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today it was 40 degrees with a 25mph wind, so i wore some thermal long johns with my dickies and t shirt on my 30 mile ride.

speaking of kits, the new twinsix recon jersey looks pretty dope!

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimothyH (Post 19289001)

Cotton is one of the worst fabrics one can wear in the heat.

Cotton is hydrophilic. It attracts, absorbs and holds onto water. A fabric which holds onto water does readily release it into the atmosphere so does not provide evaporative cooling, or provides it at a greatly reduced rate compared to other fabrics of similar weight.

A hydrophobic fabric does not absorb and hold onto water but passes it through and releases it easily so it can evaporate and cool. A hydrophobic fabric is what is needed.

This isn't something I made up. This is basic ninth grade science.

Knit | 7mesh

-Tim-

That "science" is being provided by someone selling a $3.00 man made (chemical) fabric for $150.00.

Real science, the kind that Doctors use says the opposite, that evaporating (Loss) of water present on the human skin reduces cooling, It IS WHY we sweat after all.

Polyester (lycra) is fantastic for being light weight and being form fitting. Both are great features for competitive cycling clothing. Plus tight racing suits just look cool. But for regulating body temperature it's one of the worst fabrics available.

The dryer you are the more your body will sweat to try to cool itself off. The more you sweat, the more hydration you'll require.

There is also the natural solar diffusion characteristics of cotton and wool. Plastic clothing transfers the suns heat directly to the skin. That's why we wrap potatoes in foil before baking them. Good for spuds, not good for you.

Go to a nice Tailor for a suit. What will the suits be made of? Different fabrics for different seasons. Cotton, wool, and silk. You won't find any plastic garments at fine tailor shop for good reason.

Your car breaks down while driving through Nevada on the way to Vegas in late July. It's 115f. Blistering. ****ing grueling, body punishing, stroke inducing. You've got a 10 mile walk to the next town. Five miles in you come across a creek. It's cool, and deep enough to submerge yourself to your neck if you kneel in it. Would you rather be wearing an Under Armor shirt that will repel the water? You know, wick it AWAY from your skin and evaporate quickly? Or would you rather be wearing a Fruit of the Loom cotton shirt that will hold onto some of that life saving moisture for at least part of the next five miles?

Quote:

) Insulation / airflow: Air circulation plays a key role in heat regulation, so even a slight breeze can keep you cool, if your clothing allows the air to move through it. Cotton, in general, is more breathable than polyester fabric, and hence superior for cooling in this regard.

However, breathability is not only based on the type of fibre used, but perhaps more importantly on the way it is twisted into yarns and woven into a fabric. Heavy tightly-woven fabric made from thick cotton yarns will prevent airflow much more than a sheer open-weave polyester netting, for example. But, for two comparable weights and weave types, cotton will be breezier.

2) Moisture absorption: with most cotton fabrics, as moisture (usually sweat) pools onto your body, it'll soak into the cotton fibres, and the garment will cling to your skin in the dampened areas. This is good for staying cool in the heat, since the moisture stays in contact with your skin, and can cool it via evaporation. The drawback is that you can look visibly sweaty through your clothing, especially if you are only wearing one layer (e.g. a shirt). A good summery cotton fabric will then let the evaporating moisture escape into the air freely.

Polyester fabric, on the other hand, tends to be either moisture trapping, or moisture wicking, neither of which are ideal for cooling in warm weather. A moisture trapping fabric will hold your sweat against your skin, but will not let the evaporating moisture escape easily. The result is a warm clammy garment that holds in your body heat.

More specialized moisture wicking fabrics are designed to quickly pull the sweat up away from your skin, to the outer layers of the fabric where the moisture will be held until it evaporates. This is good for keeping you looking and feeling dry, but it robs you of the cooling effect of your sweat evaporating against your hot skin.

On a related note, one of polyester's drawbacks is that it holds on to odors much more than cotton, potentially even through extensive washing; if you often find yourself sweating in a polyester garment, it may permanently take on your body odor over the long term.

If you don't believe me, maybe Performance Bike can convince you.

These are suggestions for keeping warm in cold weather riding.

Quote:

The Keys to Staying Warm

Protect your head, your neck and your Core. Keeping these vital areas warm will make it easier to keep your hands, legs and feet warm.
Protect your extremities--your hands, legs, and feet, and build in a bit of flexibility so that you can add or remove articles of clothing in order to keep your body comfortable as the weather warms up or cools down. Combining your existing cycling gear with a few new garments will extend your comfort range much later in the year.
Avoid cotton and opt for a wicking base layer made from polyester, lycra or wool to keep your trunk warm and dry. Cotton traps sweat next to your skin which robs you of the precious heat you need to trap. Damp and cold are a dangerous mix when you are miles from your home or car.
Start your ride dressed in slightly less clothing than you need. You'll warm up very quickly after you begin riding, and this minimizes sweat buildup. If you're in doubt, stash an extra garment like an extra jersey, vest or skull cap

LMFAO. And the Marketing geniuses sell us the same stuff for hot weather. :roflmao2:

Cotton ROBS you of heat. LOL.

Wear Lycra to KEEP the HEAT IN.

Fact: Polyurethane fabric is MUCH cheaper to produce and bring to market than cotton fabric. Fact!

Cycling jersey $50.00

Cotton T-shirt $10.00

:roflmao2:

Why do they tell us to use a WINTER fabric in summer?

Do you really need to ask?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

https://www.performancebike.com/bike...eatherClothing

You already know I'm not going to argue with you, right?

-Tim-

Driving to vegas while wearing Under Armor. Now that sounds like a guy I'd have some beers with.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimothyH (Post 19289327)

You already know I'm not going to argue with you, right?

-Tim-

Don't argue with me. Argue with Performance Bike. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by franswa (Post 19289366)

Driving to vegas while wearing Under Armor. Now that sounds like a guy I'd have some beers with.

I was expecting you to say, "I wouldn't walk, I'd call a tow truck on my cell phone." Or, "I'd fly to Vegas, not drive."

:lol:

Quote:

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet (Post 19289416)

Don't argue with me. Argue with Performance Bike. :)

I was expecting you to say, "I wouldn't walk, I'd call a tow truck on my cell phone." Or, "I'd fly to Vegas, not drive."

:lol:

I'd hail an uber if I got stranded.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet (Post 19289416)

Don't argue with me. Argue with Performance Bike. :)

I will say this...

I've become less and less a fan of lycra for some of the reasons you cited - it holds in heat, holds in moisture, etc.

I'll also agree with you that the cost of kits is jacked for the most part, and the worst offender are companies which really shouldn't be in business. Lycra is stretchy, and these manufacturers rely on stretchy high lycra content textiles for fit. It is less expensive and takes less time to purchase an off the shelf pattern, build the garment with high stretch lycra so that it fits more people, slap a marketing name on it, put the appropriate models on the website and sell it as a $150 boutique jersey. Assos, Castelli and Rapha are no exceptions regardless of mystique.

There are very few companies willing to take the time to develop textiles in-house, engineered for the specific application and then pattern the garment correctly so that it doesn't have to rely on lycra for fit. Arc'teryx and 7Mesh are two examples. They do use lycra but target it only where needed and even then it is only 1% or 2% content. These companies rely on pattern for fit, not stretch, do some of their own R&D on fabrics and then have the textiles custom knit or woven according to their specs rather than buying the sake bulk fabrics off the same roll as the next boutique down the street.

You and I don't disagree 100%. I still don't think cotton is a good fabric but neither do I think that a $150 jersey with 10% lycra is a good value either. The fact that some famous artist puked on the fabric to come up with the design doesn't make it any better.

-Tim-

doesn't anyome remember when the yankees wore those cotton uniforms?!

I am gonna go ahead and just wear what I want how I want. Wear what works for you. Cotton is rotten, at least for me, and the thought of wearing commuter jeans has me not wanting to ride. That might work for some, but not me. You can argue until you puke, you will not convince me to wear something that I simply don't want to wear. I have ridden in jeans and in cotton t-shirts. Never. Again.

Guys this is what the internet is for. Arguing over pointless **** and posting stupid gifs.

Just embrace it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TenSpeedV2 (Post 19289808)

#cutoffdickiesforlife

I am gonna pass on the severe chaffing but you do you mang.

I just ride naked all the time

i have an extremely hard time taking anyone who cites something from performance/supergo in their anti lycra dissertation seriously.

Quote:

Originally Posted by franswa (Post 19289622)

I'd hail an uber if I got stranded.

A driverless Uber? :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimothyH (Post 19289661)

They do use lycra but target it only where needed and even then it is only 1% or 2% content.

What is the balance made from?

Quote:

Originally Posted by TenSpeedV2 (Post 19289808)

I'm not arguing and not trying to convince you to wear something you don't like. Just having a friendly debate. I really believe that we are all built differently and we should all wear/use what works best for us individually. Some people die if they eat peanuts or shellfish. If cotton is uncomfortable and irritates your skin, so be it. :thumb:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unkle Rico (Post 19290278)

I just ride naked all the time

Performance Bike recommends against this for cold weather riding.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet (Post 19290437)

What is the balance made from?

That depends on what the application calls for.

Stretch woven nylon, knit polyester, double weave... Materials & Technology | 7mesh Inc.

I find the technology interesting in the same way I find lube technology interesting. As an aside, I still need to order some crystal grease.

2.5 hrs of high z2 this morning, kind of random:

1 hr on my TCR (training bike)
1 hr on my new Venge
another 30 min on the TCR

It was my first ride on the Venge and I wanted to give it a short test ride after I was already warmed up, and accomplish my training goal for the day of 2.5-3 hrs endurance pace. Kinda wonky but hey it works.

Also riding on Fiesta Island in low wind during the sunrise is quite delightful... the water reflects the new daylight very nicely.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimothyH (Post 19290528)

I find the technology interesting in the same way I find lube technology interesting.

I recently started waxing my chains per the insistent recommendation of a teammate, and so far I am big fan. To be explicit, what I'm doing is breaking the chain and soaking in molten parrafin wax for ~ 30 min every 300 miles.

There's a bit of a barrier to entry as I had to buy a dedicated crock pot that I only use for wax, a big block of parrafin and a few master links, but I'm loving it so far. It takes a fair amount of elapsed time to do it, but at this point it only takes me about 3-5 min of hands on time.

My favorite part is that I never clean the chain anymore, ever. The parafinn doesn't get greasy or pick up dirt - the drivetrain looks like new all the time. Plus the molten wax actually cleans the chain as well, just wiping off excess after I fish it out of the wax cleans it.

Pros:
Low maintenance
Only requires attention every few hundred miles
Very clean
Very quiet
You can re-use the same pot of wax for more than a few chains
Purportedly lower rolling resistance, but it's miniscule

Cons:
Requires initial equipment investment

Anyways to anyone who's curious I highly recommend it. It feels nice and 'crafty' in a way as well. When I'm at home I break the chain with a master link tool, put it on a t-shirt, and wait for the wax to melt. After 30 min in the wax, fish it out with a clothing hanger, give it one wipe, let it dry on the same t-shirt and then re-install. Easy peasy.

The teammate who recommended it to me is a lazy and thus a big fan of "not doing **** to your bike" (in his words) so it fits the bill.