Under Armour As Base Layer - Thumbs Down
 

Has anyone tried Under Armour as a base layer for cold weather riding? I came across a long sleeve Under Armour tee shirt I had bought a couple of years ago but it had mades its' way to the bottom of a clothes dresser drawer and had been forgotten about. Decided to give it a whirl as a base cycling layer and had high expectations that it would work well. On the plus side the tight fitting / body contour nature of the Under Armour base layer made getting a long sleeve jersey over it a snap ... no bunching or having to fiddle with getting my outer jersey correctly positioned. On the negative side it just seems to suck as a base layer. My experience is that it seems to get wet (from perspiration) and stay wet. Poor wicking and drying properties. Not sure if it's due to the very tight fit or perhaps it's a tighter weave of poly propolyene that does not breathe but it just does not seem to work as well as other Nike, New Balance and Asics base layers I have used (all of which fit less snugly). I have been using the Nike, New Balance and Asics stuff given it you can buy it at Dick's Sporting Goods at a fraction of the price you would pay for name brand cycling base layers (such as Craft etc.)

Anyone else have a similar experience.

I have been trying diferent ones but none of the more expensive ones. I have one UA shirt and it works ok but not better than my Nike one. I even went to wally world and got a few of their starter shirts to go under my jersey on cool (not cold) days. They work fine for me and they were only $8 (short sleeve) and $14 (long sleeve).

Merino wool.


That is all.

The region I live in is not even in the conversation of being as cold as yours so you would require better clothing.

Speaking as a Canadian who has ridden on many bitterly cold days ... merino wool as a base layer doesn't work.

What does work is a polypro base layer (but not too tight), with a merino wool top over the polypro ... and then a fleece over the merino ... and then maybe a heavy polypro over that ... topped with a jacket with venting.

I know everyone talks about "base layers" for cold weather riding, but honestly I just use a jersey and it works fine.

I am a Canadian...merino wool base layers are virtually ubiquitous amongst the long distance cyclists round these parts. Mind you I'm in Vancouver area, so it doesn't get super cold

I've tried many, including the Under Armour ones. Icebreaker merino is king for me.

Ditto on Icebreaker. Good for cold weather running too.

Wrong. Whether 90 F and 80% humidity, 40F and raining, or 15 F with 20 mph headwind, merino wool is better than anything else.

My in-laws live in Williamsburg. I've brought both my bike and my wool down there. Last Christmas, I was happy to have to have my usual layers. As surgeonstone mentions, merino is good for a wide range of weather.

I have some IceBreaker stuff, it works well. As a cheaper alternative, I've picked up a few of these when they're on clearance - http://www.departmentofgoods.com/sto...ng-sleeve-mens I think that I've gotten them for as little as $15 or so. They're soft, they're comfy and they're lanky, which is nice to maintain coverage when you're riding.

Sorry dude, but vancouver winter weather is more like Ontario fall weather.

Have to disagree with Matchka on this one. Merino is all I use throughout winter, spring, summer. It's wicking ability is unsurpassed, it's anti microbial properties keep it from smelling after use, it dries rapidly, it is warm even when wet. It is natures finest athletic material.

you probably wore the wrong type of under armour
which type was it? Thats all I wear. it's fine. Wicking is overrated. no matter what you wear, after a long, decently hard ride, you are going to have sweat on you. the question is, are you staying warm while riding in those cold temps. Under armour cold gear works great. I wear that with a long sleeve thermal jersey and I'm good to go in temps down to the 20's.

i use under armour and it works great

I use UA cold gear under a long sleeve jersey all the time and it works great.

I like Merino wool a lot, but that's some pretty strong Kool-aid you're drinking. Merino wool is a very nice all-round material, and very comfy, but it is not the best wicking material and it's far from the fastest drying material. Warm when wet, sure, but so are plenty of synthetics.

I use UA cold gear as well and it works great. If it gets down in the 20's I put a long sleeve Merino wool jersey between the UA base layer and a short sleeve jersey. This combo has worked well for me.

Craft:
http://shop.craftsports.us/base-layer.html
Tailor the type to your riding. I've been using a short and a long-sleeve for . . . I'm not sure . . . 12 years? Same one. It's perfect, doesn't show wear, doesn't smell, dries extremely quickly. Machine washes, covers your butt. Fits snug, which I like and I think one needs. It should touch your skin. I put one on at about 55 and wear them down to whatever. I used to only wear a heavy jersey, but the Craft under is a much better idea.

I don't like my UA base layers either.

I did a lot of experimenting to find out what would work best for long, sub-freezing rides ... and merino just didn't make the cut. Not as the base layer anyway. It works well as the second or third layer.

Not sure what type it is. I just checked the label and it does not indicate what type / model it is. Not sure if all UA gear is designed to be skin tight but this particular version is and I suspect that is the issue. As mentioned above I have other poly pro base layers that don't fit as tightly and my guess is that they breathe, wick and dry better given there is better air flow close to the skin. When I wore the UA layer today it was not particularly cold (nid 40s) but I was getting chilled on descents because the UA was wet and not wicking moisture away from my body. I also used it on a night ride Thursday night when it was quite a bit colder ( ~ 30 degrees) and had the same issue ... just didn't wick and dry at all.

Tempted to give the Icebreaker Merino wool a try but the fact that u can't throw it in the dryer is a big drawback for me and I also worry about it being itchy (I have sensitive skin). That having been said I love my Smartwool beanie and machine wash and dry it in the dryer all the time with no problems so I'm not sure what would happen if u dried a merino wool jersey in the dryer.

Well yeah, PA isn't really that cold.

I have two merino wool tops which I've toured and traveled extensively with ... and I've washed and dried both many, many times. They're fine.

Yes.