Any Time is Wool Time

My recent path back to cycling has not been all that long. Inspired by Lance Armstrong and a need to take off some weight after my first child was born six years ago, I threw myself back into cycling with both feet.

My first new cycling clothes in 15 years were as a pair of basic Pearl Izumi shorts purchased at Dick’s Sporting Goods and an Irish jersey (I was known for wearing a polka dot “KOM” jersey when I was in college), but I quickly developed a yen for cycling wear – the louder the better.

At least that’s how it was at first. In the intervening six years, I’ve changed careers, had another kid and turned 40. In the same time period, I’ve found myself drawn to more classic styles and materials. You’ll have to pry my carbon fiber bike out of my cold dead hands, but you can have some of my uglier jerseys.

I’m keeping the Assos & Castelli. You can have the team kits.

To get down to the crux of this article, I’ve also come to appreciate wool. Not that really thick “sweater masquerading as a jersey” wool, but the modern interpretation of wool that’s being done by companies such as JonesWares, Smartwool and Icebreaker.

Joneswares:

If you’ve been around the site for the last few months, you’ll know that Joneswares is an advertiser for Bike World News. They’ve been nice enough to give me compensation in apparel.

The weather hasn’t really been compatible with their clothing up until the past month or so, but I’ve recently had a chance to put some of their goods to the test.

Sprint long sleeve lightweight base layer:

This lightweight base has proved itself to serve as either a long sleeve jersey (albeit without pockets) or as a great first layer under a light jacket if there is wind or rain. It fits close to the body without binding and the sleeves and back are long enough to keep them from riding up. Mine is basic black, but other colors are available.

This gets a 5 out of 5. I can definitely see it being indispensable for winter riding.

Performance cycling knickers:

I got a pair of the cycling knickers without a chamois to wear over other bike shorts. They keep my legs toasty warm without feeling the least bit sweaty or bulky. They’ve held their shape very well through a number of wash cycles. The waistband is wide and comfortable and they have a nice pocket in the back for holding a phone or keys.

Probably the best endorsement for these is that I’ve been finding myself wearing these off of the bike as much if not more than on. My only real beef with these are the silcone leg grippers, which are just a little too snug and irritate my legs. They get turned under as soon as the knickers go on.

Rating: 4/5. I’d love to see them do something different with the grippers.

Zephyr Full Zip jersey:

The Zephyr is made with a substantial 400g interlock fabric. Three ample rear pockets have plenty of room for gloves, caps, food or whatever else you may need to carry. It comes in Black with contrasting Light Blue or Red trim, Red with contrasting Black or Cream trim

Stay tuned for a review on this one.

Icebreaker:

Icebreaker is at once traditional, high tech, classic and sexy. They do things with wool that you wouldn’t think can be done. Their stuff is relatively affordable, too.

Icebreaker GT is their most technical and athletic range of apparel, designed to give wearers a competitive advantage in high performance sports. Special features include Lycra for shape retention and fit, eyelet fabric for breathability, and reflective graphics.

SS Velocity Zip:

The short sleeve Velocity Zip is not exclusively a cycling jersey, but it certainly can play that role. I wore this wool “jersey” a couple of times in Ohio’s steamiest weather and it performed very very well. I stayed dry and comfortable and I scarcely needed to take it off to go into the local pizza place as it has plenty of on-bike to off-bike style. Furthermore, it was dry, it was not plastered to my skin and it didn’t smell. I was sold.

At $80, it cost no more than any other premium summer weight jersey and performed just as well. I  would encourage Icebreaker to make a full-blown cycling jersey out of their Ultralite 150 weight fabric. I think it would sell like hotcakes.

Rating: 5/5

LS Velocity Zip:

Same as the short sleeve model, with long sleeves. Still an excellent value, but I have to ding this a little as the fabric weight is not really heavy enough to keep you warm when it’s cool, and who really needs long sleeves when it’s hot unless you’re some silly cyclocrosser in a skin suit.

Rating: 4/5

Smartwool:

We’ve just had a chance to look at their new socks for Spring 2010, but if they are applying the same technology to clothing, it should be a hit. We have a number of things on the way for review. Check back soon.

Tags: Assos, cycling, cyclocross, icebreaker, icebreaker velocity ls, icebreaker velocity ss, joneswares, joneswares base layer, joneswares performance cycling knickers, joneswares zephyr jersey, Lance Armstrong, Ohio, POC, smartwool, technology