Jersey vs Under Armour or similar
 

I just started riding again after 10 years so I am a bit behind on what is good and what isnt. I was wondering what the benfits of using a Jersey vs using Under Armour or something similar would be. Under Armour seems to wick well and I do not remember my Jerseys working as well, but then again I did not have real high quality jerseys.

I was just trying to research that exact same question only yesterday.
So, like you DIGITAL39, I'm waiting with baited breath for other BF'ers to chime in. :D

My Under armour is used as lining on super chilly days. I like my jersey's too much and they wick too well. Jersey's work great in warm weather. Coolmax is coolmax, no matter what shape it takes.
Pass up a club ride without my club jersey. Nah.

Most of the new stuff works better, some of it a LOT better.
The best stuff works great, lasts, and is comfy to boot.
Wicking T shorts are great because you get the perfomarnce without
the price. But I eventually got addicted to the zippers and back pockets.
LL Bean has a nice jersey
http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/sto...p&feat=4720-tn
The Cayenne is a good color, I didn't care for the yellow. I have the blue but it's
a bit dark for cycling, IMHO.

Some fabrics are very durable, but rough on the skin. I try to avoid those.
You have to be careful about sizing, since very manufacturer seems to have been stoned when they decided on their sizing scheme.... Most run small, the LL Bean stuff actually runs large.

Under-armour may work as well or better, but what about pockets? Pockets are pretty indispensible to me. Your milage may vary. :)

I'm in the market for a jersey myself. I've just started riding longer distances around 30+ and I'd like some pockets and a snugger fit. The problem I face is I'm a lot larger in the shoulders then your average rider. I'd just like a plain solid color with pockets that wicks. I've been shopping around but I keep seeing jerseys for 100+ that just seems too stupid for me.

I just purchased several Under Armor (winter version) with expectation to use them as my base layer on colder days. Have not had the cold days yet so I don't know if they will work like I intend or not...but they should.

Try looking around at discount stores for wicking type materials. I have well over 20 wicking shirts that I bought at discount stores and didn't pay more than $5 for any of them. I use them as a base layer and wear an alert shirt on top.

As for jerseys, Performance has a basic solid colored one that is usually on sale for $20.

For cold weather, I like UnderArmour ColdGear. That and a nylon shell gets me down to about 20F. For summer, I like UnderArmour (I have a couple HeatGear shirts), but I think it's overpriced. $10 at Target will get you a $25-$30 UnderArmour quality shirt. Jerseys have some nice features (pockets in the rear and a zipper in the front), but you pay A LOT for those features (I'll have to look at that $20 Performance one).

For someone who rides nearly everyday, I don't think the money is worth it. But I have a commuter with a rack that can take panniers or a trunk pack. Roadies have less ability to store stuff on their bikes.

For the price of underarmor coldgear, you can find a lot better for less cash.

I've never particularly liked their coldgear, i find it too thick for a base layer. Its an example of where the item is trying to act as a base layer and a mid layer all wrapped up in one. I prefer a thinner base and a thin wool mid. I do like the way underarmor coldgear fits and feels when your wearing it. Its really too bad it doesnt work as well as its price indicates.

In winter I actually wear their heatgear as a base.
It serves its purpose well at what a base is supposed to do, wick away sweat. But again its marketed as a fashion item so its priced 2x what it should be. For the same prce you can get better items for less cash, although they dont look as nice. Makes great suggestions for my parents though when they ask what to buy me at xmas, and they can get it at a local mall without having to drive downtown to the outdoor stores.

As an experienced ice biker, i will report that my underarmour shirt goes largely unused. Frankly there just isn't any real benefit to it. I just wear a winter cycling jersey, etc.

My view on underarmour...Meh...


Under armour is a nice idea, and it does work. But for the price I see people pay for it, you can get a MUCH better shirt for the same price at a place like REI (which now carries underarmour :( ) So unless your getting super cheap, its good. But other than that, you can do alot better. That is if you go the non jersey method.

My view on jerseys is that yes some are expensive...but at the same time you do not need to spend 150 bucks on an Assos jersey. Sure the jersey may fit a little better, and breath a little better. But For 150 its not THAT much better. I personally like jerseys for 1 their fit, and two the pockets. Its really true, the pockets are so fricken convenient its amazing.

Thanks for the replies everyone, I found my old jerseys and of course they dont fit so it looks like I will replace them. I have some underarmour I just needed that extra push to buy jerseys again

Modern jerseys are so much better than what they were a decade ago. I could easily just wear my jersey but I also wear underarmour or the equivalent.

Underarmor as a standalone might be nice, but as a baselayer it seems expensive.

I have the opposite story. In the winter, I mostly use under armor type shirts, not jerseys. I like the compression fit better as a base layer. They fit tighter than even the pro cut jerseys.

I often use it in place of a jersey. I use my jerseys on race days, and my underarmour when commuting, etc.

Jersey's have pockets, indispensible for me.

I do also wear a cheap (performance brand) wicking Tshirt under my jersey.

In cold weather I have a mix of long sleeve jersey's and baselayers I use.

I don't own any Underarmor. Too expensive.

-D

Jerseys have zippers, pockets, and are cut to fit while you are in a riding posture. That's what makes them jerseys.

nobody wears underarmor and then a long sleeve jersey over that?

I wear other types of base layers under my jersey when I need to. But not the Underarmor brand

-D

I must be a nobody because in spring and fall I wear just that; short sleeve underarmor and a long sleeve jersey. When it gets cooler I wear my vest too; that takes me down to about 45 degrees and I switch to a long sleeve mock turtle neck coolmax undershirt; that gets me down to 35 degrees whan I switch to my sleeveless underarmor, a Patagonia stretchweight long sleeve zip-t undershirt, my jersey and my vest and that gets me down to 20 or 25 degrees; after that its jacket time.