Breathable Vest/jacket for cool weather riding

Hi ladies,

Wondering if any of you have solved the multi layering needs of cool weather riding. I find my vest (nylon) feels great but I sweat under it and then at the end of long rides am freezing with wet jog bra at bottom layer. I also can't find a jog bra set up that doesn't get and stay wet. Surely there are some that really wick outward and keep that first layer next to body dry. We live in California so our "cool" weather riding is not that bad....but the winds pick up and it can be cold at times. Are there any layers that work as BRA/base layer and then follow with a long sleeved jersey and a BREATHABLE top layer. Seems this would be perfect but does it exist???

Thanks for any input. Happy riding!!!

Jaquelin (jpbayarea)

I have used synthetics and cotton and it's always the same.....wet.

I would be interested, if others have different experiences.

Hey,

Can't help you much with the bras, but as far as jackets go, you could check out this thread:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=4079

I finally decided on the Gore jacket and I really love it, at any weather under 15 Celcius so far it has performed very well, or at least as well as the layers I was wearing under it. On the jacket's page in the TeamEstrogen boutique online you'll also find a comparative table with all jackets they sell in it.

Only one caveat with the Gore jacket: it stinks. I mean, the smell of sweat stays with it, no matter how I hang it when I come back from a run or ride. It washes easily and dries very fast, though, so it's not really an issue.

I really like Patagonia's bras. They seem to stay drier than my others.

V.

Veronica, would you think of yourself as a heavy sweater? I sweat in the 62ish deg F basement lifting weights. When living in Louisiana, I would break into a sweat just going outside......it would be beading and rolling in minutes. That's just plain nasty feeling. I definitely enjoy drier climates.

Thom says yes, yes, I am a heavy sweater. :D I'm drenched if I'm working at all. I got a Patagonia bra as an experiment after a ride up Diablo when I just could not get warm after we reached the halfway point. My outer layer was dry, my bra was soaked.

They're prettier than my old mostly cotton ones too.

V.

for breathable shell ( vest) you can't go wrong with something out of Schoeller Dryskin or that family of fabric.

Thanks everyone. Will try my new Craft undershirt under jersey today and then if that's not enough will move into the suggestions you made about vests/jackets. I found some Goretex called Windstoppers that says there is no "stink" issue with this fabric unlike the older Gortex which i do remember stunk after longs runs.

I also saw the Patagonia bras. I knew of Patagonia when they were just beginning and they have always been ahead of the game in terms of wicking materials. The jog bra looks good too.

again, thanks,

Jpbayarea

Thanks to your suggestions I bought two undergarments, a very thin (no bra) tank made my Patagonia in capalene and on top of that a Craft sleeveless undershirt.....I wear both now and put my jersey on top and VOILA I am dry and warm on my rides. Initially I tried it with the craft and no bra and the jersey (guy at bike shop swore it would work perfectly) but I still got sweaty and wet...so added the third lightweight layer and now the wicking seems perfect. Cold days I wear my vest on top of all that, arm warmers with fleece linings, wool socks and I am good to go! OF course I am riding in southern and northern california so we are wimpy in terms of COLD weather anyway....but sweating is the issue...and this threesome solved the problem.

thanks for the ideas. May you all be dry, warm and happy riding.

Today we rode 40+ miles along the ocean from Delmar to Oceanside and onto a wonderful designated bike path for another 15 miles along a beautiful river. Never knew it even existed before running into some hot cyclists who were on their way there too. The sun was shining, the wind was light and it's DECEMBER. How lucky are we???