foamy

Ah, the pants are strictly hotel/bar/relaxing wear. On the road it's strictly lycra bike shorts with or without a thin nylon short (depending on where I'm at). If I need legs on the road I wear leg warmer things.

staehpj1

OK. Makes sense.

I take nothing for that exact purpose. The only times I went in a bar on my summer tour were at lunch time (in bike shorts) and we only stayed in a place where we should have dressed nicer once. So mine are more for lounging around camp or evening restaurant meals on the few occasions that we didn't cook in the evening and were in camp before going out to eat. Their primary purposes were:
1. To keep the mosquitoes off.
2. To have a change of pace from the bike shorts in the evening.
3. To be a bit warmer on cool evenings.

NoReg

I wear cotton sweats, though they are increasingly hard to find at local stores, where even the Kmarts now have designer sports apparel blah blah. I get the lightest I can find. I recut the legs to be a little less baggy (just run a row of stitching inboard of existing seam) if required. Then I add two layers of bunting in the contact area. Super comfy. If It rains I stick with the cotton if the wet doesn't build. If it is really wet I switch to shorts and rainpants. I can wear the same pair for weeks at a time, just wash off the inside of the bunting as required and deploy the usual salves for the skin.

The rules for cycling wear are not the same as for normal hygene. It is mostly about keeping the contact skin happy. Mormally I shower every day, whether I need it or not As is the modern norm. When I was recovering from a plane crash I wasn't allowed a bath or shower for 3 months. First of all it's less awful than one would imagine, but more importantly that was the hygenic alternative, where a bath could have penetrated a wound and eventually led to an amputation or death in the worst imaginable circumstance. One guy in the same accident did loose a leg to infection. The point being what we think of as clean is driven by fashion as much as the requirements of the local situation.

I also carry some of those pants made of swimsuit nylon, very light, comfortable and good for all the stuff the sweats aren't good for.

antokelly

a plain crash my god you survived i dont know what to say except im glad your here to tell the tale.
i think i'll go and make me a nice cup of coffee

FlyingAnchor

Wow. As a former Airport Crash Crewman (airport firefighter) I sure would be interested in hearing your story.

Back on topic. I am reading this thread voraciously as I am starting my long tour this summer.

I just wore out a pair of Walmart pants that had the zip off leg thing. They did not last long and I won't try them again. Of course I ride a bent bike so most of the biker short don't work for me, I just use plain old shorts.

I bought three large lycra jerseys(?) at walmart and they are way to small for me so they sit in my closet. So becareful of walmart stuff, I think they make their clothes smaller than advertised. It can't be me.

Steven

nun

These aren't pants, but if they are as good as the knickers they'll be worth the steep price.
Scroll down to the "Touring shorts"

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/articl...er-range-14650

antokelly

great stuff nun you get what you pay for with rapha excellent gear.
so any thought's on the jacket,light, waterproof,breathable,affordable,one that's going to make me look like lance armstrong, god if only.

truman

Pearl Izumi Vagabond convertible Jacket/Vest. Not waterproof, but quite water repellent.

staehpj1

I would question that you get what you pay for. I find that often to not be the case.

On the Jacket... For me breathable fabric seems to be mostly hype. I sweat enough in any waterproof or even water resistant jacket to be wetter with than without. They just don't pass enough moisture to really help much and the bit of moisture makes it trough makes them feel cold and clammy. Others find that they work well for them so YMMV. Maybe I just sweat more than most or something.

Things like pit zips and a vent in the back do work very well for letting some moisture out, but in the rain I usually just go with a low tech coated nylon jacket and consider it a wind and vapor barrier with no pretense of being dry.

I am sure that when and where you tour, how hard you ride, and a number of other factors come to play in what works well.

antokelly

i was looking through the carradice website they have a waterproof jacket and pants(duxback rain) they look good but could be a bit on the heavy side,im not sure about that. does anyone have this gear if so what's the verdict.
so does anybody like the rapha short's nun recommended i do.

mntbikedude

This is what I like. I have a pair of really well worn cargo shorts to wear around camp or hiking. A pair of basketball shorts can be worn over bike shorts, good when you want to throw them on fast to run in a store.

Then I have a really nice pair of those pants from North Face they zip up into their own pouch. They work well for rain pants, or when I need to be warm on those cold wet mornings. But I also have worn them to church on the road before.... I looked long and hard before I bought them. They have been worth every cent of the $100 I paid for them. BTW the difference between these and cheap ones is the fabric breaths. I have a zip up to a small size rain jacket, my wife bought. It was like $24.00 but it doesn't breath and gets very hot and moist very quick.

dwnptrl_777

If you can swing the price, Prana yoga-style pants are great. Quick drying, long-lasting, and made for movement...like yoga. Which means they're well-suited for turning the ol' bicycle crank.

Lots of pockets on some of 'em, too.

nun

The Rapha stuff is really nice, but it's just too pricey. I would never have bought the knickers at the price they charge, but as a present they are great, and they are the nicest bit of clothing I have, so I might be tempted to go for the touring shorts. You might also look at these guys

https://www.swrvestore.com/servlet/Ca...MEN%3Aknickers

For rain wear you can't beat the O2 or microporous rain suits.

https://www.rei.com/product/666124

They don't cost much and work as well as anything, although I've found it's almost impossible to stay dry on a bike in the rain. If it rains hard I get off the bike and shelter under my umbrella. For cold days and light rain I like the Marmont windshirt.

https://www.worldclassgear.com/marmot..._windshirt.asp

Its combo of nylon outer and light fleece inside is great, its only draw back is the lack of pockets. I wear a smartwool T-shirt to ride and with the marmot over it I'm good down into the 30Fs

antokelly

nun your a mind of information,i had a look at the marmot i think ill go for the marmot driclime catalyst jacket if i can figure out the size it looks the perfect jacket ,think ill get those rapha short's in april .
thanks for all the info.

nun

Just passing on what I've found works for me. I'm sure there are lots of other good solutions out there, but glad to help.

NoReg

"Join Date: Feb 2007 a plain crash my god you survived i dont know what to say except im glad your here to tell the tale.
i think i'll go and make me a nice cup of coffee"

"As a former Airport Crash Crewman (airport firefighter) I sure would be interested in hearing your story."

Thanks.

We were in a commercial jet with about 50 passengers that experienced transient visibility as it came in for landing and tried to pull up to go around, but stalled, and dropped out of the sky going 160 mph, and proceeded to bang from wingtip to wingtip as though it was going to flip over on it's back. This motion settled into violent porpoising, and then the whole of the interior of the plane appeared to come apart as the 6 seats and pasengers ahead of me slammed through me into the rows behind. Now in place, the plane continued for 20 minutes or so under the full thrust of the engines as it was when the pilots attempted go around. Aviation fuel was leaking through the cabin as passengers who had managed to stager outside pulled out cigarettes. It was about -20C in the cabin and it took about 3 hours to rescue us as they had to drive to a local army base to get the Jaws of Life. Suffice to say, complimentary drinks were not served during the ground delay.

antokelly

so peterpan 1,how do you feel about flying these days my self i would never set foot in an airport let alone a plain again.wow i cant get my head around this give's me the shiver's to think about it,bike touring is a piece of cake after this experience bet you travel by ferry now ,hope your fully recovered and your where you want to be,good luck.

neilfein

In warm weather, I just wear lycra. I have a couple of pairs of exercise pants I bought at Dick's sporting goods and Sports Authority, to wear over biek shorts. When it's very cold (as in right now), I wear bike shorts, then tights, then long johns (anything but cotton), then jogging pants. Then I throw ankle bands on the keep the pants out of the deraileur and I'm set.

bktourer1

I have a pair of tights called "almost tights" from Runners World. They are not as form fitting as reg. tights fit nicely in a pannier when not needed

Ed

antokelly

bktourer1 i had a look at that site ,runners world, could not find the tights you recommended but found a great exercise for cureing my shin splint's hope it works thank's

Lolly Pop

anto, you may want to have a gander at wiggle. www.wiggle.co.uk They have lots of jackets and trousers for biking. Prices in Euro. Maybe even free delivery? (if you spend over £50, free delivery to Eire.)

RonHill Tracksters very popular among the touring crowd here. They are on offer for £12 at the mo.

antokelly

thank's lolly pop i'll take a look at that

antokelly

they only seem to have the one(wrong) size lollypop ah well i'll check them out in a couple weeks

Ken Wind

I'm very happy with the Rapha stuff I've received. I bought one of their winter packs a couple years ago with a discount. Their Softshell is probably my favorite piece of riding gear, and it has survived multiple accidents unblemished. I really like the short sleeve baselayer I got too, but it is pretty holey now because it is so thin and it has been washed a lot. This Spring I'll probably get a pair of their Fixed Shorts for commuting.

A similar product you may want to check out are the Chrome Shins, which are supposedly excellent for touring.

antokelly

pity i did not have one of those jacket's when i had my fall (survived multiple accidents)when fund's allow rapha is at the top of my wish list