Softshell for bike riding?

Quoted message said:

Curious if anyone out there uses any kind of soft shell
for bike riding?

If yes... what brand and model and how you liking it?

yes, I love it. I made my own out of one of the lighter ( non -fuzzy)
Schoeller Dryskin fabrics. I use it for skiing too. I find it's great for
cold weather riding. The only time it's not sufficient is higher speed
descents ( ie, coming home on a road, ripping groomers)

http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/tips/images/schoeller.jpg

If you were going to buy one, I'd look for a mid to light weight. Something
made out of WB400 is going to be way to heavy and warm.

Penny S

small change said:

Quoted message said:

Curious if anyone out there uses any kind of soft shell
for bike riding?

If yes... what brand and model and how you liking it?

oh - my hubby really likes his Black Diamond Alpinist shirt for a layer in
lieu of a shell.

Penny S

small change said:

Quoted message said:

Curious if anyone out there uses any kind of soft shell
for bike riding?

If yes... what brand and model and how you liking it?

yes, I love it. I made my own out of one of the lighter ( non -fuzzy)
Schoeller Dryskin fabrics. I use it for skiing too. I find it's great
for cold weather riding. The only time it's not sufficient is higher
speed descents ( ie, coming home on a road, ripping groomers)

http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/tips/images/schoeller.jpg

How do you keep the balloons from blowing all over the place in the wind?

B i l l S o r n s o n said:

small change said:

Quoted message said:

Curious if anyone out there uses any kind of soft shell
for bike riding?

If yes... what brand and model and how you liking it?

yes, I love it. I made my own out of one of the lighter ( non -fuzzy)
Schoeller Dryskin fabrics. I use it for skiing too. I find it's great
for cold weather riding. The only time it's not sufficient is higher
speed descents ( ie, coming home on a road, ripping groomers)

http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/tips/images/schoeller.jpg

How do you keep the balloons from blowing all over the place in the
wind?

ahem, I was invited toshow in a fashion show. I suppose I could photoshop
those out of there....
I keep telling folks, I am a seamstress, not a photographer.

P.

Quoted message said:

If you were going to buy one, I'd look for a mid to light weight. Something
made out of WB400 is going to be way to heavy and warm.

Thanks Perry

That's what I was concerned abt ..... if a soft shell
may be TOO warm since it does have some thermal
insulation over a hard shell. Correct?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If you were going to buy one, I'd look for a mid to light weight.
Something made out of WB400 is going to be way to heavy and warm.

Thanks Perry

That's what I was concerned abt ..... if a soft shell
may be TOO warm since it does have some thermal
insulation over a hard shell. Correct?

psst, It's Penny as in nickel...

( too much technical fabric info ahead, may put you to sleep)

Soft shell is a really general term. The heaviest versions
(WB400/Powershield etc) have a windproof membrane in the construction of the
fabric, but none of them have a hard shell (water resistant or proof woven)
component. Most soft shell fabrics are some combonation of lycra, wicking
polyesters, and nylons. they are all some type of stable knit with a bit
of stretch, with additional properties of wicking, breathability, abrasion
resistance, and water resistance. These properties vary by the type and
weight of the particular fabric.
Here's a really brief article from Backpacker mag reviewing the fabric
http://www.questoutfitters.com/tips_and_hints.htm#SCHOELLER%20TEXTIL%20DRYSKIN:

There are different weights of softshell fabric, some warmer than others.
Powershield by Malden ( the fleece people) and WB400 by Schoeller are the
warmest, I'd consider those almost a winter coats due to the fleecey inside
and the windblock layer. I used Schoeller "dryskin" a lighter type of
softshell fabric for my softshells... no fleecey insides. The Dryskin used
in the Alpinist shirt that my hubby wears would be considered a mid layer,
not an outer layer.

http://www.fabriclink.com/pk/indexfab2.html scroll down to Schoeller
Textil... you'll see at least **8** different types of soft shell made by
Schoeller alone. Malden is making their own, as are many of the
manufacturers under proprietary labels.

I personally am really surprised this new fabric hasn't caught on with the
cycling crowd. It's certainly not as light as some straight shell fabrics,
but it has other properties. Your best bet is to get yourself to a technical
mountaineering type store, or even an REI, and look at the various soft
shell offerings. I know at one point Moonstone had some nice technical
jackets made out of lighter soft shells, and their prices are usually pretty
good, considering the price of this stuff.

Penny

here's more stuff, pasted from the Couloir magaziene Fabric Glossary page.
TMI, I know.
Schoeller Dryskin ExtremeT: A woven blend of nylon, Cordura, Lycra and
Coolmax. It is a heavier stretch woven fabric with the added benefit of the
Coolmax interior that wicks moisture away from the body. It also blocks
moisture from coming in, because the fabrics are hydrophobic, therefore
preventing water absorption. Furthermore, if there is a temperature
gradient, the natural flow of vapor will be from warm to cold. So a warm
body inside a Schoeller shell will drive moisture out, and the hydrophobic
nature of the fabrics will further prevent any absorption of water meaning
that as long as the wearer is active, they will stay dry. Because it is not
a laminate, the size of the pores is much larger than any of the hardshell
laminates and it has superior breathability over laminate
waterproof/breathable fabrics.

Schoeller DynamicT: A woven blend of Nylon and Lycra that is lightweight,
permanently elastic, wind, water and abrasion resistant, breathable and easy
to care for. This has many of the same qualities of Dryskin Extreme but
without the added wicking ability of Coolmax. Light and versatile.

Soft Shell: An vague but trendy industry term used to describe a woven or
knit fabric outer layer jacket that, generally, is wind proof and highly
breathable, but not seam-sealed or water proof. It is most often constructed
of stretch fabric, intended for active aerobic use. Versatile, intended to
be worn all-day through all stages of a ski tour (up and down). Not intended
to replace a "hard shell" in severe weather. Soft shell is a
work-in-progress, re-defining common notions of dressing layers and systems.

I bough a cheapie anorak from LL Beanheads and it works fine.

JD

Quoted message said:

Curious if anyone out there uses any kind of soft shell
for bike riding?

Crabs?

Wash your chamois more often.

Disconnectedly Yours,
--
BS (no, really)

On Sat, 11 Dec 2004 10:34:45 -0600, [email hidden] scribbled:

Quoted message said:

Curious if anyone out there uses any kind of soft shell
for bike riding?

If yes... what brand and model and how you liking it?

I use an REI One softshell for my winter riding, but find that it's
usually too warm if I'm moving and it's warmer than 32°F outside. Does
a good job of blocking the wind and the collar is high enough to keep
my neck warm but low enough that it doesn't try to choke me. Not
designed specifically for biking in cold temps, but I find that it
works very well regardless.

Haven't had a chance to try it in temps below -4°F this year though,
hasn't gotten that cold yet. 🙁

-Slash
--
"Ebert Victorious"
-The Onion

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I bough a cheapie anorak from LL Beanheads and it works fine.

JD

Hey JD,

Have you hugged your kid today, this week, this month, this year?

BBBWWAAHHAA