General Cycling Discussion - Do your leg warmers stay in place

I love leg warmers. A perfect solution to days that start out cold and turn warm. But, I 've had a couple different brands and follow the tricks of rolling them over under bike shorts. I have had PI, Performance, DeFeet brands. Some are slightly better than others, but eventually the grips fail and down they fall. So, have you found leg warmers that stay intact. Do they eventually fall with exertion. Which brands have you been the most pleased with.

I ride with knickers on the cold start days, don't find them too hot when it does warm up.

I love leg warmers. A perfect solution to days that start out cold and turn warm. But, I 've had a couple different brands and follow the tricks of rolling them over under bike shorts. I have had PI, Performance, DeFeet brands. Some are slightly better than others, but eventually the grips fail and down they fall. So, have you found leg warmers that stay intact. Do they eventually fall with exertion. Which brands have you been the most pleased with.

+1

Totally infuriating. I have knee warmers and leg warmers (both from MEC if I think about it), and I love them because I always get hot half way through a ride and want to take them off. But half the time by the time I'm out of the driveway, there's this strip of bare flesh getting cold. I have tried yanking them up almost to crotch level before I set out, and they still slide down. Are other brands better?

First of all, they are not called leg warmers, they are knee warmers, aren't they? Anybody that complains about the bare part of the leg getting cold needs tights designed to cover the whole leg.

My DeFeet knee warmers always stay up when I wear them as warmers and not try to turn them into tights and cover the whole leg. Conversely they always fall down when I try to cover farther below the knee than they are designed for. I often wonder how many people that complain about them falling down are just plain not wearing them properly.

I have a couple different pair of leg warmers, and one pair of knee warmers ... and they all ALWAYS stay up with no problems at all. But then, I wear mine over my shorts ... maybe that makes a difference.

To the poster above, they are called leg warmers... they cover the whole leg from ankle to the top of the thigh. Knee warmers cover the leg from mid-calf to the top of the thigh.

The knee warmers I just bought have that solid rubber band that helps keep them up. That seems to work better than the latex stitching.

Also if your warmers are falling down, buy them a size smaller. I was riding with a guy a few weeks ago who was wearing leg warmers that were almost baggy!

I've found that putting the elastic band beneath my skin and the band on my bibshorts, otherwise they fall within a couple hundred feet.

The knee warmers I just bought have that solid rubber band that helps keep them up. That seems to work better than the latex stitching.

Also if your warmers are falling down, buy them a size smaller. I was riding with a guy a few weeks ago who was wearing leg warmers that were almost baggy!

1001/ Machka. . Appreciate knowing the brand name of your favorite knee warmers. Sounds like you'd recommend them.

I just have the Novara ones from REI... they stay in place pretty well... I have to pull them up under my shorts, but then they generally stay in place for a couple hours at least...

Speaking of leg warmers... I rode with a guy last summer on a brevet... when it got cold and I stopped and put on my arm warmers and rain gear, I offered him my leg warmers... for his ARMS!!! I'm not really sure they would have fit, though... I think they might have been too small. :eek:

One trick I was told to do to keep leg warmers in place. Put them under your bike shorts and roll them over a couple turns. Only helps some.

Mine are just the cheap addidas knee warmers out of the Nashbar catalog.

My Belgium leg warmers always stay in place.

^ again, always appreciate brand names. Mabye the key is buying one size smaller. But, will they still fit. ?

I have never had this issue with my PI leg warmers. Maybe larger quads are in order? :p
My scrawny arms tend to have this issue with arm warmers a bit.

You learn something new everyday. I had not noticed leg warmers as an option. I thought there were knee warmers and tights. I am surprised there is a market for these since most riders complain about cold crotches. I figured if it is cold enough to need the whole leg covered most riders would go to tights that covered this vital area also. There must be a market for them since they are made. I probably would like this style since I do not have trouble with a cold crotch. I will look in to this option because the extra bulk of unpadded tights over shorts leaves something to be desired. Either that or I am going to have to bite the bullet and buy some winter bib tights. Thanks.

Performance brand works fine. I tuck them under the leg-band of the bike shorts and they stay up fine.
As DJ said, arm warmers and be a problem.

My favorite solution, instantly grow my quads by two inches.

LOL

Also, last year someone wrote that he felt washing warmers in the washer causes them to loose their elasticity. Just to be safe I hand wash mine and have not noticed an issue yet.

LOL

Also, last year someone wrote that he felt washing warmers in the washer causes them to loose their elasticity. Just to be safe I hand wash mine and have not noticed an issue yet.

I wash and dry mine in the machine, and they haven't lost their elasticity. One pair I've been using for nearly 4 years, the other is about a year old.

As for brand ... I don't know. I got them both really inexpensively at Nashbar. My newest pair is polypro and the other is just lycra or something.

I think Pearl Izumi sizes tend to run a little smaller

I think Pearl Izumi sizes tend to run a little smaller

I would tend to agree with this when it comes to arm warmers ... my newest arm warmers are PI - they are extremely comfortable and they FIT!!

Most other arm warmers I've tried fall down to my wrists as soon as I straighten my arms.

REI Novara knee warmers. Never had a problem as long as I put them on before pulling up the shorts.

You could always wear a garter belt.

You could always wear a garter belt.

I have often thought someone could invent some kind of fastner. I am sure it'd sell. Don't care much for the idea of garter belts tho.

It must be something about my legs (no smart remarks please). I tuck them under the elastic in my cycling shorts and they still manage to creap down mid ride.

Do you think I should use garters?

It must be something about my legs (no smart remarks please). I tuck them under the elastic in my cycling shorts and they still manage to creap down mid ride.

Do you think I should use garters?

Maybe try putting them OVER your shorts instead of under ... seems to work fine for me!

It must be something about my legs (no smart remarks please). I tuck them under the elastic in my cycling shorts and they still manage to creap down mid ride.

Do you think I should use garters?

Hill repeats on Mt Evans are in order. (From my house it's 52 miles and about 11,000 feet of climbing to the top) ;) *ducks and runs*

Quad implants....

reason #5 to shave your legs. All warmers (knee and leg) stay in place well.

reason #5 to shave your legs. All warmers (knee and leg) stay in place well.

That never crossed my mind before but it makes sense. Duh. :D

my soultion, after trying several brands and some different sizes, was to finally sew a small bit of velcro to the outside of some cheap lycra shorts. the trick here is to sew the velcro to the outside of the shorts with the velcro facing out, otherwise it will really irritate your leg. i'm only stating this because someone will inevitably sew the scratchy stuff facing in and complain about it. a 1 inch section on the front and back of each leg is more than sufficient.

now all of my leg warmers stay in place indefinately and are still easy to remove. no rolling up shorts/seams/etc.

good luck!
(i got the idea from some ice hockey jockshorts that held up my socks in a similar fashion)

yeah, i have problems with them staying up. I make sure they're really snug under my shorts. I'd prefer knickers...my old pair is completely kaput. I think it's time for a new one.

The trick with leg and knee warmers is to pull them very high close to your crotch. My DeFeet kneekers stay put, even after several hours in the saddle.

No problems with my (German) Gonso leg warmers. So far.
http://www.gonso.de/