How to Layer

Fall can be tricky when it comes to planning what to wear, a near freezing morning can turn into a wonderfully sunny day leaving you sweating underneath thick, unwieldy clothing. Layering up correctly can really help keep you cool and warm in these fluctuating temperatures. Here are some hints and ideas.

Base Layers: There is a huge variety of cuts, weights, and fabrics to choose from when picking out a base layer, but they all do roughly the same things: Firstly they provide a thin layer of insulation and secondly they ‘wick‘ sweat away from the body where it can be safely dealt with by successive layers. One fabric you’ll hear a lot of when dealing with base layers is Merino wool, this is a natural fibre which is well suited to cycling due to it’s excellent temperature regulation and wicking qualities – happily it is also considered one of the softest wools available – no hair shirts for us! A huge range of different cycling items are available in Merino wool.

Base layers should be worn close to the skin, forming a large amount of contact to allow for the most efficient transfer of moisture and retention of heat. The best base layers will fit tightly without restricting movement around the shoulders or elbows.

Mid Layers: These are useful for the coldest of days, mid-layers need to insulate while not excessively trapping moisture. For ‘warmer’ cold days this could be simply a bulkier base layer, colder days may require some form of fleece lined softshell. As with all layering the mid layers really depend on how hot you run. Experiment with thinner layers and work your way up as the temperature gets lower.

Outer Layers: There are two types of outer layers, waterproof and non-waterproof. Waterproof outer layers will always be a

balancing act – any fabric which is sufficiently waterproof will create a bit of a ‘Sweat tent’ to a greater or lesser extent. To help get around this pick jackets which feature vents where possible such as the Swrve Deck Winter Jacket or Sugoi RPM Jacket.

Non-waterproof layers for dry days are a bit easier to pick out, windproofing is one of the most important areas for consideration, keeping wind chill at bay allows your body to heat itself up without all of that warming effort being stolen away. It doesn’t hurt to get a outer layer with some level of water resistance to help protect against any light squalls you might run into.

For both types of outer layer having tight cuff and collar is important, it keeps the cold and wet out while retaining your heat. Adjustable options allow for a better fit between gloves/buffs and anything else you might be wearing.

Gloves: Layering can work for gloves as well in the same manner. Consider buying a light baselayer glove such as the Sugoi LT Run or Durafeet Wool Duragloves (protip – Silk liner gloves make an inexpensive glove inner, however be careful as they do not interact with velcro well so taking off/putting on other items of clothing can cause them to fray.) For the coldest days you may want to consider getting a pair of ‘Lobster Claw’ gloves like the Louis Garneau Super Prestige Gloves or a pair of mitts, keeping your fingers together increases the amount of warmth created within the glove ‘fingers’.

Feet: A cold pair of feet does not a happy cyclist make. Do your feet a favour and invest in a decent pair of socks such as the DeFeet Wooleator D-Logo or Giro Merino Wool Hightower socks. As with baselayers a woolen solution is generally considered the best thanks to wool’s natural properties.

A lot of people will switch to winter boots for riding but if you want to remain clipless but do not feel like purchasing a pair of boots like the 45North Fasterkatt you may want to look into the world of shoe covers. These covers offer wind proofing and water resistance, with some models offering a full waterproof covering for your feet.

Accessories: There is a huge range of accessories designed to help keep you warm in inclement weather. If you find that you are freezing in the morning but boiling in the afternoon consider matching a set of arm warmers or leg warmers with a light wind proof vest over the top of your regular top/pants. This combination will allow you to shed layers as the day warms up without needing to carry around lots of bulky clothing. Balaclavas and hats will also help stop body heat from escaping and also protect your face from those cold winds.

So there you have it! Although it may require a little more planning, cold weather doesn’t need to be a bar to any kind of cycling, whether it is your daily commute, an offroad ramble, or a fast paced training session. There are all sorts of options to keep yourself nice and cosy!

Cycling Specific Jeans Roundup

A couple of years ago it would’ve been strange to even think of Cycling Specific Jeans, you just wore jeans when you cycled! However, like a lot of things we didn’t know what we were missing and these days we can now enjoy all sorts of special little touches all designed to make our cycling more comfortable and more fashionable. There is a mix of big and small players in the cycling specific jeans market, lets take a look at a few of them:

   Swrve

One of the earliest Cycling specific clothiers who focused on the growing commuter/recreation market. Swrve offer a large range of clothing which is designed not only to be fashionable on and off the bike, but also with a plethora of small details which add up to make them a comfortable and practical choice.

Their line of jeans is based around the CORDURA denim, a hard-wearing fabric perfectly suited to the cycling motion (and is hilariously tested in ‘rubs’, as if the testers were really sure their set of jeans contained a genie.) This fabric provides an excellent base for all the additional touches and features which Swrve include. Touches such as the seamless gusseted crotch, seamless so that there is no annoying stitching to catch on saddles or provide additional wear points and gusseted, which is where additional triangles (or rhomboids, thanks wikipedia!) of fabric are inserted into the crotch to allow additional ranges of movement, which in this instance is all about the cycling movement of course.

In addition to the above the knees in Swrve jeans are articulated, which essentially means that they are designed for sitting down, super comfortable on the bike but providing a little bit of a ‘knobbly knee’ effect when standing up. The jeans also feature a reflective belt loop and reflective strip on the underside of the right leg and the back pockets are designed to take a small u-lock.

If Swrve jeans were just hard wearing they’d already be excellent jeans, however the thought and dedication that goes into their design lifts them above many other offerings available today.

Check out our selection here.

Levi’s

Levi’s are probably the most recognisable name in the commuter cycling specific clothing industry, creating waves when they launched their Commuter line in 2011 (although it is worth noting that they originally made cycling specific gear way back in 1895!).

Levi’s contribution features a cycling specific cut which provides more room around the thighs and hips but tapers in towards the feet, allowing a large range of movement but bringing in the legs to keep them away from those pesky chainrings! The crotch is not specifically seamless or gusseted, however the looser fit does mitigate any problems this may cause somewhat. The seat however is double layered, increasing your butt-padding and the associated longevity!

The jeans also boast a water resistant and dirt-repellent Nanosphere (doesn’t that sound fancy!) protective finish, providing protection against light rain and hopefully looking nice and clean regardless of how dusty the road may be! The denim used is a 98% cotton, 2% Elastane blend which grants the jeans a modicum of stretch to better deal with those pedaling legs.

3M reflective tape is sewn into the hems of both legs in a more world-wide friendly design and the jeans do also feature a belt loop section which will take a u-lock. The jeans do have a conventional waist however, which can cause some slippage or be a bit revealing if you tend to ride in a more aggressive position. A very decent pair of jeans for those that like the big-name brands.

Check out our selection here.

RYB

RYB or Ride Your Bike is a brand new company (so new they don’t currently have a website!) who provide jeans specifically for female bike riders. They offer a number of technical improvements over many current cycling specific brands, not just in regards to fit but also construction.

One of the main ones (and in my opinion one of the most interesting!) is that they do away with the common center stitch, this has been done by previous brands but the RYB offering features a double reinforced seat gusset designed to eliminate or at least diminish seat wear as much as possible. The design of the gusset provides a comfortable seat regardless of your riding style. As a point of comparison, the two jeans here which feature gussets, Swrve and RYB differ quite a lot in their design. Swrve jeans feature a lateral gusset, whereas RYB features a gusset running from front to back, what effect these differences have depends heavily on your fit and the seat/pant contact points. Suffice to say it is worth trying both.

RYB jeans also feature a ‘swooping’ waistband with a higher rear and lower front to facilitate a more aggressive riding style without putting the cyclist at risk of exposing themselves! In addition to this the RYB jeans also feature a u-lock holster, reinforced belt loops and reflective seam piping.

With jeans made specifically for women there is a lot of work done on establishing the correct fit, correctly fitting jeans is a little beyond the remit of this small blog post, however it would be remiss of me not to link to RYB’s own video on getting the right fit for their jeans. These are excellent jeans with great production values and the attention to detail you’d expect from a small outfit like this, well worth a look!

Check out their jeans here!

Sombrio

The Sombrio Riff Skinny Jeans are the closest thing to ‘Classic’ jeans in regards to the stitching style. It does feature sturdier seam construction throughout plus bar tack stitching (a method of stitching used to add strength to areas, basically  a really tight line of stitching) to ‘stress areas’.

The jeans do feature some classic additions that we’ve come to expect from cycling specific jeans, namely a built in u-lock holster and reflective on the inside of the jean leg.The rear zip pocket is a slight departure from the other jeans in this list, providing a secure stashing place for loose items which stays safe regardless of how many curbs you hop!

Sombrio have built a solid, basic cycling jean, though the center crotch stitching may cause uncomfortable issues for some these jeans do look good both on and off the bike!

Check out our range here!