nox tuboid

I live in Phoenix. It gets VERY HOT here. Wicking jersey is essential to cooloing as it pulls the moisture away from the body where it evaporates. Otherwise, you get a hot sticky mess or even worse start to fry - CRACK!. Also, In these parts, no shirt = melonoma! Bad news either way.

BTW, I did see some ****** once riding with bib shorts and no shyrt - YIKES!

Tree Trunk

Cycling jerseys aren't exactly the most fashionable garment, but ever since I started wearing them to ride there is no way I feel comfortable wearing a cotton tee. Functionality is a key -- that seems to be a common requirement among cyclists. My fave is last year's "Assault on Mt Mitchell" jersey. It's quite the conversation starter and I feel like a stud wearing it!!

foehn

I hate to tell you this, Ranger, but you can get skin cancer, no matter how dark you tan. When you are dark tanned, you still are incurring skin damage.

And if you wish to look more like a spring chicken than an ancient reptile, any cut in sun exposure is beneficial for you future.

My youngest sister has always sunbathed and tanned alot. She looks years older than my middle sister and they are onlyu 4 years apart in age. It drives her nuts when people assume that she is the older sister of the 2 of them!

supcom

You don't need a cycling jersey if you don't want one. As others have pointed out, cotton is a wretched material for summer cycling. It holds too much moisture. But, you don't need to get the latest cycling miracle material. For about $10 you can get similar synthetic jerseys at your local xmart. The won't have pockets in the back and they won't be cut extra long in the back, but they work fine.

Allen H

I realize I don't "need" them, especially on shorter rides, but I actually like wearing them as part of the "uniform" - a little like getting "my game face on", for those of you familiar with team sports or competitive sports.

Some may call it being a "poser" (although none of what I wear is pro team gear), because I'm not racing anybody, and I certainly wouldn't beat very many if I did. But I actually feel much more comfortable on my rides in my gear - like it does make me perform better because I do feel better. That alone makes it worth it to me, besides the practical stuff already mentioned.

shokhead

Most you guys dont like them because your getting the skin tight ones most likly. I use the loose fitting ones,no elastic in the arms or waist. The do help and are better then ant cotton top no matter what others say.

Lonestar1

If you don't like to wear true cycling jerseys, then don't. You've received very good
arguments from "both sides of the coin" here. Process the info. & make your own decisions. Like others have said there are plenty of shirts that have the ability to transfer perspiration from the skin, are quite comfy & cost less than "real" cycling
jerseys. From a personal standpoint, I carry more than my saddle pack will hold, so the functional aspect of cycling jerseys make them needed.

cyclezealot

I have two coolmax t shirts..I miss the pockets and the pull down zipper on hot days.The material that the t shirt is made of is suspect..Maybe its me, but I do not think that particular material is the same...Wicks not as well.
Plus the bright colors...WIth motorists as distracted as they are, we need all the help we can get. And finally, I do not mind looking the roll of a cyclists ...Do T shirts give you that cyclists tan marks?
Pleased , my doctor just the other day, said, I can tell you are cycling more..

shokhead

Good point about the bright colors,we need all the help we can get to be seen.

SteveE

Where're going to put your arm warmers and your vest when it starts to warm up if you don't have a jersey with pockets in the back?

Portis

Expandable seatpack.

SteveE

Yeah, but I can't reach back there while I'm riding. It doesn't work for me on group rides 'cause if you're off the back you'll never get back on. Maybe it doesn't impact you but for me it's just one more reason to wear a cycling jersey, in addition to all the other reasons already mentioned.

khuon

Not to discount your reasons because I do use my jersey pockets to stuff my arm warmers in, but usually when it comes time to get the arm warmers on, I'm also needing the leg warmers. How does one handle that on the move? Or do you just hope the rest of the pack are just as cold so that everyone stops?

Portis

How do you get arm warmers over the top of your gloves? To me it is a lot simpler to stop for 10 seconds, take them off and throw them in the pack. Don't have to worry about them falling out of the pockets either.

As a side note I am finding arm warmers increasingly useless. After spending a winter riding in all sorts of nasty conditions, arm warmers almost seem silly. I have worn mine once this year and then sort of wondered why. REally if arm warmers need to be taken off, basically you didn't need them. This is considering that conditions don't change a great deal. If they do then i suppose the warmers are ok.

Maelstrom 

Goto Ontario. Its legal...

I played enough sports and always wear cotton. When cotton gets wet...I simply feel wet. I dont get chilled. Guess I am lucky. I also don't liek to be visible...might piss the bears off enough to start chasing me

Allen H

Here in Northern California, it's quite common that the temps will be in the low 50s early in the morning, requiring warmers. By mid-morning, it's often in the low 70s, so it's necessary to shed the warmers. We've also got lots of 1500-foot descents that will require a jacket and/or warmers again, and full gloves instead of half-gloves if it's at all still cool. With all those options needed, a jersey is almost essential to carry them.

Maybe in other parts of the country with way less temperature variations intraday and much flatter topography, none of those extra layers are necessary - reducing the need for jerseys.

Also - arm warmers make those short-sleeve jerseys into long sleeves, but with more versatility. I have lots more short-sleeve than long-sleeve jerseys, as a result (also because it's never colder than high 40s or low 50s here in the Bay Area).

SteveE

Ranger,

I pull the arm warmers off right over the gloves.

I live in Silicon Valley and ride out to the coast frequently. It can be cold starting out (arm warmers on), cold but working up a sweat climbing up the mountains (arm warmers off), cold on the descent over to the coast (arm warmers on), workin' up a sweat again back up over the mountains (arm warmers off), if it hasn't warmed up a lot on again for the descent, and off again once back in the valley.

SteveE

SteveE

I think the pack just speeds up to generate additional heat!

I find over-the-knee knickers work best for me. They're pretty comfortable up to the low-to-mid 70's. Anywho, there's usually one stop about 30-40 miles into the ride where we stop long enough to shed the knee warmers. I normally only have to cover my knees even in the winter time around here, so I either wear knicker-length shorts or knee warmers.

edk

Boy Ranger a quick check of what summer conditons are like in other - more humid - locals would answer that question is a heart beat.

Ohio Trekker

I think the problem is that with a cotton shirt that is wet it acts as a thermal barrier or insulation to some extend. I use this to my advantage in the winter by wearing a wicking layer, than a cotton layer that ends up wet and actually provides some thermal barrier just by being wet, over which I wear a water resitant that keeps the air infiltration to a minimum, usually enough for all but the very coldest rides. It's fine as long as I'm moving and feeding it body heat from the inside, but if I were to have a mechanical and have to stop, I know I'd be seriously cold relatively fast. I know I read in the winter riding forum about this technique being questionable, but it sure works for me. I carry an insulated sweat jacket just in case of mechanicals, but fortunately haven't had to resort to it yet.... knock on wood!!

Same thing with the heat, when the cotton gets wet, it is acting as a thermal barrier that's keeping heat build up from escaping like it should. Don't know about the humidity in CA, but I have too much experience with the humidity we get here in snowy OH in the summer. And I know if I am not evaporating sweat and getting it away from my skin, I will not last long at all on those hot & humid days.

I'm wondering if folks in drier climes feel the same with you about 100 degree days, and being cool in a wet shirt. Maybe it's a function of the humidity and wouldn't bother folks say in the desert as much as the more humid climes.

I couldn't agree more with you and the others who said a wicking layer is the most important, of all, and for me it's often my only layer for most of the summer. It just so happens that my cheap alternative for a wicking layer gets used year round, and therefore is a great value for a minimal investment to me.

froze

Just to echo everyone else, you don't want cotton thats for sure. But wool works excellent, I have a wool golf shirt I sometimes use, you can use a searsucker shirt and due to it's bubbly surface (not sure how to explain that) it only allows about 20% of the material to actually contact the skin and while riding the sweat evaporates quickly and won't soak the shirt.

But I prefer the loose MTB clothing (I road bike only) because I found that when it gets really hot the tight fitting clothes-no matter how advance the fabric is-it's too hot; when the fabric fills with air due to the loose fitness your actually much cooler because the air is allowed to move in and out. I also prefer wool because it doesn't stink, but wool is expensive. I also do not use black clothing because that color absorbs the heat making you even hotter...wonder why those stupid bike clothing people make that stuff in black only? Oh yeah, because it looks cool! I wear tan colored MTB shorts and light colored mtb shirts, then put sunblock on all exposed areas.

I use to live in the deserts of California where the summer daytime temps often exceeded 100 degrees and experimented with various clothing styles trying to find some degree of comfort; but hot is hot.

Jakey

I wear jerseys... but I'm not about to drop $80+ on one of the pro jerseys... I don't want to be 'that guy' wearing the U.S. Postal jersey doing 5mph in my lowest gear up a hill

khuon

Is it any less embarassing if you're just wearing a plain old jersey because that would be me.

RiPHRaPH

your jerseys can also prominently display all of your sponsors in brighter colors.

bitemail

Obviously you dont live in a hot climate. Leave on a wet jersey in hot or cold and you WILL catch a cold.