"Tim McNamara" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> If it's not raining, you're better off without a shell. There are *no* breathable shells despite
> marketing claims to the contrary. Unless you are cycling at a very slow pace, you will experience
> condensation of moisture in your clothing if you are wearing a shell. Even a thin, uncoated nylon
> windbreaker won't breathe, let along one with multiple layers of mesh liner, GoreTex membrane,
> etc. Every additional thing added to the shell *reduces* the ability for moisture to pass through
> the fabric.
I've given up on shells completely for this reason, they're all just sweat traps.
> Wearing a thin wool long-sleeve Tshirt, a wool jersey, a wool long sleeve jersey and a light
> sweater, I can ride down to 25 deg F without any problem- and can ride hard for a couple of hours
> without my clothes becoming damp or clammy. And best of all wool doesn't stink after an hour like
> the synthetics do.
>
> Having said all that, I find that wool doesn't work as well for tights. It lacks the abrasion
> resistance to last longer than a season or so before wearing out at the crotch. So I wear Gekko
> Gear tights, usually, or Pearl Izumi windfront tights if it's really cold. The latter get really
> clammy by the end of the ride, though.
The fabric that Gekko Gear tights are made from is Malden Mills "Power Stretch", a "4-way"
lycra/polyester fleece, which has a permanent (silver compound) anti-microbial treatment. I wear
this for tights and jersey and socks, as I think it's about the best next-to-skin layer there is,
much better than wool (though I use Smartwool, marino wool outer socks -- better compression than
synthetic fleece).
I layer more fleece (tunic, vest) over the skin layer, it all breathes, worked OK this morning on a
2 hr windy road ride in 0 deg. F conditions. For rainwear, venting works much better than the
"breathable" hi-tech fabrics for a strenuous sport like cycling. I am planning to try some garments
made from urethane-coated fleece for cycling in cold rain, as that's about the hardest condition to
deal with. Kayak paddlers use it apparently.