To get a good fit for cycling shorts I advise using bibbed cycling shorts. The advantage of bibbed cycling shorts is that they can be kept in place without elastic around the midriff. Elasticated shorts can constrain the stomach and be uncomfortable on long rides. Most professionals will use bibbed cycling shorts in preference to non ordinary shorts.
If possible try on the cycling shorts before buying.
Quality of Cycle Shorts
If you cycle for more than 1 or 2 hours, it is advisable to get a high quality of cycling shorts. It will be a good investment as there is a big difference in the quality of padded inserts. On long rides, the last thing you want is saddle sores because you are using some cheap cycle shorts.
These days most shorts come with synthetic chamois leather. On long rides it is still advisable to use chamois creams or Sudacrem which helps to minimise rubbing and friction.
Hygiene is important for the prevention of any saddle soils and boils. Wash shorts after each wash. Former professional, Sean Kelly used to always wash his by hand, immediately after a stage. He didn’t want to risk the shorts being added to the general wash.
In the UK, I wear leg warmers during most months of the year. When training it is better to be too hot than too cold. In practice good leg warmers will not overheat that much, as they are very breathable. Leg warmers are also good for warming up for a race. I recommend choosing leg warmers that have a zip at the bottom so it is easy to take off over your cycling shoes.
For really adverse weather conditions you might like to choose the
Gore Windstopper Soft Shell III Leg Warmers - £34.99. They are fairly waterproof; but, generally you won’t need waterproof legwarmers. Lycra is quick drying and goretex is much less breathable. Continue reading →
Time trial oversocks are a relatively cheap way of improving aerodynamics. They also help keep your shoes clean and it looks more professional. The benefit of time trial oversocks is that they smooth the air flow over your shoes. If a surface is smooth then the air easily flows past, if the shoe has buckles and ridges, the air flow is disrupted. Some shoes are built to create a smooth surface on top, but, if yours are not very smooth, it is worth buying a pair of time trial oversocks.
Note: don’t expect them to last for ever, they tend to be quite flimsy, but, if you take care putting them on and off and avoid walking on them, they will last longer.
It is estimated a close fitting skinsuit can save 3.2% of your total energy. [1] This equates to 29 seconds in a 40Km time Trial. Therefore a close fitting skinsuit represent a cost effective way to improve aerodynamics and save valuable seconds.
For races over 1 hour, it is helpful to have a skinsuit with a small zipped pocket. However, an alternative is simply to place food under the time trial suit.
Review of different models of cycling arm warmers on the market. Looking at best value for money, comfort and overall usefulness.
DHB Earnley Arm Warmers
At £7.99 these armwarmers offer excellent value. An anatomical cut, with high degree of breathability. They are simple but cheap. Do the job, no fuss. DHB arm warmers at Wiggle
Assos Roubaix Arm Warmers
Made by the respected manufacturer Assos, the Roubaix arm warmers offer a high degree of warmth, whilst retaining a good degree of breathability and fast drying in the rain. Assos Roubaix Arm warmers Made with Roubaix fabric and elastic grippers to keep in place.
Altura Reflex Arm Warmers
Offering a strong reflective brand, these help visibility on dark winter training rides. Reflectivity on the arms is advisable for many accidents occur from side on collisions. Made with Thermal stretch Vuelta fabric, they offer good insulation and breathability. The Altura arm warmers come with a preshaped anatomical fit. £19.99 at Wiggle
Castelli Nano Armwarmers
A top of the range armwarmer. At £31.99 these armwarmers are not the cheapest. To give the best overall performance they offer two materials. Windproof Stratosheer fabric on the front and breathable Action fabric in back. Therefore, they offer greater wind and chill protection whilst retaining good breathability for warmer training days. Castelli Nano armwarmers from Probiket Kit £31.99
The Polaris Elle Shortnix are designed specifically for the female cyclists and are manufactured with cotton feel Supplex with Lycra for comfort. This makes them high wicking, breathable and quick drying
For A Cheaper pair of shorts you could choose the Polaris base at £13.99
Lightweight ‘knickers’ These are knee length shorts which offer greater protection for cold climates but allow the calves to breath. - Cannondale Women’s lightweight knickers
Women’s Waterproof Jackets
This Endura waterproof jacket offers good value at £44.99. They are fairly breathable and is quite waterproof. At only 200g weight and anatomically designed it is not too restrictive on cycling movement. It can be folded up fairly small for ease of carriage when not raining. Also comes with reflective strips.
Polaris Flyte Women’s Waterproof Jacket. At £69.99 the jacket offers greater waterproof protection for heavy downpours, but it is quite a bit heavier at 540g and can be a little moisture retentative.
Women’s Cycling Jerseys
This women’s specific jersey features a Performance Lady Fit and is produced from 100% Polyester fabric. Other features include: ventilation side inserts in mesh, band collar, 25cm hidden zip, inside back pocket with reflex zipper.
These are some of the essential cycling clothes for cycling in the UK
Wicking Undervest No matter how hot the temperature is, it is always advisable to wear an undervest. Even when training on a turbo (which is very rare in my case) I always wear a wicking layer (sometimes called action base Layer). Cotton T Shirts are not good, they absorb and hold on to the sweat leaving you cold and chilly on any descent.
Cycling Bib shorts Cycling bib shorts do not need any elastic round the middle but, are like a pair of shorts combined with braces. Elasticated shorts can become tight around the waist, especially if you put on a few pounds over Christmas. Cycling bib shorts also protect your back; with ordinary shorts you can often develop a gap of skin. When buying shorts it is not advisable to economise, a good synthetic chamois leather will help provide a more comfortable ride. Shorts should always be kept clean to avoid the build up of bacteria. I know of some tour riders who used to insist on hand washing the shorts rather than mixing with an ordinary wash.(I believe it was Sean Kelly)
Cycling Race Cape. Unless the weather forecast is absolutely guaranteed to be dry (which in England is very rare) you shouldn’t leave home without a suitable race cape which can protect you from inclement weather. Even if it is not 100% waterproof a cycling cape can protect against sharp showers.
Sunglasses. Sunglasses have 2 main functions. Protecting the eye against the glare of the sun and also keeping debris out of the eyes; this can be an occupational hazard, especially in the summer months.
Enough Layers. The best tip for cycling clothes is to wear thin and breathable layers. If it does get hot, one or two layers can be removed, but, it is better to be in this situation than in the other situation. In this regard leg warmers and arm warmers are very useful for early season cycling.
Cotton Cap. A cotton cap can be worn under a helmet. This provide extra insulation in colder climates and can also keep out direct sun, especially at times when the sun is low in the sky.
Discount cycling Clothes.
Probike kit often have cycling gear at sale prices.
Wiggle usually have weekly sales offering discounts on different types of cycle clothes
Cheap Cycling Clothes - some other ideas for creating your own discount value cycling clothes
We wanted to create some custom cycling kit for our cycling club, Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team. We had a relatively modest order of about 8 jerseys, 3 pairs of shorts and other bits and pieces. After looking round, we ended up choosing Impsport, mainly because they seemed the largest company.
The pricing was reasonable and, although it took a while, the clothes were delivered without any problems. The material is fine. The shorts and jerseys are good. The skin suit for time trials was noticeably not as good as my previous skinsuit from MDT. In fact there was a lot of spare material in the arms. I had to ask my friend, bike mechanic and expert sower to double stitch the surplus material up. (I should say, my arms are particularly skinny, so the average cyclist may not have this problem. One thing I liked about Impsport was that there was no minimum order for other pieces of clothing. I got some oversocks, winter training jacket (which is excellent) and long sleeved shirts.
The other thing to watch out for is the sizing. Small is really small, Extra large is not particularly large. I took a jersey for a well fed American friend, and unfortunately he found the extra large too small.
A cycling gilet is a useful piece of cycling clothing which helps prevent you getting too hot or too cold. Gilets have a windproof front and are also easy to roll up and store, when the temperarture hots up. They are also useful for riding up long hills. On the ascent it is easy to overheat, therefore, a gilet can be opened up and allow the sweat out. On the downhill it can be quickly zipped up to prevent getting cold and catching a chill. Gilets are invaluable on days which start out very cold and warm up as the sun comes out.
A serious cyclist, who does interval training should definitely buy one. Recently I suffered from catching a bit of a cold after finishing some interval sessions. link
A good pair of cycling leg warmers is one of the most useful items of cycling clothing. Leg warmers are suitable for anything between 5 degrees and 18 degrees. Most are made out of lycra which is easy to wash, and is quick drying in rain. They can also be useful for early season races, especially if you haven’t got round to shaving your legs yet.
If you are likely to be taking them off an on, look for a leg warmer with zip at bottom, other wise you will have to take off your cycling shoes at the same time.
at Amazon.com