Do you wear a base layer in the Summer?
 

There seems to be two camps. Camp #1 says to wear something like UnderArmor. The claim: It will get moisture away from your body and keep you cool. Camp #2 says that you shouldn't wear any more than you have to. I'm caught between camps, and trying out both. Rode Tuesday in 100 degree +/- heat with the base layer. Still haven't made up my mind. Comments?

i always thought you wore layers in the winter to keep you warm?

no base layer for me, i don't see much benefit in it, I hate wearing to much clothing in the heat and it just means buying more stuff to wear and heaps more to wash. I didn't see any base layers in the Tour coverage on the hot days.

Base layer in summer? Not if it's hot outside! Are ye crazed, man?!

Thicker clothing or more of it will only hold the sweat in longer instead of letting it evaporate.

Having spent 7 months in the desert...and I'm talking real, no BS, 135 degree desert, I can say that base layers suck in the heat.

Of course we didn't have UnderArmor then, but the moisture has to go somewhere, right? Jerseys are designed to wick moisture away, so adding another layer means the moisture has to go through an extra layer to get to where it can evaporate. That doesn't make sense to me.

A base layer is also appropriate for summer. The base layer wicks moisture away from the skin, ultimatlely keeping you cooler. In the tour many riders had base layers on. Do do underarmor its not really a base layer it is a performance fabric. Nike and Giordana make excellent base layers (it looks like a weave and usually only comes in black or white.

Stay hydrated!!!

Purely subjective, but I decided not to wear a base layer last Sunday (temps around 90 degrees) and it felt more uncomfortable than it did on the previous day when I wore my Defeet undee shirt. THe undee shirt seems to do a better job than my jersey in keeping the sweat away from my body.

What's the difference between the two? I've never heard this distinction before.

I wear tight fit polyester/lycra (Underarmour knock off) without jersey in the hot days. It keeps me cool (not by looks) and keeps me aero like a time trial jersey. One draw back is it's tight around the chest that keep breathing a little harder.

Try each of the methods until you get a heat stroke, then use the other method.

I wear a skin tight Target underarmour copy and it does help to wick and keep me cooler. Well...as cool as it can get in high 90's to low 100's weather here in Davis. Best thing that it's only $15. Same material and feel of the more expensive stuff at a bargain basement price. As for the distinction between base layer and performance fabric, I think there's a little difference when it comes to context. Some would say base layers are next to skin layer that aids in insulating. "Performance fabrics" are for moisture transfer and not insulation. Now...my opinion is that Base Layers are almost always performance fabrics...however, performance fabric clothing are not always insulating. Hope that helps.

Yes, Nike is my favorite

here's popo and lance. i'm guessing popo likes a base layer, while armstrong does not. purely preferential

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/20...ALIBIER921.jpg

Summer...yes, but they're in the mountains, just look at the people at the side of the road, they're all bundled up for the cold not to keep the sun off of them.

Exactly. That was a bad example. And as much as I like Popo, which one do you think has the more valuable input?

have a look on this day, very hot, not many with base layers, except the winner.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/20...allery-stage14

examples of no base layer needed.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/20...?id=tour0514/6

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/20.../S-MISSTOUR269

I don't do it at the moment but I've considered trying it. However, I don't like the idea of buying yet more clothes to wear. :( I'm cheap when it comes to clothes.

miss tour de france. classic. thanks for the laugh.

I started using a DeFeet Un-D-Short about a month ago and find it more comfortable than without one. Can't say it make you cooler but definately more comfortable.

My cycling top is lycra, with no "non-abrasive" material underneath it.. (it's also about 12 years old :-) ). I have to wear a tee-shirt underneath it, lest it irritates my skin.

I assume new jerseys have some sort of built-in cotton lining ?

:D

That's the answer, but you only get one chance to test it.

Better yet, try the homebwoi method: get the largest and heaviest hooded pull-over sweatshirt you can find, and wear that on those 100+ Heat Index days. You wont actually be cool, but you'll look cool.

Yep, I use the Champion brand that Target sells as well as one UnderArmor version. I can't tell that the UA is any better. However, I do stay more comfortable with a base layer, even with temps above 90. Besides staying a little cooler, I also don't have chaffing problems that a looser fitting jersey alone would sometimes cause. I also like the slight compression fit that the base provides.

Allot of those guys inthe Tour wear the baselayer in the mountain stages for two reasons.

1. It does provide extra wicking, but more importantly, it dries quick. Cotton wicks, but it doesn't dry well. The body heats up and sweats, but to cool properly, that sweat has to evaporate to facilitate the cooling process. Wearing a base layer that transfers moisture away from the body and dries quickly, enables the body to cool, through the sweating and evaporating process that constantly occurs as needed to regulate body temp. A tight fitting base layer can help this process along better than a somewhat looser fitting cycling jersey. Also, make sure the jersey is made of a wicking material, which mostly they all are. The summer base layers are thin enough and constructed of a weave to allow air flow so they don't make you hotter.

2. Once they crest the mountain, on the way down the base layer provides just enough insulation to help them not get chilled as they are flying down the mountain. Some guys you'll see stuff newspapers into their jerseys at the summit for the same reason.

This is the main purpose of a base layer in the summer. If you ride in mixed conditions (chilly morning, long cold downhills, wind and rain, etc.), then a base layer expands the temperature range of your jersey.

Yes I wear a D-Feet tank top under my jersey.