Timtruro

Yesterday I wore a cotton t shirt. After a few miles it was soaked and felt heavjer, maybe by a pound? I usually will take an extra shirt but didn't. After a rest it felt cold and clammy. Today I uses a New Balance shirt with a wicking material and although I perspired just as much, no clamminess, no cold feeling.
I know that cotton is not a goot material to use when it gets wet. More wicking fabric in the offing for me.

clancy98

i think you said it all buddy

RonH

That's why cycling jerseys (road and mtn) are made of wicking material.

spiker

they're also comfy under a leather jacket motorcycling on hot days

kjc9640

Wicking material is the only way to go...

KungPaoSchwinn

I bought 2 long sleeve jerseys for $6 from Wallyworld,they are not made for cycling but the material is the same as the OP descripted,i wore the cotton type as well and it felt heavy and wet under the same weather/condition.

The Weak Link

Cotton is woven death.

plodderslusk

Craft said it well on one of their their wicking T-shirts: Cotton sucks !

BluesDawg

Cotton is great as long as you don't sweat enough to soak it. Then it is awful.

AndrewP

I havent worn a cotton T shirt in the past 12 years. Cycling or soccer jerseys for me.

maddmaxx 

I save the cotton T's for playing with the kitten. No point in using up a good wicking shirt.

BluesDawg

The only times I'm not wearing a cotton t-shirt are when I'm not wearing a shirt at all, when I'm riding a bike or when I'm wearing a cotton polo shirt or cotton button up shirt to work (and sometimes I have a cotton t-shirt under those shirts). Cotton is great for everything that does not involve heavy sweating and moving air.

I prefer natural fabrics, but cotton does not work for 90% of my bike rides. Unfortunately, I can't afford to always wear wool, so the wicking polyester fabrics are the next best choice.

Billy Bones

Literally true in conditions producing hypothermia. Cotton Kills.

Sweatty cotton; too cold for bare skin; nothing to change into; no place to escape wet and cold. Cotton in and of itself is not the problem; disasters are borne of a series of inattentions to Earth's realities. Rule here with all outdoor stuff in all seasons: No Cotton.

Rhodabike

I got hypothermia once when I got caught in a rainstorm riding home in cotton. Now I only wear it if there is no chance of rain at all and I'm not going far.

Sluggo

I absolutely agree that cotton is dangerous when hypothermia is a danger, but it is quite the contrary when hyperthermia is the issue, and for the same reasons. Cotton does not insulate when wet. That means that you are cooled by evaporation of sweat from the surface of the garment (that is good when it is hot, bad when it is cold). You also benefit from wearing a looser garment when it is hot, so you can be cooled by evaporation of sweat directly from your skin (tight is better when you are trying to stay warm).

I know I am in the minority on this, but a couple of weeks ago on a hot century I passed a lot of people on a long climb, even though they were faster and fitter (and younger) than me. They were getting overheated, and many of them were stopped in the scattered patches of shade trying to cool off. A lot of other folks got rides up the mountain in the sag vehicles. I was okay in my silk and cotton hawaiian shirt.

As is often the case here in the summer when the humidity is high, there was a chance of thunderstorms. I had a wool jersey in my handlebar bag, just in case.

In the temperatures between hypothermia and hyperthermia, wear what feels good. And for changeable weather, wicking fabric is definitely more comfortable.

Velo Fellow

Cotton is kool. I live in the Calif. Central Valley foothills. Hot and dry.....no humidity. Rattlesnakes love it. You steam, we bake. I wear plastic jerseys frequently and, yes, they do stay dry. But, I also sometimes wear over my bibs a old tee-shirt cut/cropped into a tank top. Lots of ventilation, the cotton feels better against my skin, it absorbs sweat and the warm breeze keeps the cotton just moist enough for a cooling effect. (I do miss the pockets.)

Anyway, never say never to cotton.

BluesDawg

My problem with cotton in hot weather is that it sticks to my skin when soaked in sweat, so I don't get the nice cooling effect of evaporation because the air does not flow against my skin. Cotton seersucker works better because the air pockets in the fabric lets air flow beneath the shirt and cool the skin. Regular cotton feels clammy when soaked in sweat, not to mention how heavy it gets.

donheff

I always wear wicking on the bike but I still have a lot of cotton Ts for off the bike. Does anyone make any decent non-biking, wicking Ts or polo shirts? It would be nice to have better material for just kicking around in hot muggy, DC summer weather. How about wicking boxers or briefs?

sknhgy 

I sweat like a pig. Wicking polos are a godsend to me. That's all I wear to work anymore. No more embarrassing sweat-stained shirts for me.

BluesDawg

"Wicking polos". Is that what we used to call "cheap synthetic crap"? Funny how perspectives change.

Velo Dog

Not that anybody cares, but I haven't worn a jersey in years. I have a couple of CoolMax T's for really hot days, but on ordinary summer days (90s or so), I commute and ride in mountain bike shorts and cotton T-shirts. In our desert climate they dry fast, and I don't look like one of the wannabes dressed like Mighty Mouse.

lighthorse

Good post Timtruro. On my last crosscountry tour, I carried only wicking clothes, no cotton at all for anything. Makes a big difference.

sknhgy 

You can get them cheap at Dollar General stores.

VegasTriker

Thanks to you other desert dwellers who set the record straight for those who live in humid climates and insist to us living in the desert that wearing cotton is insane. I've had this argument several times. IMHO, when the temperature is 105 and the humidity is 4% as it was yesterday in Las Vegas, the only sane way to combat the heat is to ride wearing a wet or damp cotton t-shirt. I'd rather have the water loss come from my wet shirt than from dehydrating my own body. It's far easier and safer to rehydrate the shirt than to rehydrate me. If you ride into the wind on a 105 degree day it can actually feel cold until the shirt partly dries out. Nuff said!

Velo Fellow

Reminds me when polyester first came out. Plastic clothes in wild plaids, stripes, etc. I recall wearing such stuff on hot days and, being nonabsorbent but not necessarily wicking, it would cause sweat to drip down legs, arms, stomach, etc. Made for some steamy disco nights. Again, in hot, dry climates like where I live, cotton is a nice thing to have.

Good comment VegasTriker!