I live down here in hot & humid North Carolina, and I ride, a lot! I do NOT race, nor would I last two minutes in a pace line, but I love to get out on the back roads and just ride. Taking a road that I have never ridden or driven on is a great way to spend a few hours lost and happy. BUT...I have been wondering lately if a jersey (rather than my usual cotton T-shirt over my bibs) is the way to go. I rarely ever carry any protein bars etc., but do carry a cell phone and a pouch for change. These usually go into my saddlebag. Let me knows the pros and cons of a jersey, and help me out. (By the way, need one for a 50" chest) THANKS!

A jersey is just a tee-shirt that is optimized for riding a bike. It doesn't hang weird or flap while you are in a cyclist's crouch, and it gives you a place to put your things so you can ditch the saddle bag and fanny pack, god forbid. Wearing bike shorts with a tee-shirt looks weird. The jersey helps to make it look less like you're hanging around in your underwear.

I had to pry my dad's fanny pack out of his hands.

A jersey might seem a bit dorky, but no one would ever recognize you on the streets, or call you out for it, well, some might, but since you already wear a bib/cycling shorts, the looks part is unimportant. A T-shirt is great for laid back riding, but when you're putting in miles, a jersey cuts down wind and makes you more aerodynamic, having your T-shirt inflate like a flapping sail for two hours can be pretty irritating.

100% cotton is like a sponge for your sweat, and if you happen to get caught in the rain you're soaked the rest of the ride.

Pros - Wearing a cycling jersey is a big upgrade from a cotton t-shirt. It will keep you dry and cool you down when you put down the zipper. It usually has 3 pouches at the back to hold whatever you would need during a ride (spare tubes, tire levers, pumps/CO2 cannisters etc..) Which means you wont need your saddlebag.

Makes you look ...cool.

Cons - None that I know of.

Pros I've found are the it helps wick away sweat better than a T. The tight fit is nice for not having any loose material blow around. Pockets are great for whatever you need to keep at hand. I've now done away with a saddle bag entirely. Major plus tho is you can unzip the front for added ventilation. (HUGE WIN)

Cons- Cost, tho you really do get what you pay for. (up to a point)

A good jersey wicks sweat, has pockets for carrying stuff, has a zipper, is cut longer in the back so it fits properly in a riding position, and doesn't flap in the wind. Doesn't that sound better than a cotton t-shirt?

+1 - Wear whatever you want, but there is a reason all of us dress like idiots. At the end of the day though - riding the bike is always better than not riding it so wear what makes you comfortable.

I just rock some c9 (target brand) performance tees or under armor. If you're comfortable then who cares.

Lord knows we riders buy a lot of silly, redundant crap, but a good jersey isn't one of them.

Make sure it is tight. I have a flappy jersey and it is annoying me.

If you're a big fattie then keep wearing the big giant tent size t-shirt for everyone's sake! Also I hear black is slimming. Under Amour carries them in loose fit. That will be an upgrade as you won't feel like you're wearing a wet mop during you're scenic tours of NC....

NO, When a younger man and slim , muscular and fast I would wear shorts sans jersey.....While doing tri's I would sport the at the time "padded speedo" no shirt. Now older, fatter, slower and grey I wear long sleeves.....loose fitting T's.....and beat the pro kit guys.

I resisted for a long time getting the lycra shorts and the high-vis cycling jersey but eventually gave in to the "dark side." You should wear whatever is most comfortable, and I think you'll find that for long ride the lycra shorts and cycling jerseys are the most comfortable.

Well, I'm not a BIG fattie, but thanks to 4 months recovering from surgery (an a dose of lazy) I shot up to 240lbs. I'm 6'2", so it ain't as bad as it could be, but I do have to drop a lot of weight. Even at my best weight of 205, I still wore a 48" sports jacket!

I like the zipper in the front of the jersey, easy to cool down on hot days. The pouches on the back are also growing on me. I highly advise a jersey. But, if you REALLY don't want one, at least get a tech running tshirt (cheaper than a jersey), something synthetic that would deal with sweat better than cotton.

You don't necessarily need one of those skin tight jersey. But a quick-dry, not cotton shirt, should at least help wick some of that sweat away.

But you'll find the jersey more useful anyways.

If you don't care about pockets, and wind resistence, a "technical" t shirt (i.e. synthetic fabric that wicks moisture) works well.

Mountain biking with a camel back (obviating the need for pockets) I'll wear a t shirt.

No.

But ditch the cotton.

Summer cycling in North Carolina? I don't know how you can fare in that humidity with a cotton anything when sweating is no longer enough to cool your body down.
No NEED for a cycling specific jersey, as already stated above. You have plenty of options with technical fabrics.

As said above, you don't need it, but you'll be more comfortable in it.

Wait ... what?

Dude, I'm 56 years old. I haven't looked "cool" since around 1978!

A modern "wicking" fabric will feel much cooler.

When I wear MTB shorts I can wear a T-shirt since the shorts have pockets for sunglasses, wallet, keys. With bike shorts, I like the jersey to have a few pockets. Its especially handy for the MP3 player (phone), so its easily accessible.

This.