Touring Clothing

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baabaa
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby baabaa » Thu Mar 09, 2017 7:42 pm

With merino...best wash them in warm water with a small amount of soap rather than detergent just to get the salts out of them. I think once a week is about right for me anyway, but if you have two t-shirts you could push that out to a three week cycle by not wearing the same one two days in a row. If you have merino knicks best use several pairs of undershorts and wash these daily and you can also get a week out of your knicks without them become nasty.
Do not for a second think that you need to add any type fabric softener with next to skin weight/ fine-ish merino. I will just rot in about 1/3 of the expected garment lifetime.
Oh and as an option I have been using cactus shorts on the bike for the later part of summer.
https://www.cactusoutdoor.co.nz/
I like ground effect gear but this stuff is six star quality, so well made and I will go some of the merino tshirts they make and guessing another pair of shorts and trousers (not for on the bike but as a option to jeans)

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Aushiker
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby Aushiker » Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:11 pm

baabaa wrote:Oh and as an option I have been using cactus shorts on the bike for the later part of summer.
https://www.cactusoutdoor.co.nz/
Which shorts have you gone with? I switched to a pair of Endura SingleTrack II shorts last year (I prefer shorts with a liner option) and have impressed with them so far and they match the reviews I had read before purchasing. That said haven't used them enough to really get a handle on their durability.
Andrew

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baabaa
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby baabaa » Sat Mar 11, 2017 10:01 pm

The lightweight Supershorts in 6oz, still robust and can see many years of life. I am tall and skinny and went a medium, they float on me for width so always need a belt (went one of their belts as well..) but ideal for length.
I get tired of finding good shorts only to find you wear them out in one season and then cant get the same ones the next year. (Think of a brand that is a major town in Nepal ...)

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Aushiker
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby Aushiker » Sun Mar 12, 2017 12:30 pm

baabaa wrote:I get tired of finding good shorts only to find you wear them out in one season and then cant get the same ones the next year. (Think of a brand that is a major town in Nepal ...)
Not surprised ... haven't touched their gear in years for this very reason. Not yet convinced to go with the Cactus shorts given the price plus need to buy a liner as well and that my Endura shorts which are MTB specific are working out well so far, but still will be interested in how you go with them. Always good to have quality options.
Andrew

avolve
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby avolve » Sun Mar 12, 2017 7:31 pm

Was wondering what liner liners (and shorts) people recommend...

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RonK
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby RonK » Mon Mar 13, 2017 9:25 pm

I've tried quite a few brands including Pearl Izumi and Ground Effect but currently I favour Zoic Ether. NZO Dobies are pretty good too if you can get 'em.
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby avolve » Fri Mar 31, 2017 10:07 pm

RonK wrote:I've tried quite a few brands including Pearl Izumi and Ground Effect but currently I favour Zoic Ether. NZO Dobies are pretty good too if you can get 'em.
Where do you order your Zoic shorts from?

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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby RonK » Fri Mar 31, 2017 10:20 pm

avolve wrote:
RonK wrote:I've tried quite a few brands including Pearl Izumi and Ground Effect but currently I favour Zoic Ether. NZO Dobies are pretty good too if you can get 'em.
Where do you order your Zoic shorts from?
Got 'em on Amazon.
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby Trevtassie » Tue Apr 04, 2017 7:56 am

Got good results out of Clubride from the USA, bloody expensive though, unless you can score them through Steep and Cheap as remainders. They make a nice long sleeve shirt good for touring, I harassed them into making it again this season, since my old one is getting a bit tired. If you sign up to Clubride and harass them a bit, you get a 10% discount coupon for your first purchase, helps with the pain. They do, for the USA, have "cheap" postage.
I get my shorts from S&C too, Fox Rangers, good, strong, easy to wash shorts that come with a liner, paid about US$35 a pair. They have changed the design a bit, latest ones don't have belt loops.

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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby Aushiker » Mon May 08, 2017 10:00 am

Massdrop have Smartwool Merino 150 (summer weight according to Icebreaker) short sleeved base layers as a drop. The price has dropped to AU$65 plus shipping so makes them competitive against Icebreaker for example.

I find this weight good as both a base layer in the colder months and as a t-shirt or riding shirt in the warmer months.
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rifraf
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby rifraf » Mon May 08, 2017 2:59 pm

Anyone know if washing merino in cold water encourages shrinkage :?:

Although my scales suggest otherwise, I've either gone up half an underwear size due to lard or I need to alter my clothes wash
methodology. :oops:

Either way I'm gutted some of my Macpac undershorts appear snugger than they were when I recently purchased them.
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby avolve » Mon May 08, 2017 3:52 pm

RonK wrote:I've tried quite a few brands including Pearl Izumi and Ground Effect but currently I favour Zoic Ether. NZO Dobies are pretty good too if you can get 'em.
I piked up a pair of Zoic Preston Shorts from Jenson USA (with some other bits).

Very happy with them after one beach ride on my Surly Pug Ops.

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baabaa
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby baabaa » Mon May 08, 2017 6:35 pm

Anyone know if washing merino in cold water encourages shrinkage
Depends if it is pure wool or a blend. Raw wool is heated in water and heat dried during the processing journey into fabric. Can also then heated again to make the dye set. Most of the fibre shrinkage occurs at these stages so cold water for a garment should be fine. If it is a blend, I would say yes but depends other fibres went into the yarn and then the country/ factory in which it was processed. Guessing undershorts will be very fine wool. If you hold them up to the light can you see thru them? (look for equal warp and weave) Also, what sort of washing machine and the type of powder do you use?

Oh and smartwool stuff is good.

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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby Aushiker » Mon May 08, 2017 7:00 pm

baabaa wrote:Oh and smartwool stuff is good.
Good to know. I have tried one or two other brands of merino clothing and have been less than impressed. Reluctant to step away from Icebreaker now.
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby robbo mcs » Mon May 08, 2017 8:12 pm

I have some merino thermal tops I picked up from Aldi in their ski sales last year. They have been excellent, warm and comfortable, and have worn very well considering they were $30. Just mentioning this because I believe the ski gear sale is coming up shortly.

Unfortunately, like most of these aldi specials, there is no guarantee that this year the brand and quality will be the same as last year, so buyer beware. However, for budget stuff it is worth a look.

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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby cancan64 » Tue May 09, 2017 10:26 am

I get all my Icebreaker from https://www.bivouac.co.nz/ ... They are only a couple of streets down from Icebreaker for me and always cheaper although they may not carry current lines
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Mugglechops
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby Mugglechops » Tue May 09, 2017 1:26 pm

brumby33 wrote:Ok Getting back to touring clothes......many of you especially Ron seem to be liking of the Ground Effect gear from NZ and I've known they've been around for some time, but due to the fact I'm quite largish, I found many cycling type clothes, even 3xl's seem to be very small cut or small in general......so I'm wondering what Ground Effect are like in the way of sizing, are they are generous fit? do they stretch....do the seams tend to be strong?

I've also been told by a Bike shop owner that larger people tend to do well with the Bibs as apposed to shorts due to the shorts slipping down. I'm sure you blokes arn't as big as me and I'm hoping to lose some of this size due to cycling but I struggle to get good cycling clothes my size. best i could do so far is some Bell Weathers knicks which are quite comfy.

Cheers

brumby33

(Dave)
Have a look at the other Kiwi brand, Nzo. I have two pairs of there Dobies in 3xl. They fitted me with plenty of room at 126kgs and still don't look too big at 108kgs. Between both pairs I now have close to 15000kms and they still look like new.

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rifraf
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby rifraf » Tue May 09, 2017 6:06 pm

baabaa wrote:
Anyone know if washing merino in cold water encourages shrinkage
Depends if it is pure wool or a blend. Raw wool is heated in water and heat dried during the processing journey into fabric. Can also then heated again to make the dye set. Most of the fibre shrinkage occurs at these stages so cold water for a garment should be fine. If it is a blend, I would say yes but depends other fibres went into the yarn and then the country/ factory in which it was processed. Guessing undershorts will be very fine wool. If you hold them up to the light can you see thru them? (look for equal warp and weave) Also, what sort of washing machine and the type of powder do you use?

Oh and smartwool stuff is good.
It seems I've found the culprit.
Tis me. :shock: :oops:
My digital scales have been telling porkies.
I moved them to a different position on the tiled floor and low and behold, an unexpected and not unsubstantial gain :oops:

I'm going to have to lift my exercise, which I've been aware of for some time.

Glad thats sorted.
I did some checking and they are not a blend, but 100% merino.
The machine is a front loader and detergent varies.
Currently in the laundry is some power of a pricy nature (hearsay) and two liquid varieties being Cold-Power and Dynamo.

Looking at the specs:
Fabric Weight (gm²) 150
Micron 17.5

https://www.macpac.com.au/merino-150-bo ... rance.html
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby hartleymartin » Wed Oct 25, 2017 9:42 pm

I tend to tour mostly in the cooler months. I have two red merino jerseys, but they are only short-sleeve. I should have gone for the long-sleeve type! That said, I do still wear them when touring. I also had a wool V-neck sweater to wear over it if I need extra warmth and I also have an old light shell jacket for when the wind is piercing. I also happen to have a carradice rain cape, though I wish it were a few inches wider and longer.

For the bottom half, I have typically worn MTB style cycling shorts, as I don't like the skin-tight knickers most cyclists wear. I have two of these and on tour, I generally alternate between the two shorts (and two jerseys) each day. The Merino never gets smelly as the lanolin in the fibres don't allow the BO bacteria to live for very long.
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby Cheesewheel » Wed Oct 25, 2017 10:37 pm

Mountain designs have a range of corespun merino ... it is a sythetic thread coated in merino threads (if I recall rightly) ... I bought some but havent really been in anything cool enough to put to the test ... I don't think they have anything cycling specific if that is an issue
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby hartleymartin » Thu Oct 26, 2017 4:31 pm

I have been reading the thread and I am interested in the Merino T-shirts and Polos that have become available in the past few years. If not for wear during riding, they would at least be good as travelling clothes to wear when it isn't appropriate to wear cycling gear once off the bicycle.
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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby iNGE » Tue Dec 03, 2019 5:17 pm

Thought of bumping this thread instead of opening a new one.

I am currently kind of converting from bibs to underwear + MTB shorts/ trousers. The reason of my convertion towards MTB shorts + long trousers + undergarments is to bring back the weight a bit + blend in better in smaller towns/ villages. Since my bibs slowly need replacements this is the time for me to make the change. As well as sorting out the best combo between undergarments + MTB shorts/ long trousers before I depart on my one year (or longer) sabbatical ride.

Currently I am using Odlo ladies boxers (performance light & performance warm consisting of 70% Polyester, 19% Polyamide, 11% Elastan (light) 68% Polyamide, 24% Polyester, 8% Elastan (warm)). For transferring warmth/ sweat they are great. These I can wash after every use (which here in erurope is not a problem). However, when on my year sabbatical (in OZ) I will not be able to wash after every ride so am looking at merino undergarments as well. What is best 100% merino or a mixed blend? And how long can you wear them before they get smelly? (My Icebreaker shirts I wear up to 4/ 5 days before I feel the need to wash them - they do not smell yet but do not feel comfy in them anymore). Which brands are better then others?

Since it is winter here I am combining my Odlo shorts with a Vaude softshell to keep my legs nice and toasty. For spring, summer, and autum I am still trying to find the right shorts/ trousers combo but probably will become Endura or Vaude shorts. For long trousers I am contemplating those specifically designed for cycling or to use long narrowish hiking trousers. Would be nice if anyone could help point me into the right direction. I definitely would like light(ish) trousers.

For shirts I am still looking around for replacement of my Icebreaker shirts (short sleeved ones) have a half zip which I like a lot. Have not been able to find ones I like yet so if anyone has any ideas.... please share....

Would really like your thoughts on the above.

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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby robbo mcs » Tue Dec 03, 2019 8:23 pm

I don't wear bibs or padding.

Generally I wear merino briefs not fussy about the brand, whatever is available. Also occasionally wear just the normal "bonds" style briefs. Over the top of these I wear either long or short lycra compression pants, again not expensive, no name. Then on top of that I wear lightweight microfibre type shorts. Works well, don't get too sweat, and comfy.

A few points about the rationale.
Briefs : I try to mix up the brands of the briefs, so with different pairs the seam is not in the same place. Merino does wick well, but probably do not last as well. I wash mine everyday, even if only rinsing in water, and they dry quickly. Carry a couple of pairs in case they don't fully dry
Compression shorts : no real reason for wearing these, except I like the feel. The long ones are good in the cold. Also, in the wet I put the end of the long ones outside the cuff of neoprene covers. That seems to wick water outside the cuffs, and stops it getting inside
Shorts : I prefer these to dedicated MTB shorts. They are lightweight, dry really quickly, both if you get wet riding and washing. Also can wear them around town

I have a pair of waterproof 3/4 length pants to put over the top of it all if it rains.

That all seems to work well for me. Always comfortable and never had issues with saddle sores etc

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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby iNGE » Tue Dec 03, 2019 10:35 pm

Robbo - thanks for your reply.
Definitely will keep in mind to get different brands - do have that for my bibs but not thought about it for underwear. Good tip! You say that merino does wick well - like that. But not last as well. I will keep that in mind and maybe even mix them with my Odlo's. At the moment am looking at Rab merino boxers (they are blended ones) for women.

You mention to carry a few. I usually pack 3 - one to wear, another to dry and the extra as a spare. How many would you suggest to carry when having streches of say 14 days or so ofbeing in the outback? Then I very likely will have to carry water for several days - and do not know if the amount carried stretches to also do some undie rinsing.

Compression shorts I will not wear for then I might as well wear bibs so it'll be undies + mtb shorts or a long trousers combo. My hiking Fjalraven shorts are a bit too slippery on the saddle for my liking hence the choice for mtb (knee length) shorts. The rain trousers I have are full length and can be worn over shorts/ trousers.

By stepping away form bibs + legs warmers and the like I am hoping to save around 250 - 300 grams. An d obviously be less obtrusive in smaller towns/ villages.

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Re: Touring Clothing

Postby pbekkerh » Wed Dec 04, 2019 1:03 am

I never wore bibs, as you have to strip totally, if you go to the toilet by the side of the road.
I stopped using paddings in my cyclingpants because they abrase my buttocks when off the bike, especially when very sweaty .
I've always worn tha pants under a pair of shorts with pockets, makes you blend in and you have the use of pockets.

I am now using triathlon cycling pants. They are made for both cycling, swimming and running. They dry fast and don't suck up sweat and they have no seams in critical areas.
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