaffing.
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Many cyclists new to the sport purchase items for specific weather conditions with little consideration to layering which means you either end up with a cycling wardrobe for all conditions that cost you more than your first car or you are not adequately prepared for many conditions. This part of our website is to ensure that you get it right first time and save spending unnecessarily
Clothing should fit fairly close to your body, not flapping around or loose and rubbing on your skin. Bib and brace shorts are preferred if you don’t like the feel of going to sit on your seat and your shorts get caught on the seat. The feeling of clothing being like a second skin but not revealing too much of your first skin is preferred. It will need to fit well while in a cycling position bent over with your elbows forward without pulling or cutting.
The basics for Warmer days are a cycling jersey and nix (top and shorts). Cycling tops are designed to wick sweat away from your body, to the outside of the garment, the process of evaporation keeps you cool and dry.
If you don’t like the look of tight lycra shorts, baggy casual shorts with padded inserts are available. You can even purchase a pair of "under nix" which is are made of a softer material with a padded insert that you wear under your own shorts, the only catch is if your shorts have thick stitch seems, it may cause irritation on longer rides.
If you need protection from the sun, lycra arm warmers and leg warmers are available. Although they are called ‘warmers’, they do very little warming. Some use lycra arm warmers in winter to keep warm however, when they get wet, it is worse than not wearing any at all. For cooler conditions we will mention Superroubaix® material.
That is it, apart from glasses, gloves and a helmet this is all you need. . . don’t forget the bike.
You can use your hot weather clothing (Jersey & Nix) into cooler conditions (Jersey & Nix) but now layer for warmth.
For the cooler days you might need to try Arm Warmers, Leg or Knee Warmers and a Vest. You may use the Arm Warmers to keep your arms warm for your comfort however you must keep your knees warm. I favour Knee Warmers over Leg Warmers even on colder days because you can hardly tell they are on and they provide adequate protection from the cold.
Arm Warmers and Leg or Knee warmers are available in a Superroubaix® which is a elite 2 way stretch fabric and extra warm. It also has very low absorption of water to keep you dry even in a light shower. They can be worn day after day without a wash unlike the full leggings, and can be rolled off and kept in a small jersey pocket if the day warms up. You will find you maintain a comfortable temperature on warm or cool days. I have ridden with this material in the snow and up to about 18 degrees comfortably. This makes them a much better choice than the old lycra warmers that get very cold when wet.
Wool or Poly under top that are available in hiking stores will keep you relatively warm and dry. The European super-wick cycle under tops are very warm and will keep you drier than anything I have used however, most can not see value in such a thin material top but after you use one, you will never take it off.
The vests are available in a variety of materials that will essentially be a wind stop but are also available in thicker warmer materials. Vests are preferred over Jackets because they are less restrictive and all moisture to escape. Even though jackets will stop the elements reaching your body, your body itself is generating it’s own tropical conditions inside your clothing, that moisture has to be able to evaporate or wick through the outer shell of clothing.
Nothing has changed from cooler weather, you will still need to stay dry but now you will need to increase your protection from the cold.
The thermal thicker material jersey will keep much warmer especially used with your wind vest however they are not a good summer top and they are a little expensive. You can wear anything between your first moisture control layer and the outer wind protection as long as it is comfortable and does not hold much moisture (no T Shirts).
Head, Neck or Ear Warmers make a huge difference as we lose so much heat from our heads
Gloves may now be an essential purchase if you suffer with cold hands. There are many choices that offer hand protection to warmth, if it is warmth you want make sure it is not a protection glove that has warm material and wind protection, look for "Wind stopper" fabric. It can be a lot more expensive but is well worth it.
Shoe covers are available in wind stopper that fits over the front of the shoe, they will give little rain protection but will keep your toes warm.
While riding in the rain you will need to create a waterproof shield. No matter how breathable windproof fabric is, whether it’s Gortex, Micro Shield or a rubbish bag, you will perspire inside more than the fabric can cope with. I recommend arm/leg warmers and a vest for most riding and a cheap spray jacket to put on during heavy rain and take off right after. Your vest will repel most of the water from your torso and the warmers will absorb very little moisture and they have virtually no wind chill. By the way, most of the water that gets your backside, legs and feet wet is coming from the spray off your wheels, not out of the sky, so a set of mudguards or a deflector shield will help greatly.
A pair of over-boots (not shoe covers) will not keep your feet absolutely dry, but they will work well to keep your feet warm.
If you commute or train at night, you might know that most incidents causing serious injury result from cars hitting cyclists from behind. Being seen on road is the way to stay alive. Here are a few tips to stay safe;
Ride on bike paths where possible, You have to slow down and accelerate more frequently but that is extra training. There are also less walkers at night so you have a bit of a free run.
Use two taillights in case one runs a bit low on battery or fails. The flasher lights keep flashing for about 60 hours after the batteries loose their zap but will keep working for another 100 hours but not as bright, keep fresh batteries. The flashers are also very directional so if you are thinking of putting your flasher on your back pack, don’t bother! They need to be aimed at the cars within about 10 degrees. There are front flashers that give a white or blue light available that actually light up the road in front of you, a huge improvement on the green flashers we have seen over the years. Red, white and blue give the best visibility.
Your back pack or jacket may have a reflective stripe or piping however if you are caught without it, you’re in the dark, literally. A reflective sash and especially an ankle band in your kit is not a bad investment.
Some cycling shorts and arm/leg warmers are now available in 3M reflective weave rather than the old stick on stuff that does not stick. The warmers are a good idea over the nix because they don’t need to be washed frequently and can be worn day after day.
