Cold Riding

Goose fat.

i just wear a hat...

only a hat

Assos Airblock 851 jacket.
Helly Hansen base layer.
Road jersey
Bibshorts under bibtights
Sealskin beany
Sealskin gloves

is the Merino wool washable then? do you wear it next to the skin? doesn't it get all sweaty, like?

SMEEAR i just wear a hat...

only a hat

Does Rosie know about this?

nimhbus is the Merino wool washable then? do you wear it next to the skin? doesn't it get all sweaty, like?

i wash mine at 40° wear it next to skin, the strange thing about merino is that it doesn't smell like a synthetic baselayer, people who go touring a lot use them as you can wear them for several days without washing, it's actually quite hard to tell if you have worn it or not as they just smell of clean washing (unless you had curry the night before or pissed yourself while wearing it). they stay warm when wet and they don't get any more sweaty than a synthetic.
i'm not buying any more synthetic baselayers now, merino only. there are some wool/synthetic mix ones out there i don't know what they are like? helly hansen do them.

icebreaker merinos are good they sell them in blacks outdoor shops.

Don't go for a synthetic mix, you get none of the benefits of the wool and all the smelly downsides of synthetic.

Sugoi have brought out some 100% marino base layers for about 65 quid which seem pretty nice.

i hate wool, i find it totally itchy, exzema as a child saw to it that i would never wear wool, nowerdays im kinda scared of it, i just think it will itch me like crazy, but people say merino is totally different? anyone care to vouch for that?
anyone with wimpy skin find merino irritating?
i would lke to get something merino as it sounds perfect

Merino is still slightly itchy (compared to say cotton), but really nothing like the jumpers your ma used to make you wear...

I'd agree that's its good stuff, but it does smell when wet / sweaty. Not a bad smell all in, think wet sheep rather than old B.O. you get with modern technical stuff...

I use mine for a week (daily commute) and it doesn't get too rank.

whats a buff? where can i get one?

A tube of cotton that you can wear in a variety of ways. Muffler, mask, headband, bandana among other styles. They have them in Milletts and Blacks as well as bike shops.

I've had merino/synthetic blends that do give the best of both worlds. I like merino, but I've had 2 Icebreaker base layers that have ended up with holes after not very long. I think moths may have had something to do with it, but bag straps and rubbing seams of outer garments seem to accelerate wear as well.

Regarding itchiness, there is a tiny itch (as mentioned above somewhere), but it lessens after the first couple of washes.

I personaly have always found wool stuff itches for the first 5 min or so and then you forget about it. You just need not to let it get to you for five min or so, ignore it and then you forget about it. It is a bit of a wierd phycilogical chanllenge but wool is nice wonce you get over the itch.

use my head like a heat valve...

dress warm, if you over-heat take your hat off, if you get cold put it back on....it really works.

Baby Seal fur ideally still a bit blood moist.
If you club them right you can use the little mouths as mits. Looks kinda neat as you have your hands surounded by teeth with a extra pair of eyes help keep a eye out in front of ya.

Have some litle runts spare if any ones interested. Sold by the Kilo: would make great hats i think if some one can tell Smeear

SMEEAR i hate wool, i find it totally itchy, exzema as a child saw to it that i would never wear wool, nowerdays im kinda scared of it, i just think it will itch me like crazy, but people say merino is totally different? anyone care to vouch for that?
anyone with wimpy skin find merino irritating?
i would lke to get something merino as it sounds perfect

A lot of the merino stuff has a really fine tight knit almost like cotton which I find doesn't tickle or itch at all - I tend to find I have more problems with synthetic fabrics than anything else.

Good wind shirt got me trough the last 4-5 winters, as must in my wardrobe. Good quality waterproof for really wet days. Got given some Blacks vouchers so just bought a pair of Sealskin socks for winter (never tried em before). Overshoes too if really cold. Got decent base layers and a merino top also.

tallsam [quote]hippy Ride faster.
Fsck, I'm usually the guy wearing not enough that's borderline hypothermic on rides but today I had armwarmers on. t-shirt was a bit cold but I warmed up when going.
I tend to go from freezing in shorts and t to sweating like a mofo in jacket and knee warmers. Toe warmers when it gets really cold.
I really need to get some intermediate layers going on for autumn/spring.. or move back to Oz. :)

Maybe if you live in the far north. It gets almost as cold as England down here. We had snow a couple of months back.[/quote]

"almost" as cold isn't as cold. 10 deg makes a big difference. I lived in Melbourne which is one of the colder capitals and it would bottom out around 10-3degC during the day, unlike London's 0-2degC winters.
I've heard from the folks that this winter was the coldest for a long time with -2degC at night. That's very fscking cold in Mildura.

SMEEAR i hate wool, i find it totally itchy, exzema as a child saw to it that i would never wear wool, nowerdays im kinda scared of it, i just think it will itch me like crazy, but people say merino is totally different? anyone care to vouch for that?
anyone with wimpy skin find merino irritating?
i would lke to get something merino as it sounds perfect

i am with d_c on this one, but even with merino (as with anything), there is a range of quality/itchiness. if your skin is extra sensitive, look into those silk jersey liners. you can wear the itchiest layer over it, and the lightweight silk will keep it from your skin. camping/outdoor stores should have them, as well as the nice wool stuff. merino-wise, i have some things from smartwool that are soft enough to wear without anything else underneath. (smartwool also offers different weights of material, which is nice).
i just chuck the things in a net bag in the washing machine (cool/warm water), and reshape/drip dry. they're not cheap, but these things will last a long time if you take care of them.

i only ever ride in the finest cashmere.

On a more serious note, i got some 100% wool breeks, and haven't looked back- good in the heat, great in the cold, and they look sweet.

I noticed yesterday that my leg hairs were poking through the fabric of my lycra leggings... very wierd!

cheers fellas, i think when it really starts to cool down i will splash some cash on something merino, maybe silk as well if im feeling sexy.

winston use my head like a heat valve...

dress warm, if you over-heat take your hat off, if you get cold put it back on....it really works.

i totally agree with you, not just because i make hats but because it works very well, you can lose such a high persentange of heat through your head

jv whats a buff? where can i get one?

http://buff.es/newen.htm

It's a scarf/bandana type thing. I have a couple friends have given me because of my nickname. They're good for covering your neck and mouth. Not so great if you wear glasses though.

when i first started cycling, in the winter i used to wear one of those russian-type hats with LONG earflaps, and then i'd wrap a scarf around my face and tie it at the back, leaving only my eyes uncovered.

That was on cold mornings...

ffub [quote]jv whats a buff? where can i get one?

i think vaz can spray them?