Bicycle Clothes and Gear

The most important features of bike shorts include a lack of seams in the crotch and extra padding to reduce chaffing and discomfort while riding. Bike shorts are also made from flexible fabrics that move with you and don’t bind while pedaling.

Bike Shorts – Buying Tips

There are a variety of bike short styles and designs, including those that look like regular shorts with a padded inner liner. The best way to choose the right bike shorts for you is to decide the type of riding you intend to to most often and buy shorts for that purpose.

• First Things First – Keep in mind that bike shorts are meant to be worn without underwear.
• Set a Budget – Bike shorts can range from $20 to $100, so try to set a budget before you shop.
• Tight or Baggy – Consider tight-fitting race shorts if the majority of your ride time is fast cycling on the bike. This offers the most comfort and aerodynamic fit. If you spend time off the bike, touring or commuting by bicycle, need pockets, or are more concerned with the look of the shorts than your speed on the bike, you might want to look for “baggy shorts” with an inner liner. Some people just carry along a pair of loose fitting shorts to slip on when they aren’t on the bike.
• Type of Padding – Bike short padding is generally made from chamois or a synthetic material. Both offer benefits, but chamois tends to need a bit more care than the synthetic linings. The padding also ranges from thick to thin, with triathlete shorts having the thinnest pad so athletes can swim, bike and run in the same shorts. Bike shorts are also made with a pad that is designed specifically for men and women so choose accordingly.
• Number of Panels – Less expensive shorts usually have fewer panels of fabric, while the most expensive and form-fitting bike shorts can have up to eight panels. They all fit a bit differently, so try on several styles.
• Waist Band or Bib – You can buy bib shorts that offer shoulder straps, rather than an elastic waist band. Some people find this style the most comfortable after hours of riding bent forward at the waist.
• Inseam Length – Shorts come in a variety of inseam lengths. The shorter shorts work great for spin class, triathlons and a good tan, but most cyclists like an inseam that is just above the knee. This is long enough to stay in place and prevent chaffing of the inner thigh on the saddle. In cold weather, consider a knicker style bike short that covers the knees for added warmth or even a full tight that goes to the ankles.
• Fabric – Bike short fabric can be thick or thin, sheer and shiny or textured and made of wool, CoolMax®, Lycra®, spandex and a variety of other wicking materials. Think of the conditions you ride in most frequently – is it hot and dry, warm and sticky or cold weather? Buy fabrics that work in your climate.
• Color – These days, the sky is the limit in bike shorts colors, patterns and designs. Do you want the traditional black or do you want to be a bit flashy or support a brand or team? This is where you can let your personality shin through.

So some well-meaning person tells you that to stay warm in cooler weather, you’ve got to “dress in layers.” Well, what is that supposed to mean? Every time someone talks about layers I think about onions and how starting at the outside, you can see the distinct layers that can be peeled away to gradually expose the core. Layering your clothes follows the same principle, only without the strong smell and all the crying. Unless you’ve been on a particularly difficult ride.

When you dress in layers, you generally have three different types of clothing on your body, each with a distinct purpose. Let’s walk through them one by one and with each, talk a bit about what you’re trying to accomplish.

Base Layer

The base layer is the one closest to your body. Its purpose is to help you stay warm but not get too hot, and most importantly, should serve as a way to carry perspiration away from your core. Think high-tech long underwear. Believe it or not, wool is an excellent material for this, and some synthetic materials are suitable as well.

Middle Layer

The purpose of the middle layer is to insulate and at the same time to still continue to move moisture away from your body. This layer is “fluffier” than the base layer if that makes any sense, keeping warmer air in close to your body yet allowing it to still circulate around you so that you don’t get too warm in periods of high activity.

Of the three layers, this one will vary the most depending on the temperature and the individual person. In addition to the actual air temp, your level of activity plus the amount of sunlight and wind combined with your level of fitness and metabolism will all factor into how much insulation you will require in this middle layer.

Polyester fleece is a good choice for an insulating layer. Wool turtlenecks or vests also work well. Some good examples of middle layer clothing are the all wool Castelli Armando Long Sleeve Jersey.

Outer Shell

The outer shell primarily serves as a windbreaker and also works to thwart any precipitation you may encounter. This layer’s first job is to keep you dry; the warmth you’ll experience comes from what’s underneath. The outer shell should be breathable to help get rid of the moisture you’re generating through perspiration; strategically placed vents (such as under the arms) are a big help to this end. Nylon is the most common material for lightweight outer shell garments; heavier ones are going to be made from GoreTex or another one of the patented fabrics. A lightweight example of this type of outerwear is the Louis Garneau Winddry Jacket; the Cannondale Hydro Jacket is one that runs a bit heavier.

Enjoy Riding in Any Weather

Every day is a great day for riding when you pair this principle of layers with appropriate coverings for your hands, head and feet. With the right gear you can safely and comfortably ride on days when the temperature dips well below freezing and take your bike out in weather that before you might never have considered for riding.

Actually, many cyclists find that gloves are an important part of their gear and wouldn’t be found on the bike without them. Let’s take a look at the seven main functions that bike gloves perform.

1. Improved Grip and Control

You know that being out on a bike can make you pretty sweaty – especially if it is one of those warm and humid days. And that means your hands are wet, too. Like clothes with wicking technology, a good pair of gloves will help keep your hands dry, which means that you can maintain a better grip on the handlebars.

The gloves also serve to trap the sweat that would otherwise be likely to drip into your shifters. And over time, moisture – and especially perspiration because of its high mineral content – can cause those components to deteriorate.

2. Comfort and Protection for Your Skin

If you’ve ever spent a couple of hours or more on a bike, you probably realized that, somewhat surprisingly, cycling can be pretty hard on your hands. From the constant pressure on your palms, to the wear on your fingers from running your shifters through the range of gears, it doesn’t take long for calluses or blisters to develop. A pair of bike gloves can give your skin the extra layer of protection you need to be comfortable, even on the longest ride.

3. Shock Absorption

You’ll notice that many pairs of gloves on the market today have some type of cushioning, such as gel padding, etc., built into the palms. The reason is that gloves with this padding serve a very useful function in absorbing shock from the road that would otherwise be transferred to the rider.

Think about it this way. When you’re riding, whether on a road or mountain bike, and you hit some bumps in the road, the shock and impact from that carries straight up from the front fork through your arms and into your shoulders. That’s why you may be achy in that area or your neck and back after a longer ride. When wearing bike gloves, the cushions in the palms act as shock absorbers, helping to dampen some of the energy being transmitted up from the bike before it gets into your body. Not only will this help the ride feel smoother as you go, but it will also help reduce those aches you feel when you are done.

4. Warmth

Another reason many cyclists wear bike gloves is to keep their hands warm. (Bike gloves are still gloves, after all!) For cool weather riding, glove choices can range from regular bike gloves that just help break the wind, to glove liners that help add layers. For extremely cold weather riding are products like thick “lobster claw” gloves or Moose Mitts, which are thick, well-insulated mittens that attach to the handlebars of your bike and cover your regular biking gloves. This type of gear allows you to still grip the handlebars and work the brakes and gear shifters like normal.

5. Protection in Case of a Crash

What do most people do as they start to fall? They put their hands out to try and catch themselves, to break their impact as they hit the ground. If you’ve ever fallen like this, you know that you can really tear up your palms when they go skidding across pavement or rocks. A pair of bike gloves can give you the protection you need to save your hands and keep the gravel and grit out of your hands and on the street where it belongs. They may be completely shredded when you take stock of things after the wreck, but tearing up a pair of gloves is a whole lot better than wrecking your hands.

Granted, this is a secondary benefit of wearing bike gloves, but still a very important one. Think about it this way: if you knew you were going to wipe out, would you rather be wearing gloves or not have them on?

6. Wiping Your Nose

It mainly happens when you ride in colder temps. My buddy calls ‘em “snot rockets.” You know what it is: you’re on your bike and your nose starts running. So what do you do? Most of us don’t keep a hankie handy to pull out for a delicate toot. You wipe your nose on the back of your thumb, that’s what you do. And glove makers have taken this into account.

If you notice, many pairs of bike gloves have a fleece lining on the back of the thumb. That’s exactly what this is piece of material is for. One hand off the handle bar, one second, one wipe. Problem solved.

7. Style

On top of all these other features, wearing a pair of snazzy bike gloves can make you look and feel cool. It’s like being a kid and getting a new pair of sneakers: instantly you feel like you can run a lot faster. And there is nothing wrong with buying a pair of bike gloves for this reason alone. Image is everything, right?

So, if you’ve never ridden with a pair of bike gloves, give ‘em a try. There are lots of things that can do to help your riding. And at the least, you’ll find yourself (like the kid with the new shoes), riding twice as fast as before you had gloves. At the very least, you’ll be so cool, it’ll feel like you are!