Road Bike Jerseys - Tight or loose?
 

How are they really supposed to be on the upper body, like tight fitting or a little loose?

I just started shopping for jerseys, but found that sizes Small, Medium and Large don't mean a thing.

Each and every manufacturer outthere have its own concept of what each size mean !
For example: in the store few days ago I fitted nicely on a small size Bellweather jersey,
on Cannondale I'm large, and so it differs from others', I am Medium on another one,
what the heck ?!

I just received in the mail a jersey I ordered via Ebay, my best guess was Medium, but turned
out a rather tight fitting, although comfortable.

But it seems to me I'll rather buy in a store from now on all of my bike clothing , this way I get a chance to try them on and see what size is what.

So what gives? Are they supposed to be tight or a liytle loose? This is 2nd jersey I've ever bought.

Corsaire :(

Personal preference (and physique). I lean towards comfy to loose although I do have a tight one. I don't race so I'm not concerned about maximizing my body's aerodynamics. I'm sure racers lean towards tight jerseys.

Unless you're concerned with racing, then it's whatever feels good.

I think I look good in a tight jersey, but I hate the way it feels. So I go looser.

55/Rad

I personally like a tighter fitting jersey, so it's not flapping all over. It also helps with speed. Here is a cool piece from "Training Techniques for Cyclists":

"Aerodynamics will make you faster than perfect pedaling style. Here's a great example. Wind tunnel results show that eliminating 10 grams of drag saves 158 feet in a 25 mile time trial. How much is 10 grams? It's the drag created by projecting about 4 inches of pencil into the airstream. That baggy jersey or upright riding position is costing you minutes."

I buy all my jerseys from www.velowear.com. Awesome quality. They have all kinds of different cuts if you decide to not go tight!

I find I have more trouble with size variations with cycling shorts over jerseys.. Large can be anywhere from 34 US inches to 39"...
Must be caused by European sizing differences... Those Europeans must not eat much starch. European large I think is equivilant to a US small...
That is how cyclists are supposed to be sized, I guess. Great ideal definition...Wish it were so.
As to ideal jersey size..Imbetween...Snug, so not flapping in the wind..But is nice to be able to breathe.

Americans are just greedier and fatter.






...and I guess I'm an honourable american then... ;)

I just got back from the LBS looking for a jersey. They have three sizes in most jerseys. Too small for me. Way too small for me. And, "Hey, how'd this one get in the men's section?" Luckily, they had one nice Nike Dri-Fit jersey in a 2X, but it was still a tad snug.

For some compaines, X-Large is really a medium.

I wear tight jerseys, the better to help eliminate the dreaded nipple chafe.

Seems Performance, Nashbar, Voler seem to adhere to US definition of sizing... Usually their cataloges define the sizing in terms of US inches.That makes it easier. Still once in awhile there are surpises...One solution control what you put into your mouth and ride..Make it fit..

I prefer tighter jerseys the flapping in the wind is so annoying.

This doesn't just apply to different companies. I have two Primal Wear jerseys that both say XXL. One is loose and the other is skin tight. Go figure that one out!!! :eek:

Tip of the day: Use tape to protect your nipples my friend. Or even better: if you don't wanna rip a nipple of when removiing the tape, use bandaid instead of regular tape. Or something similar that isnt sticky in the middle will work as well ofcourse.

Sung jerseys do several things:

1) prevent chafing
2) lessen drag
3) improve cooling

It took me a while to buy into this concept, but I truely don't notice the snugness while on the bike (and the CoolMax feels great here in the south!)

I wear a tighter jersey because of the better cooling effect.

I've found that the Decente jerseys fit me best and are fairly true to size - ie - I usually buy XL shirts and the XL Decente jersey fits very well and not too snug like some of the European cuts, but it's not so loose that it flops in the wind.

Watch the number sizing instead of the S,M,L,XL,2XL...

Performance Bike (online) lists the number sizing along with the manufacturer S,M,L,etc rating which really helped me figure out what size each was.

As for sizing, I like them comfy if just a bit loose. How else you going to hide that gut? :p

Mark

Yuck. Just use a little Bag Balm, or whatever you use to prevent chafing "down there".

So if we don't want super loose, like mountain biker loose, do we have any choices for a nice in between? Any particular brands we should look for?

It's just that I have one of those weird body types where I have lean and toned arms and legs, torso too... but I have a tire around my belly. So everyone says I'm a skinny guy except I've got big unattractive love handles. Are there any cycling jerseys that can help me hide the gut?

I just gotta keep training and riding around here and then maybe someday I will wear a tight jersey with confidence. :)