Jerseys

[LYBuenger]

I have a few questions about jerseys.

1. Do you wear a jersey everytime you ride? Are tshirts and cycling shorts acceptable?
2. What are the best brands to buy? Are there brands I should stay away from?
3. Short sleeve? Sleeveless? Kit?
4. How many different jerseys should I own?

I'm not sure what the protocol is...I just want to make sure I'm outfitted properly.
I appreciate your feedback. Thanks!!

[Owlie]

Hi! Welcome to TE!

To answer your questions:
1. Yes, I wear a jersey every time I ride, or almost. If I'm commuting in winter, I might just throw a jacket over a wool baselayer if I'll be wearing the jacket on the way home too. (I live in AZ--we don't really have winter here!) A wicking t-shirt and cycling shorts is fine for short rides; what jerseys get you is pockets so you can stash your stuff. Keys, phone, snacks, and so forth.
2. There's no good way to answer that question, since each brand is cut and sized a bit differently. I look for bright colors and/or appealing designs, a cut that fits, no elastic at the hem (or just at the front), and 3 deep pockets (an extra zippered pocket is a bonus). Also, no cap sleeves and sleeves have to be long enough to play nicely with arm warmers. Bear in mind that most brands tend to run small.
3. Short-sleeve or long-sleeve (for winter). Never sleeveless. Kit...well, that depends. Not that I own any.
4. However many you want and will fit in your closet! (Though I suggest you actually use them all...)

[marni]

my criteria for jerseys is 3/4 or full zipper, three pockets and long or short sleeves. I like bright colors, tend to stay away from black because of the heat absorption, a variety of designs but I prefer a looser fit so tend to go for ride styling rather than race. I will never be a fashionista but prefer practicality. Since I often do multiple day rides I have a large wardrobe but number of jerseys goes with how often you ride and how often you do laundry. If I had to, though I could ride a week in a clean outfits but that's accumulated over the past 7 years.

[thekarens]

Road biking I always wear a jersey. Mountain biking I always wear a tech t shirt.

I have a lot of jerseys as shirts but I always seem to come back to the same ones. You'll find you end up liking certain things more than others.

For me never sleeveless, especially since I've had skin cancer. Long sleeves or short with sun sleeves. Brands mean nothing to me. I get whatever feels comfortable.

[Crankin]

I alway wear jerseys, unless it's a utility ride/shopping, and then I might wear a tech t shirt or some other top that has lycra that is more fashionable. I have long sleeve, short sleeve, and sleeveless jerseys, but over the years, I have found that I wear less of the short sleeved ones and use the long sleeved ones in the beginning of the season or cold riding and that once it's hot out, I like sleeveless. I also have a few different thickness of thermal linings in the LS jerseys. Basically, I now only buy Terry and Voler jerseys, as they fit me the way I like.
I could go for 10 days (or more, if the weather changed) without having to do laundry with jerseys, but I basically keep my stuff until I notice they are pilling, etc. The last few years, I've been better about going through my collection and throwing out ones that don't have the right fit, are pilled, or damaged in some other way. The styles and way jerseys are made have changed a lot in 15 years, and while I had a couple of jerseys I liked from 2002, they were too short and had other features I didn't really like.

[OakLeaf]

Don't worry about "acceptable" or "protocol," worry about what's comfortable for you!!!

For short transportation rides around town on my hybrid, I just wear whatever I'm wearing. Over my street clothes I'll throw a high visibility jacket (with or without the removable sleeves) with my garage door opener in the pocket. That bike has saddlebags, and I'll normally want to be carrying a purse plus whatever else I need to/from my destination (yoga gear, grocery bags, binoculars, etc) so I don't need more pockets in my clothes.

For recreational road rides I wear a jersey just because I need pockets for my phone/ID and little stuff like eyedrops and spare chamois lube - and also because I sweat and cotton turns to a sodden chafe-y mess.

I always wear sleeves, partly as a holdover from my racing days (ancient history now) and partly for sun protection.

How many to buy - how often do you ride and how often do you want to wash your jerseys? (They'll last longer if you wash them on gentle cycle or by hand, no fabric softeners, and definitely air dry.)

As far as brand - if you have a LBS where you can try them on, buy the brand(s) that fit! If you order from TE, the staff knows their product line very, very well, and if there's something they don't know off the top of their head, they'll pull a product out of the package and answer any questions you have! You can call or email and they're really great about answering questions about proportions, sizing, pocket size, zippers and seams, anything you might want to know about a garment, and they're great about returns also if you order something that doesn't work for you.

[Helene2013]

I have 2 jerseys and 3 pairs of road bike shorts and 1 bib. For roadbike, I wear the "kit" but if I'm on my hybrid, it is simply short and t-shirt. Nothing expensive (except for my bib, which I hate wearing so I keep it for those super long ride). I watch the sales and that's it.

But never training without a sports bra. Gotta preserve those, even when I'm on trainer in the basement.

I would certainly buy a whole lot more kits but I prefer to spend money on something else. And our gym clothes are washed as soon as we get back home (on in motorhome when traveling - we have a combo machine in there). So no need for 20 kits. For me. In the basement, I start with the jersey but within 5 minutes, I'm alreary in bra only. So what's the point wearing a jersey. hihi

Always short sleeve and if needed, I wear a sport coat over it or arm/leg warmers. I'm always too hot anyway if I could go chest naked.... I would. haha

[ny biker]

As others have said, there is no protocol, just what you're comfortable with.

I do road rides and occasionally mountain bike rides, no cycling for transportation. When I first started I wore cotton t-shirts. Cotton is not the most comfortable fabric, and the t-shirts tended to be too loose so they would flutter or balloon up as I rode. Bike jerseys tend to be more fitted and more breathable, therefore more comfortable. And the pockets are useful.

I like to shop and I get bored wearing the same thing over and over. And I like to wear the best possible outfit for the weather. So I have lots of jerseys. Long sleeved thermal, long sleeved regular weight, short sleeved regular weight, short sleeved lightweight, sleeveless, tank tops with built-in bra. Arm warmers (thermal and lightweight), arm coolers for warm weather, DeSoto Cool Wings (wicking bolero jacket) to wear over tank tops to protect my shoulders from the sun. Wind vests, wind breaker, water-proof and windproof jacket, wind resistant thermal jacket. Long sleeved wool base layers to wear under a jersey in cooler temps.

I prefer bright colors, avoid black (too hot) and most shades of blue and green (not visible enough from a distance). I like reflective materials on the jersey for when I ride after dark or on cloudy days. I don't like elastic around the arm openings or the bottom hem.

The brand is not important to me as long as the fit and fabric are good.