Tag Archives: bike clothes

Wearing a cycling jersey isn't a requirement for riding a bike, but wearing a jersey does make for a more comfortable ride.

Wearing a cycling jersey can make your ride more comfortable

by John Brown, HaveFunBiking.com

Wearing a cycling jersey isn’t a requirement for riding a bike, but wearing a jersey does make for a more comfortable ride. What’s so special about a cycling jersey? The answer is in its material, the fit and the features.

Cycling jersey material

Cycling Jersey material

How breathable fabrics work

Cycling jerseys are made from moisture moving fabrics that pull perspiration off your body. Once off your body the moisture evaporates quickly, keeping you dry. By keeping you dry a cycling jersey will keep you cooler in warm temperatures. In the case of fall and spring riding, long sleeve Jerseys are built to both move moisture and insulate. Cool weather jerseys will keep you warm and dry.

The Fit

Cycling jerseys are cut to follow the natural lines of your body while riding. They use grippers around the waist and sleeves to stay in place as you move around the bicycle. Long sleeve jerseys will actually have longer sleeves than normal clothes, those sleeves will maintain coverage even as you reach out to hold the bars.

The Features

Cycling Jerseys back

Visible, Reflective, and Functional

Many jerseys have pockets to help you carry things like food, phones, or tools. If you are a fan of listening to music as you ride, a lot of Jerseys also incorporate ports that let you run earbuds inside the jersey rather than having them flap around in the wind. For safety, Many jerseys include some reflective features making you more visible while out on the road.

Finding the Right Size and Fit

Cycling Jerseys

A few of the many different styles of cycling jersey

Some may be wary of wearing a cycling jersey, because they’ve only seen the tight ones that look as though they were made out of spandex. Well, times have changed, and there are now many styles and materials to choose from. Looser, Jerseys offer the same moisture wicking material, cycling cut, and features without the form fit look.

When trying on a jersey, consider a few things:

  • When standing bolt upright, the jersey will feel short in the front and long in the back. It’s important to lean over a bit and try to replicate your cycling position (try putting your hands on your knees). If the jersey still feels too short or long, then look for a new size or fit.
  • Costs will vary widely based on the material and complexity of the construction. From synthetic fibers to natural ones with every combination in between, jerseys use different materials to create something that is both functional and comfortable.

Keep these tips in mind when looking for the jersey that’s right for you. With hundreds of brands and thousands of styles to choose from, you are sure to find something that you love.

 

Athlos custom cycling clothing: Out of the box review

by John Brown, HaveFunBiking.com

Having been involved with many teams and clubs over the years has given me the opportunity to own many pieces of custom cycling clothing. I have also owned lots of name brand cycling clothing. What I have found, there are some pros and cons to both custom and brand name products. This brings us to a great conversation I had with the guys at Athlos, during the Interbike Show, last fall. Athlos is working to offer riders all the benefits of brand name product in a custom package and making it easy to order as well. Read on to see how they did!

Out of the box custom cycling clothing

I received a medium jersey, large bib short, and medium arm warmers as I requested. All the pieces are part of Athos’ split zero custom cycling clothing collection, which is their top of the line products. Being a top end product, they are a true racer fit. Racer fit doesn’t mean you need to be into racing to enjoy the products benefits, all it means is that the cut of the shorts and jerseys are form (European) fitting. The items I reviewed were made for the ‘Rebel with a Cause’ cycling club. They are in Baltimore and ride to raise money to help feed those in need. All the colors in the kit I received were clean, vibrant from the shorts to the jersey. I was impressed, the consistency is surprising considering the jersey and short were made of different materials.

Fit of the custom cycling clothing

I would love to believe that I am still a medium jersey guy? But, too much food and the relentless assault from father time makes it tough for me to squeeze into the medium jersey. The large shorts on the other hand fit amazingly well. The legs stop just above the knee and have a tall, soft cuff with a grippy material on the inside. The bib is unique in that the back straps are an H strap rather than the standard Y shape. This is a very different approach to a bib short. Immediately I noticed that the short didn’t have the “compressive” feeling over the shoulders that bibs typically do. My fear was that the shorts would feel loose while I was riding, but instead they felt great. They stayed in place well and never felt tight or constrictive.

Function of custom cycling clothing

With our Minnesota winter in full effect, jerseys and shorts get buried under jackets and tights. The added layer usually works against what shorts and jerseys are designed to do. First off, a tight over a short can add to chaffing, because of the two layers rubbing over each other. Additionally, jerseys do a good job of moving moisture (sweat), but require air to evaporate that moisture away. Jackets block that evaporation somewhat. I’m happy to say that even though the test situation wasn’t ideal, the Athlos kit did great. The jersey was comfortable and the short’s chamois felt great.

Ordering something for yourself

Sadly, you can’t just buy the Athlos stuff off a rack but only through their custom program. The process is simple, fill out an information form, receive a quote, and start the design process. If you have a fully baked piece of artwork, that’s great, just submit it and go. If like most of us you have an idea, but not the ability to create the art, Athlos has designers to transfer your ideas into reality. Once you have approved the quote and design, it’s on to ordering.

Athlos

Artwork Proofs of the Riders With a Cause kit.

Artwork is approved by the customer before orders get placed.

 Ordering

Ordering is where Athlos sets themselves apart. Athlos builds you a team store on their site for free and then supplies a link that can be distributed to your group. From there each rider orders their own product and Athlos produces, collates and ships it. Additionally, Athlos sets up “fan pages” where clubs or teams can fund raise by selling their product to supporters at a premium.

Moving forward

With how comfortable the kit is I am excited to see its long term durability. I have had kits in the past that were comfortable, but shredded in no time at all. By contrast, the best kits I own are both really comfortable and nearly bullletproof. Based on the construction quality I’ve seen so far, my guess is the Athlos kit will end up in the latter group. If you want to get your team, club, or group a custom kit use the code “HFB” on Athlos site for a discount.