Symox

I find I really like the feel of sleeveless jerseys on hot rides. Is this generally not in fashion for men? I have both sleeved and sleeveless but find myself reaching for the sleeveless. I notice there are not nearly as many sleeveless as sleeved on the market or on group rides.

Lazyass

I've never noticed my upper arms getting any extra overheated but when I think about it a sleeveless jersey is probably what should be standard wear in the summer. Just a styling issue I guess.

The main reason I won't get one is because in 1987 I got an airborne tattoo on my shoulder when I went into the military. But in the 90's tattoos became mainstream with the millennial's and I didn't want mine anymore. Now everyone, even chicks, have them and when something turns mainstream is stops being cool to me. I think 99% of them look hideous. So I don't like anyone seeing mine.

downhillmaster

Cycling is again mainstream since our illustrious Secretary of Transportation staged his 50 yard, security-assisted ride

Branko D

Good summer jerseys have exceptional wicking properties and protect from sunburn so I need only cream on forearms and legs. Going sleeveless isn't going to really help with cooling, and is plain unsightly.

I only ridein a sleeveless trisuit on short course triathlon where it is part of the rules (although at local levels, especially if you are not a real contender, nobody checks). If it wasn't most wouldn't bother with sleeveless there, either.
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Sleeves are more aero, so there's that, too.

shelbyfv

You are correct. You won't see many sleeveless jerseys on group rides. They are tri specific in the cycling world. Nobody wants to look at a guy's hairy sweaty pits. You'll stay just as cool with a proper jersey and save yourself the snickers and rolled eyes.

alcjphil

Sleeveless jerseys would mess up my tan lines

canklecat

Wear what you like.

A friend who's in his 50s and still holds many local KOMs and is in the top ten on pretty much every segment wears sleeveless jerseys. And AFAIK he's not a tri-guy. Just rides a regular road bike. I've ridden with him a few times and he's loafing just so I can keep up while I'm gasping for breath. FWIW, he's the only cyclist I've ever seen in person whose pedaling style is like Jacques Anquetil -- very toe down, spinning smoothly, yet making a big gear look like no effort. And I think he only took up cycling several years ago. It wasn't his main sport until he was 40 or so.

I wear sleeveless shirts for running and long walks, no sunscreen, because I needed to boost my vitamin D, etc., after my thyroid failed and I developed early onset osteopenia, dangerously low vitamin D and immune system deficiency. Oddly, now that I take relatively large doses of vitamin D daily (usually 5,000 IU, sometimes a little more) I don't burn. Heck, can barely keep a real tan. I get a little darker immediately after an hour or so in the midday summer sun, but it fades quickly. There's recent study (real study, not pop culture pseudo-holistic-faux-medicine junk opinions) that indicates massive doses of vitamin D within an hour after sun exposure can prevent sunburns. So I'm probably preventing sunburns by taking the stuff two or three times a day.

But I rarely wear sleeveless on bike rides, unless I'm on my hybrid for a casual group ride and just wearing whatever I wore that day for a run or walk. I don't have any sleeveless cycling jerseys and my running sleeveless tees are too flappy to be aero. I'd consider a sleeveless cycling jersey if I wasn't such a cheapskate but I won't pay more than $20-$30 for any cycling apparel, so I'll wait for a ridiculously low price on a decent sleeveless jersey.

I'm not sure I'd notice any different in heat dissipation. Even my aero jerseys, which have sleeves that are plasticky and don't really breathe well, don't feel uncomfortably hot to me in summer. But it's probably a heat acclimation thing. I've lived in Texas and exercise in midday summer heat for so long that I rarely feel overheated. I think my first experience in 20 years feeling a bit overheated was last week when I tried for a 5k personal time trial around 9 am. I underestimated how hot and humid it was already and had to slow to a fast walk after the second mile. Felt baked the rest of the day and took the entire next day off. Usually I'm okay jogging 5-10 miles in afternoon heat, but that's a very relaxed pace of around 11-12 minute/mile. Just pushing for a sub 10 minute/mile pace rapidly escalates the discomfort, and there's not much breeze in running to cool us off. With cycling we get enough breeze even at slow speed to get pretty effective cooling.

popeye

It's a slippery slope. You will find yourself with aerobars and bottle rocket launchers.

Hwnryd31

Sleeveless is fine. Wear what you want, if people have issue with it then it's their problem. I wear sleeveless cycling in summer only because my tan lines otherwise are messed up and I look like a clown wearing sleeveless to the beach or otherwise. And I agree it probably doesn't help much dealing with heat itself while on the bike, my arms are pretty muscular so I'm willing to show them off a little lol

Bah Humbug

You'll look like a tri geek. Shave your pits. It'll fix your lines.

- signed, a tri geek who goes sleeveless sometimes

shelbyfv

trailangel

Go one step further and wear your wife-beaters.

Seattle Forrest

The store won't sell them to you unless you can run and swim.

Symox

I would actually like to remove the short sleeve tan lines

seypat

A mesh shirt like the rockers wore in the 80s would be the way to go. More airflow and the chicks would dig it.

shelbyfv

Probably get the SupLarry seal of approval!

mstateglfr 

It isnt in fashion for men, as has been answered a times already. I'll just add that nearly nothing cycling related actually looks fashionable/good on most men, so the fact that this isn't fashionable should hold very little weight when deciding what to do.

Bmach

They make cooling base layers to where under your cycling jersey

MoAlpha

If you’ve got the guns for sleeveless, you need to train more.

urbanknight

Nope. Nobody wants to see my back hair.

Carbonfiberboy 

The more bare skin, the worse the road rash. I like SS with sun sleeves.

Tycho Brahe 

And here I am wearing sunsleeves.

KJ43

Short sleeve jersey with wicking base layer underneath. Sunsleeves over the rest of my arms for protection.

Andy Somnifac

Only if you're a.... Triathlete...

Bah Humbug

I rode this morning in my one-piece sleeveless tri kit. On my gravel bike. Sun was rising, got my tan lines faded a bit, and it was glorious.

Don't tell anyone.