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Are there certain colors, attributes, etc. of jerseys/shorts you will not buy again?

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Are there certain colors, attributes, etc. of jerseys/shorts you will not buy again?

Old 06-16-15, 01:15 PM
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Are there certain colors, attributes, etc. of jerseys/shorts you will not buy again?

With the weather being better for the last few months and now the temps in the early mornings being high enough to no longer need a jacket, I have become aware of my jersey colors and regret some purchases.

I have a couple where the front is bright (Red and Hi Vis Green) but they made the back totally black. Just didn't think about it at the time. I do ride early and now I needed a reflective vest to feels safer. I regret buying black short sleeve jerseys. Now, in long sleeve, I probably could care less. I tend to wear a jacket or thermal jacket over anyway so their color doesn't matter to me as much. I doubt I will ever wear just a thermal long sleeve alone.

Another peeve of mine is the back pockets. I figured, if they have them they must be useful. Not always true. On a one model, they cut the pockets short and the side ones at an angle so next to nothing will stay in them. I now look for long square cut pockets on jerseys.

I grabbed a few super discounted P.I. XL PRO In R Cool Shorts. Thought they were fine at first but once my riding distances got over an hour, they would chafe. Pad is either positioned wrong or too small.

Won't make these mistakes again.

Do you have certain attributes you look out for and won't ever buy again? If so what are they and why?
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Old 06-16-15, 01:18 PM
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White shorts are out, for reasons that become obvious once worn.
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Old 06-16-15, 01:21 PM
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Bibs! One pair is one pair too many.
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Old 06-16-15, 01:27 PM
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Many years ago (back in the 90s) I was a summer-only commuter. I bought a pair of REI house brand (Novara) shorts sometime in the spring. The shorts failed before the end of the summer (I can't remember the details now; I believe a seam or two started coming apart). I probably could have or should have returned them, but I figured I wore them, more than a couple of times, they were my problem. Ever since then, I can't force myself to buy any Novara product, whether it's bicycle clothing, or anything else. In retrospect, REI has lost a fair bit of my business because of my bad experience with their house brand (they're loosing more of my business for other reasons, but that is irrelevant to this post).
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Old 06-16-15, 01:31 PM
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KenshiBiker, not to belabor the point too much, since you did say you could or should have returned them, but REI has been nothing but absolutely accepting with anything I've ever tried to return, even much later on. I imagine if you'd tried to exchange for a known brand you could have turned your negative experience into a good one.

That said:

I have a pair of Pearl Izumi padded shorts. Not sure what model, Had em for 8 years. Love em. I bought a gel padded Performance Bike brand shorts and they, while having a thicker/cushier pad on them, brought me nothing but discomfort. I stopped buying house brand clothing after that. I'm fine with house brand other things (tubes, bottles, whatever) but I'm going name brand only on clothes here on out.
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Old 06-16-15, 01:36 PM
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Originally Posted by RollCNY
White shorts are out, for reasons that become obvious once worn.
This. I've seen the results and can learn from the mistakes of others.

I don't buy shorts unless they are mostly black. You need somewhere to wipe your hands after installing a dropped chain or fixing a flat!
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Old 06-16-15, 01:45 PM
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Tiny pockets. I can't stand tiny pockets. I need them to be able to stretch to accommodate a rain jacket, arm warmers, repair kit, etc. If there's only room for a couple of gels then that's not enough.
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Old 06-16-15, 01:45 PM
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Any bibs or shorts where the chamois is only single stitched. That one thread eventually breaks, unravels, and the chamois becomes disattached.
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Old 06-16-15, 01:53 PM
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I go medium level Performance shorts for rides in town and commutes. They hold up well and take to washing well. Longer rides call for much better shorts but I like not killing those nice ones on rides that don't matter. Oh, and shorts are black, always. At least until old bike chain grease changes to another color. One important function of shorts is to serve as the hand wipe when you flat or drop a chain. How often have you had access to soap and running water befoe you had to drape your hands over you bar tape aftewards? (Wipe on the sides, either inside or out, not the bottom. That way you can sit on someone's chair without leaving a mark. When I raced, shorts were black by the racing code - to ensure we would properly represent our sponsors, looking good even after rides where not all went well. Now, if you have a follow van to work on your bike, you can ride with colored shorts. I don't.

Jerseys - fit, pockets and above all, a solid, really bright color! Patterns can be real camouflage, even really bright colors. There are some garish jerseys that completely disappear in mottled shade under tree on bright sunshine days. Red also. So I limit my jerseys to yellow and orange with no patterns. Then pockets and fit. Usually walk out of the shop with no purchase, but always look and buy when all the pieces fall into place, whether or not I need a jersey. They wear out and when they do, the good choices probably won't be there. (I take my cue from squirrels. Those grey, brown and red ones don't fare to well on the streets I ride. Every solid yellow one has made it. In 50 years of riding, I haven't seen a dead one yet.)

Ben
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Old 06-16-15, 02:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Fly2High
Do you have certain attributes you look out for and won't ever buy again? If so what are they and why?
Full zip jerseys only.
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Old 06-16-15, 02:07 PM
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I have a pair of cycling shorts with a baggy overshort. I don't know if it is the rudimentary shapeless chamois or the baggy shorts, but those damn things bunch up and get quite uncomfortable after an hour or so of riding.
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Old 06-16-15, 02:07 PM
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No black or dark colored jerseys (too hot) and as stated earlier only black shorts. Fully zippered jersey's are the preference.
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Old 06-16-15, 02:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Nachoman
Full zip jerseys only.
I ignored this advice when I got into the sport and I now regret it. Can I get by with a 3/4 length zipper? Sure, but it's still not the same. In the warmer months it's a byatch taking off a sweaty jersey if it isn't full zip. Now all that money I "saved" buying bargain jersey's is null because I have bought better jersey's to replace them.
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Old 06-16-15, 02:09 PM
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Jersey's with white underarms. They end up yellow just like t-shirts.
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Old 06-16-15, 02:14 PM
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full zipper jerseys, only black on them would be trim...
it gets hot and humid here in south east texas.
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Old 06-16-15, 02:19 PM
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For me, it is about material. I like almost all my jerseys ... they look good, they fit, and they've got comfortable material. But there is one jersey which I think I've only worn once or twice, and it is the material that turns me off.

It is a really cute jersey ... navy with white trim. But unfortunately the material is a scratchy polyester which reminds me just a little bit of fortrel. And once I start sweating in it, I am really uncomfortable.
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Old 06-16-15, 02:34 PM
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Originally Posted by therhodeo
Jersey's with white underarms. They end up yellow just like t-shirts.
Maybe you should use a different deodorant. If you're not using a deodorant, and are already using a good powder, ignore this.

But a lot of deodorants (or anti-perspirants) will discolor clothing.

GH
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Old 06-16-15, 02:46 PM
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Jerseys features to avoid:
1. Bad fit. Jerseys are annoying when they're too tight in spots, too loose so they flap, too short and insufficiently tenacious they ride up exposing skin (tighter bottom hems with grippers help), or too long so they bunch. They're unwearable with tight fits and stitching which stretches less than the material. I also don't like jerseys with sleeves too much shorter than my tan lines.

In good shape I'm a skinny climber type which makes this difficult - some manufacturers don't go that small or do but don't sell those sizes to the public. I documented some of my efforts finding jerseys which fit in my post to the
roadbike review XL, XXL, ... but no XS thread.

2. Weighted zipper pulls which rattle against helmet buckles in some riding positions.

3. Pockets too shallow or tight to hold a wind jacket, leg warmers, phone, and food; although I don't expect the aero jersies I wear on hard days to accommodate the extra clothing because I stay warmer and am not starting earlier in the morning to accommodate a longer ride.

4. Zippers less than 3/4 length. Full length are easiest to get on and off, 3/4 length aren't prone to bumps in the belly and still easier to get out of than a short zip at the neck.

5. Sieve-like light weight long-sleeve jerseys. If it's cold enough for long sleeves I don't want a chilly 15-25 MPH breeze reaching my torso. I've pretty much switched to a race-fit LG Speed Zone wind jacket with a cut-out in back to reach my jersey pockets - it stows as the temperature increases, and doesn't get sweaty enough to need washing after one ride.

All else equal, flat seams are more comfortable especially on tight clothes although I don't insist on them.

I'd also like to see measurements of jerseys I'm buying (pit-to-pit, front, back, and bottom hem) so I can limit my returns. There's ludicrous variation in those reportedly made for the same size people in the same fit (race vs. club).

Short features to avoid:
1. Soft padding which puts pressure on my tender spots when I sink into it. It has to be relatively unpadded synthetic leather (like everyone did in the 1990s, and Boure still sells as their PRO short/bib) or high-density foam (like Voler's Elastic Interface Technology Comp HP pad) you don't sink into. Squishy diaper shorts are not comfortable.

2. Low rise which limits my jersey options. Boure shorts are comfortable enough, although I can't wear them with Louis Garneau racer-fit and Hincapie aero jerseys and they really work best with my one LG fondo fit (like the pro-fit, except two inches longer than my one 2014 in that fit and an inch more than my older ones) jersey.

Last edited by Drew Eckhardt; 06-16-15 at 09:20 PM.
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Old 06-16-15, 02:51 PM
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I will not buy polyester jerseys and ones covered with tons of logos, advertisements and weird designs. I wear black, and no, black clothing is not hotter. That's a myth.

I currently have these two, with black Castelli bibs.



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Old 06-16-15, 03:18 PM
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Both Canari products I've bought haven't been the greatest. Probably will never buy that brand again.
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Old 06-16-15, 03:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Lazyass
I wear black, and no, black clothing is not hotter. That's a myth.
Love simple black jerseys, but I'm not sure why you'd say that black isn't hotter, assuming you're riding on a sunny day. Black objects absorb more solar radiation than lighter colored objects, as black has higher albedo.
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Old 06-16-15, 03:40 PM
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For me, it's cheap helmets. Don't care how nice it looks, they tend to skimp on weight and ventilation on the cheap ones. Now once you're past 125 bucks or so I think you're at the point of diminishing returns but from 100-125 they seem to be nice. My lg diamond 2 I found on sale for 100 and it's by far my favorite.

Also, heavily padded shorts. I like very minimal padding and gel shorts with thick chamois irritate me.
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Old 06-16-15, 03:41 PM
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Originally Posted by GuitarBob
Love simple black jerseys, but I'm not sure why you'd say that black isn't hotter, assuming you're riding on a sunny day. Black objects absorb more solar radiation than lighter colored objects, as black has higher albedo.
Black clothing absorbs internal heat away from the skin and light colors reflect it back. Any extra external heat absorbed by black is convected away by the breeze before it reaches the skin. It's a myth that black clothing is hotter.

Survival in hot deserts has always posed a problem for man; Moses had to solve it in order to lead the children of Israel through the wilderness of the Sinai—a formidable hot desert. It seems likely that the present inhabitants of the Sinai, the Bedouins, would have optimised their solutions for desert survival during their long tenure in this desert Yet, one may have doubts on first encountering Bedouins wearing black robes and herding black goats. We have therefore investigated whether black robes help the Bedouins to minimise solar heat loads in a hot desert. This seemed possible because experiments have shown that white hair on cattle1,2 and white feathers on pigeons3 permit greater penetration of short-wave radiation to the skin than black. In fact, more heat flowed inward through white pigeon plumage than through black when both were exposed to simulated solar radiation at wind speeds greater than 3 m s−1 (ref. 3). We report here that the amount of heat gained by a Bedouin exposed to the hot desert is the same whether he wears a black or a white robe. The additional heat absorbed by the black robe was lost before it reached the skin.
Why do Bedouins wear black robes in hot deserts? - ResearchGate
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Old 06-16-15, 04:01 PM
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It is a very complex question with many influences.
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Originally Posted by LAJ
No matter where I go, here I am...
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Old 06-16-15, 04:02 PM
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Interesting take.

Originally Posted by Lazyass
Black clothing absorbs internal heat away from the skin and light colors reflect it back.
I would think that heat transfer via conduction would depend more on composition of the garment than on color.

Originally Posted by Lazyass
Any extra external heat absorbed by black is convected away by the breeze before it reaches the skin.
I'd agree that convection losses have little to do with color... so long as you're moving or the wind is blowing. If you're not moving, then black gets hotter than white. The moral? It might be that if you wear black in the summer, then keep moving!

Apologies for the sideline.
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