Fifty Plus (50+) - Bellwether clothing

I'm looking for inexpensive winter wear -- inexpensive, since our winter lasts only a few weeks (just kidding, I'm just going along with the myth everyone likes to perpetuate. :p ) so it may not get a lot of use. I found a Bellwether vest and jacket at Nashbar on sale for a good price. Anyone have any comments on Bellwether cycling vests or jackets?

I've used Bellwether and think it's generally a very good value.

Hi,

Haven't bought any in a long time, but I have two cycling jackets that are 20+ years old and as still serviceable.

The only problem is that they keep shrinking a little each year and I don't mean in length. :p

Agreed, I have a pair of shorts that has lasted for years. But then do has my pair of Pace shorts. If oth are offered I'd prefer the Pace ones.

I have a pair of shorts and they are fine actually I like them better than some of the more expensive ones I got..

Never mind.... the only color available in the jacket is black :cry: and I already have a vest.

But thank you anyway for your comments!

One thing to keep in mind is that most cycling apparel companies contract the production of thier work out. Contracts change over time, and what you got from the same company with the same name last year may be different this year. As an example, I've got the same name shorts from Performance over a four year period and none of them are the same. When buying clothes that I can't look at or try on, I'm always careful to fully understand the return policy.

When buying clothes that I can't look at or try on, I'm always careful to fully understand the return policy.

I like dealing with Voler because of their return policy. They pay the cost of shipping any returns.

Now that we have a Performance store in town I don't mind ordering something from their website knowing I can return it to the store if necessary.

I have no experience with Bellwether clothing, but my cylindrical Bellwether handlebar bag is still going strong after 35 years, thanks to a bit of restitching by my wife.

Anyone have any comments on Bellwether cycling vests or jackets?
No experience with their vests and jackets.
I have a Bellwether l/s jersey and 3 pairs of Bellwether bibs. The jersey is about 5 years old and still in good shape. The stitching around the chamois on one pair of bibs started unraveling after about 6 months.
Other that that I have no complaints. Good bang for the buck.

I'm looking for inexpensive winter wear -- inexpensive, since our winter lasts only a few weeks (just kidding, I'm just going along with the myth everyone likes to perpetuate. :p )

If winter is defined in terms that would be accepted by most people in Wisconsin, I doubt you have any winter at all - depending upon your location in Southern California. Up here, a day with an average high of 40 and a low of 25 does not qualify as a winter day, that's early spring or late fall.

If one would define winter as those days where the average low is below 25 degrees, then our winter starts on November 17th and runs to March 22nd, a period of 126 days.

I tend to think of winter as being when the average low is 20 or lower, which is Nov 26 - March 13 for us.

From our perspective, a city like Sacramento, CA, doesn't even get close to having "winter." Their coldest day of the year has an average high of 53 and low of 40. Our average low doesn't get up to 40 until May 3rd.

While working as a consultant in Orlando Fl a few years ago I noticed that the malls were filling up with what would pass for winter clothing in New England. I asked the staff of the Residence Inn that I was staying at if the tourist business was that big......They told me that it was for the locals...just wait and see. One morning dawned at 59deg and I went down for breakfast in a short sleaved shirt and found the staff had a roaring fire in the fireplace and that they were all walking around with sweatshirts on....................I guess that most of them would stop...and refuse to move further at the airport door in Wisconson in winter...:eek:

I think that the toughest part of fall is the 30 degree ride to work in the AM and the 40 degree ride home. Have to stuff at least one layer into the backpack for the ride home or I'll overheat, polypro and under armour base layer regular pearl izumi shorts 50+ jersey, arm warmers, covered by a lined wind suit is fine in the am but to bloody warm for the afternoon ride. I hate to agree with a cheesehead :) but Tom B is pretty much on the mark. Its not winter till it stays below 20 most of the day. Then I don't have to worry about shedding layers

OK, I'm a winter wimp! Actually I love cool weather very much and look forward to this season after a long hot summer. I like bundling up in a scarf and warm coat on my way to work at 5:30 in the morning. I am not one of those Californians who complains when it's in the mid-50s outside.... the news reporters talk to them on the street every year and I want to yell "For crying out loud people, it's winter -- it's supposed to be cold!!!"

Since Al Gore says the seas will soon be boiling, why would you waste money on winter clothes? Planning on ditching all my winter stuff on scambay before everyone catches on.

I enjoy riding in the mid-50s. That's right about where I switch from a short-sleeve jersey to a long-sleeve. But no jacket or vest or anything like that. At most it would be a long-sleeve jersey with a dri-fabric undershirt.

I sure wish the mid-50s would hang around longer. They are pretty much already gone, not to return for another 4 months except for the rare warm day. And I'm not a fan of riding in the mid-20s (or 15, or 10, or 0), which will soon be here.

Tom, I feel for you.... as much as I like cooler weather I think I'd get a little depressed in the long winters up there. Two years ago during our winter of 100 inches of rain (normal is about 12), I thought I'd never see blue sky again. By March, I was thinking "So this is how they feel up north...". And yes, ours was on a much smaller scale... I didn't have to scrape the rain off my windshield or shovel it out of the driveway to go to work. However, the duration of the inconvenience and lack of sunny sky got very old after a while. As much as I love the rain -- and miss it when we have dry winters -- I was happy to see it go, like a rude guest that wore out his welcome.

I spent nearly all of my first 35 years in West Virginia, with a year in Florida. I did okay up here in Wisconsin for about 15 years, but over the last 3, I have grown weary of the length of the winters. I don't mind the deep cold so much, if it were confined to Dec & Jan, with it starting to ease up in Feb, I'd be okay.

But it is at this time of the year that it can be depressing. We're heading into mid-Nov, the temps are down into the 40's during the day, the 20's at night, the sun is setting at 4:40 and things will only be getting worse for the next two months, and will take another 2 months after that to get back to where we are now. So 4 months from now, we can hope that it will be 50 degrees again.

My mother, brothers, and sisters all live in Florida. I spent a week down there last January and would love to spend 2 or 3 weeks there every winter. But it never works out.

I got a set of over-the-shorts cold weather tights about 10 yrs ago. I've gotten several other brands since, and I'd rate the Bellweathers the best of the bunch.