Weight Weenies

Hey everyone,

I'm thinking about finally investing in some proper cycling clothing. I recently moved up to Northern California from Los Angeles and I must admit, it's rather cold during those early morning, shaded rides. That being said, I've heard some awesome stuff about Merino wool - but I've only heard a little about Rapha.

What are your thoughts on:
[list=][*]Base layers made from Merino Wool - any brands/models you'd recommend?
[*]Jerseys from Merino Wool - is this material wondrous enough to be used as a Jersey too? If so, how does it fare in warmer weather. California is annoying in that it's cold in the morning and wayyyy hotter in the afternoon.[/list]

Any other products that I might want to invest in? I really only have spandex/nylon stuff from Pearl Izumi at this point and they're all geared at summer high-head use. I want some nice all-round gear without breaking the bank... )

Take a look at Icebreaker for base layers. Their stuff is pretty spectacular, IMO. I'm pretty sure they have a huge sale going on right now, as well.

Merino does make for nice jerseys, too, because it's warm when it's cold but cool when it's hot. Plus it doesn't trap odor, so you can wear them several times before washing. Rapha are a blend, and of course, super-pricey. They fit me quite well and last a long time, so I own a couple. One that I would recommend for NorCal is Swobo. You can usually find them on sale, and the one feature some people take issue with I found to be quite nice: the short-sleeved jerseys have somewhat longish sleeves. I liked them because you can keep them down when you start out and have a chill, then they cuff perfectly to a normal length once your warmed up, or as I'm sure you're finding, the weather changes. This also works quite well when wearing arm-warmers.

Aside from that, arm-warmers and a gilet will be your best friends!

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Awesome, thanks so much for the tips, I'm going to look into the Icebreaker sale this evening and see if I can pick up some gear. Any pointers on where to find Swobo stuff for cheap?

Another vote for Icebreaker, I haven't got their cycle specific gear but use singlets, socks, beanie etc and comfortable, very good thermal properties etc.

www.torm.cc offer a merino blend.

Yup, I'm looking at Torm too for jerseys!

Guy - any specific models/weights for the Icebreaker stuff? I'm not sure what to get. I don't know if I need to be getting sleeved or sleeveless either.

Best,
David

I haven't used any of Icebreaker's newer cycling specific clothing. Though, do have a few base layer shirts, jacket, hat, and a bunch of socks from them that I love.

Anyone tried this?

http://www.untouchedworld.com

Too bad you can't go back in time 30 years. Then you could get Protogs "superwash" treated merino wool jerseys, shorts, arm and leg warmers at Palo Alto Bicycles. Actually, Palo Alto Bicyles still had them as of its 1983-84 catalog, but not in 1984-85.

I have a lot of Icebreaker pieces. For baselayers, I like the 150 weight Atlas SS. It actually works year round except for the coldest of days, then I wear a LS 200 weight Contour Crew. I have never used their cycling specific stuff, either, but I'd imagine it's pretty good. I also have several off-bike pieces that I wear non-stop.

Swobo sells direct, but you can also find their stuff at a lot of discount outlets. I bought one or two pieces real cheap at their tent during Sea Otter a few years back.

The merino stuff I have from Rapha is awesome. I wear the base layers everyday.

planet x´s base layer merino is like craphas but doesnt require you to sell a kidney to afford it. Also, dont know about the US but I bought some "non cycling" base layers from Blacks (kind of like a downmarket REI) and theyve been golden.

Rapha + merino = win

Wabi woolens is really good, but expensive. I use Castelli and io bio, really good stuff

Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com

It would seem the real winner is Merino itself. It's such a tremendous fabric, maybe the question should be, "Is there a company who you wouldn't recommend? Has anyone had bad experiences with any particular brand?