Normally I fit into a size "Medium" in shirts sold by LL Bean and a "Large" in the cheap-o "club cut" Performance jerseys that I usually buy. Without really thinking, I picked up a "Pro-Fit" jersey on sale the other day.

Holy Toledo, I felt like I had been stuffed into a sausage casing. It was a sight that no one should be forced to endure. Even my wife had to avert her eyes. If there was ever an incentive to lose 10 (or more) pounds, I just found it.

Post photos please...

+1

I'm a 42 or 44 depending on cut of shirt. The first time I tried to get into a L cycling jersey I looked like Houdini trying to get out of a straight jacket.

Not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent. At this juncture.

There is a significant difference between american sizes, the sizes sold by performance (they actually post dimensions which is very useful) and european or the european style jersey. An XL american may be a 3X, 4X or even 5X by other standards. If at all possible get the dimensions in inches before trusting the size label.
You have already noticed that the Skin tight nature of a road jersey will magnify any bulges or lumps not present in the figure of a 150lb pro rider.
MTB jerseys are cut a little more free.
For a real bargan go down to one of the big box stores like Kohls and buy a brightly colored sport cut shirt made of wicking fabric for under $15. Works and looks good for cheap.

I'd like to get a cycling jersey, but I'm put off by the synthetic fibers they all seem to be made of. Isn't there anything on the market made of cotton or perhaps a cotton blend?

Regards,

Ek

I don't wear jerseys just because it seems too much like putting on a helmet and pads to play football with your kids in the park. When I can ride like Leipheimer, I'll dress like him. But I do like bright colors, to catch drivers' eyes, and wicking fabrics. If you look around, you can often find CoolMax T-shirts in bright orange or yellow-green for $8 to $12. I got mine at Sierra Trading Post (www.sierratradingpost.com) a couple of years ago (they have an outlet store where I live). It's the all-time best cycling shirt ever, if you don't want to look like a NASCAR Dodge.

I love cotton but not for cycling. It's the worst -- once it's wet, it stays wet. And it gets heavier the wetter it gets.

The synthetic materials aren't my first choice for everyday wear but I swear by 'em for any kind of perspiration-inducing activity. They actually wick the moisture away from your body, rather than absorb it, thus staying light, dry, & relatively comfortable. Sure makes for a more enjoyable ride.

For a short, low exertion ride on a cool day, cotton is fine. Seersucker or some other weave that helps increase ventilation can extend the comfort zone of cotton a bit. But any ride that is strenuous enough to make you sweat is not a good time to be wearing cotton. Cotton is also a bad choice on a cooler day if rain is a possibility. You'll freeze. Wool is a better choice for a natural fabric cycling shirt. It still breathes and insulates when it gets wet.
But for long rides in hot weather, those awful synthetic fabrics simply work better to wick away the sweat and to keep air moving across your skin to cool it. I sometimes wear cheap wicking shirts with good results. But on a hot day I like having a zipper so I can let air in to cool me off. Also, the pockets on cycling jerseys are great for carrying food and stuff while riding.

Yes, the size differences in jerseys is just too much. I bought a synthetic sleeveless shirt at wally world as a base layer, and had to get a medium. A week later, I returned a Performance XXL jersey because it was too small. I am really glad that a local Performance store just opened, so I can actually try on some sale priced jerseys before I buy.

Speaking of jerseys, when are we going to do a bf50+ jersey? But if it's cotton, count me out......

Au contraire le cotton. I like to ride when it's hot in a chopped t-shirt....made into a belly-button-long tank top. Put it over a pair of bibs and hit the road. The dry heat in the Great Valley and brown CA foothills keeps the cotton from staying wet and I get lots of air circulation. My Italian complexion keeps me from burnng once my tan is "set". I spent a summer in the humidity of the East coast...how can you people take it....once you're wet, which is right away, you never dry out. People here just have to like the color brown....by late May, many lowland parts of CA betray their semi-desert geography.

I bid $5 on the Jet Travis photos.

Did you try on any of their shorts?

+1 That high wick stuff will make me COLD if I'm not careful. It's wonderful how well it works. Amazing in the summer, and as long as you have a fleece layer and a windblocker, it's the right first layer in the winter too. But I have to admit, there are lots of times when it's just plain old nice out, I wear a white tee shirt. Don't even own a single jersey, and likely never will. I'm the same way about fishing, kind of a low tech reverse snob...

One other note on cotton. If you are prone to be odoriferous (thad' be stinky) when you perspire, a few rides in that cotton shirt and you won't be wearing it for long. Unless, of course, you enjoy the smell of chlorine bleach

If you want a natural fabric, think wool. As in thin merino wool fro summer, thicker and/or multiple layers for winter. Handles moisture as well as the sunthetics. Take multiple uses before it starts to stink, unlike the synthetics. Retains its ability to keep you warm when it's wet, which cotton does not do at all and most synthetics do poorly. Can be had in jerseys, t-shirts, long-sleeve t-shirts, sweaters, whatever. Costs more. Lasts longer. Can be washed in a washing machine (gentle, cold water, NOT with Woolite - use Ivory liquid instead) but line or flat dry it. Worth the investment as long as you are not still growing.

$6.50 bid by Big Paulie...

I'll bid a buck ninety eight.

I found a t-shirt thickness, merino wool, long sleeve shirt a few years ago on-line, and use it as my undergarment regardless of the temperature. It really neutralizes extreme conditions, and I can use a "standard" synthetic riding jersey while still getting the benefits of wearing wool.

I hand wash my wool t-shirt in "Eucalan" about every 5 rides.

See, the idea is to bid UP, not Down....

I just picked up one of these from Velo News Store, lot's of fond memories of this race.

Dry heat doesn't count. Try to keep a t-shirt dry when it's 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity! But to be fair, it's only like that 4 or 5 months out of the year around here.

And in a moment of clarity, Digital Gee began to understand why he never wins anything on eBay.

Actually, it had everything to do with knowing EXACTLY what I was bidding on.

We can to that...bid down??? OK, I'll see DG's $1.98, and bid down to 50 cents on the pictures!