rfmarotti

I picked up a NOS pair of Giordana Sports cycling shorts at a local shop. According to the logos listed on Giordana's website, these shorts date from between 1978 and 1980. They have the logo/tag showing in the 1979 section of the timeline: The History Of Giordana Cycling | Giordana Cycling. Appears to be a leather chamois. Very thin, no real padding beyond the thickness of the leather itself. Body of the shorts is lycra.

Wore them on my ~13mi one way commute today. Super comfy. Definitely my #1 short now and ahead of many of my bibs. Why did we ever switch to synthetics?

Two and a half questions:

Do I need to do anything special or avoid anything in particular in caring for the chamois?

Who in the C&V still wears vintage cycling clothing? What do you wear and why?

Salamandrine 

Real chamois can tend to dry out when washed. If they get crispy, they are like sitting on bark. Hand wash only, and not too often. Sorry if that offends modern sensibilities. We often used homemade special stuff to treat it. I recall a mixture of Noxzema and aloe gel working well. Use very sparingly. Noxzema for softness and the aloe prevents saddle sores. I'd assume modern 'chamois' creams would be fine on actual chamois.

Early synthetic chamois were terrible compared to real chamois. Slowly they got better. Synthetics are cheaper and more convenient than the real thing since you can wash as often as you like.

I still like wool jerseys. They are fast enough, wick well, are comfortable whether it is cold or hot, and never get stinky. "Skin shorts" were a huge improvement over wool shorts. My first cycling shorts were wool. They're better than basketball shorts, but no way would I ever go back.

noglider 

Yeah, it was good stuff. I may still have a pair and wear it occasionally. You can wash it in Woolite. If you don't use too much, you can even use dish soap.

crank_addict

Check.

Sometimes.

Shoes, helmet, shorts, jersey's.

Mostly for the sake of nostalgia.

davester

On cooler days I wear merino wool jerseys, shorts and legwarmers. Totally comfy and doesn't get stinky like synthetics.

rootboy 

Because we could. Or they could.
The latest and greatest...you know.

I echo Sal's response. I just used Noxema cream to rub into a freshly washed chamois.
Softens it up and helps prevent friction. Sort of.

Lazyass

A wear wool jerseys from the 70's-80's that I get on ebay for cheap. I like classic looking ones with no logos or letters splashed all over them. I have no choice but to wear modern bibs.

Got this one a couple of months ago, new condition for $40.

Mr. Spadoni 

Kucharik makes a wool short with synthetic chamios. Best of both worlds. They also have wool jerseys. Kucharikclothing.com

The Golden Boy 

I've acquired a few old things... A Cannondale cotton jersey, an Avocet wool jersey.

However, I think sizing was a little different back in the day. I got a set of 32 Cannondale shorts- brand new, in the bag, not shrunk or anything... I couldn't get them on. At the time I got them (a couple of years ago), 32 was a touch on the big side for me- but these were way, way too small to even pretend to wear.

I also have a set of Cannondale shoes- I fit into most 8s comfortably. These... not so much. I guess that also has something to do with "athletic" shoe sizing... I'm used to boots- those I'm right on- but tennis shoes I wear a size or so up, so I guess that's that.

I sold the shorts, anyone with little feet (7 or so) need a set of Cannondale shoes, worn for 16 miles?

The Golden Boy 

That's slick.

rootboy 

That is a nice, simple design.
Checking my monitor. Is it sort of a tomato soup red?

Lazyass

I would call it Christmas red, here's a pic with better lighting.



I got this one in June for $25 plus shipping, 80's vintage made by Decca. It was new condition as well.

rfmarotti

Very cool. do you have a particular seller or sellers you like?

rfmarotti

Thanks for the advice

rfmarotti

would A+D ointment be a decent substitute? One of the main ingredients is lanolin. I use it as chamois butter in my synthetics if I am planning on a ride over 4-5 hours.

Lazyass

No, my sellers are probably older people that have had a jersey sitting in a closet for 35 years after they gave up cycling or something. I just search for wool jerseys in my size and when a cheap one pops up I get it. The one below isn't too bad a price, that's pretty much what I look for but I don't like buttons on the pockets of that one.

Vintage Bue & Yellow Wool Jersey Cycling Bicycle | eBay

steelbikeguy

I'm still a fan of thin chamois, although I stick to synthetics now. I am definitely not a fan of the modern shorts that feel like wearing thick diapers.


because I was able to pick them up for a reasonable price, or in some cases, because I never got rid of them.
Sometimes it's just because it matches my bike!!




Steve in Peoria, with more than a few old Raleigh jerseys

rfmarotti

Very cool.

Lazyass

Here's another good one. Performance padded polypro tights. You know they're 80's vintage because they were made in the USA.

Kevindale

The American fashion industry has been pandering to our collective expanding body sizes by using sizing inflation, especially for women. I like buying vintage shirts. I need a medium in shirts made in the 70s and 80s, but a small now. A few years ago I had a Nordstrom's gift card. Gave it to my wife, since she needed a nice pair of dressy jeans (I know, an oxymoron). She tried on a couple of pair, and thought she'd lost weight. "I tried on the size 6 and they fell off me. Size 4 is really loose, but size 2 fits. That's so weird." However, the style was kind of dowdy, so she moved to a different section of the sales floor.

There size 4 was a bit loose, and 2 was too tight. Still didn't like the style. Moved to another section of the store. Here 6 was a bit loose, and 4 was stylishly snug. She held onto this pair, and just to make sure she liked them best, she moved to another section, where the 4's were just too tight. We realized the sales floor was divided into subtly-marked quadrants. She'd started in the mature women's section, went to the middle-age women's section, then the young woman's section, then the teen section.

BTW, love the vintage jerseys. I'm super sensitive to wool, and have never been able to wear a wool sweater comfortably, even with a shirt on under it. Are the Merino wool jerseys that much less itchy than sweater wool?

rootboy 

Yes. If it is genuine Merino. But it may not matter if you're super sensitive.

Fahrenheit531 

I do. Why? New graphics aren't remotely my thing, plus old jerseys go super cheap on the auction site.

jonwvara 

I think there's something wrong with my wool jerseys--they're really slow.


Maybe it's my brand of fabric softener?

Salamandrine 

I was merely alluding to the fact that modern jerseys were a bigger aerodynamic improvement than all the pricey aero components combined, and not by a small margin. I'm too old to care about such things. Merely an interesting factoid. I usually just wear a t shirt or wool sweater these days.

rootboy 

Couldn't say. I have no idea what A+D ointment is. But if there is a lot of lanolin in it, I'd shy away. Could be too oily.
Noxema is more of a cream. And washes out when you do wash the chamois.