General Cycling Discussion - Jerseys or T-shirts?

Edit: the $60+ option should read "More than $45." Since I can't seem to edit the poll options, please just pretend it says $45+ instead of over $60 and vote accordingly.

What kind of shirt do you wear when biking. Or is price more important than material?

If you saw a cotton t-shirt with a cool slogan on the back, would you wear it while riding?

I would love to do jerseys but it costs four times as much to get them printed and I want people to buy and wear them.

I have an idea for a shirt/jersey with a simple, polite, straightforward pro-bike message. I already grabbed the domain with the slogan just in case I actually follow through on this. (It was cheap and I already have a pile of them anyway.)

Repeat after me.."I will not wear cotton clothing while riding".

Seriously, cotton is a terrible material for athletic pursuits. I know jersey prices are high, but they have other nice features.

That aside, I picked up some "t-shirts" at a dept. store the other day made of a cool-max imitation for 10 bucks each on sale. They are 100% poly-ester (sp?) and I think the texture helps manage moisture. I got tired of being soaked in 5 minutes while doing yard work in cotton shirts.

The shirts are:

1)Dri-power by Russell Athletic
2)Otek Gear

They are comfortable and work really well.

I started out in t-shirts, then cool max t-shirts, then progressed to loose fitting mountain bike tybe jersey/shirts and now have real jerseys. I wouldn't take a step back at this point. Whether it's the close fit, the wicking, the pockets, the ability to zip down etc, it's all useful and superior. Now how much I spend usually falls in between your categories, like the $50-$60 range. I spent $70 just because I really wanted the University of Kansas jersey at it was on sale during March Madness. Otherwise, I like my mid-range jerseys I find on sale. Really like my Voler jerseys.

Hmm, I do indeed seem to have left a gap in the all-important range between $45 and $60. I can't figure out how to edit the poll options.

how about those dry-fit/compression clothings from like nike/adidas/champion for < 15$

$45 or more jerseys. While I do not have a large amount of cycling clothes, I wait until I can afford something decent. I trash cheap clothes like no tomorrow.
I own all of 2 shorts and 2 jerseys.
My on call pay next month should bring that to 4 shorts. Yippie!
Anyhow, if they last for a fair amount of time they should be relatively cheap factoring in cost\miles\time.
Now if I can ever stop myself from buying more......

No good answer for me, but I never wear cotton any more. I sweat a lot and cotton is just awful. Mind you, I started out cycling seriously thinking that jerseys were overpriced and over-rated.

Now I wear a mix of jerseys. Some cheap, single color. Others are a mix of things that I have either gotten as gifts or that I particularly like. My favorite is this one:

http://www.stonecompanystore.com/graphics/pjersey.jpg

I do find that I much prefer full length zippers. I have no team jerseys.

About the only thing cotton that works for me as well as my jersey is a thin thin thin tank-top (aka wife-beater...*shudders as he uses the term...so wrong*) and I look about 10x more like a moron wearing the tank so I'll stick with my jersey. (1 atm...they are pricey after all)

I ride in a variety of things. If Im on the greenways, it's either a Underarmor Loose Gear t-shirt (Looks like cotton but it's microfiber) or a wife beater.. this is when Im on my mountain bike. When I ride my road bike, either jerseys or Underarmor stuff.

Im not real crazy about the fit of jerseys. I keep buying them trying to find some that are cut like I want but so far, I haven't had much luck. I probably have a dozen and out of that dozen, I have maybe 2 I'll actually wear.

You might say I'm horizontally challenged...I don't see myself in a proper jersey until I get somewhat into shape. For now, I wear C9 wicking exercise shirts from Target. They keep me dry and the price is right...I picked a few of them up at $8 each.

Cotton Kills

Good quality polyester t-shirts and sleeveless shirts can be had from $7.99 (alert shirts) to $25.00 (Under Armour). I have also picked up a few Nike and Adidas polyester shirts on sale for less than $20.00. Most cycling jerseys are cut for someone who is 5'6" tall and weighs 140 pounds.

Dogbait

i just wear some old sleevless shirts(i hate farmer tans). i just recently got biking shorts but have no real reason to get jerseys right now.

I have recently started commuting and wore cotton shirts.
32 degrees + 90% humidity + 18 miles = nasty.

I wanted a cheap wicking shirt so went to a nearby discount sport shop which had nice golfing shirts for &#163;7 ($12). They are fairly loose fitting with buttons down the front and are very comfortable.

I may eventually get a proper jersey, but for the moment these shirts are a good choice.

I do the funniest cotton t-shirts I can find at goodwill for 3 bucks each. I did try a Nike Dri Fit shirt to see if the sweat stayed off my back with a messenger bag on, but it doesnt. Just as wet. Sticking with the T-shirts for commuting. If I get into group rides or event rides, I'll pick up a jersey or two just so I dont look out of place.