WoolWeenies Club

[SadieKate]

Dang, I just went to the LBS' wool night with the Ibex and Smartwool reps. Not a dang thing for me -- and I'm even a medium which is what all the sales samples are sized. The one thing I really, really liked didn't fit. Bubba got 3 undershirts and he wasn't even there.

I do feel virtuous though - didn't buy the red Swobo jersey because it was only 10% off. Ooh, it is such a purty red!

[KnottedYet]

Wooly redemption story:

I have a pair of the fab-o MUSA pants from Riv. I sweat like a crazed weasel (and it shows), so for warm weather and longer rides I'll stick with my tried and true skorts.

The pants are nice for shorter rides or sort of cooler rides, but they were uncomfortable for chilly rides. Next cool day I tried putting them on over my Ibex capris. Oops. The fabric dragged and pulled and bound and made me grumpy!

I fell out of love with my MUSA pants for a while.

Today I wore UA compression shorts, Ibex long underwear over them, and the MUSAs over that. Whoopee! Everything slid easily, no binding, very warm and cozy and breathable for sweaty-weasel me!

Moral of the story; MUSA with Ibex capris, not perfect. MUSA with Ibex long johns, blissful!

(and I love my MUSA pants again)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Knot- your story reminds me of what I did today...
Since it's been in the 20's an awful lot lately, I have been doing less bike riding and more fitness walking.
This morning was in the 30's, so DH and I decided to brave a bike ride. I bundled up good....and I put my SportHill wind resistant winter pants on OVER my Ibex thick wool tights. Oooohhh-my legs were nice and warm!

A few miles after we started our ride, I suddenly realized that I had completely forgotten to wear something with a chamois pad. All my fitness walking had gotten me out of the habit of automatically reaching for chamois tights. Our ride was going to be 30 miles, about 3 hours long. My Brooks saddle has no padding whatsoever. Yes, Brooks saddles are nicely molded to one's butt, but they are still rather hard leather!

DH said we could shorten the ride, but I said no I'll get through it, it's only 30 miles. Well, I did manage just fine- a tad sore towards the end, yes, but only because my sit bones were accustomed to having a decent chamois pad on rides over an hour.
At least my butt was nice and warm though.

[KnottedYet]

I didn't have a chamois either, and I was kind of using the ride as a test of my chamois-system. (I brought my bus pass in case I got too sore to ride home.)

The 3 layers I rode in today were pretty darn comfy, a close second to the old style chamois i like so much, and much better than the way the new 3-d chamois (don't) fit my sits bones.

I only had a momentary bit of soreness under my right sit bone after I walloped a bunch of cracked pavement. That's my low bone as it is, and it has made a nice nest for itself on the right side of my Brooks. Don't think a chamois would've prevented that (opening my damm eyes and picking my butt up before I hit the cracks would've been good!) so I'm starting to wonder if I can safely skip chamois shorts under my "street" shorts and capris in the future.

I'd like to try my Ibex boxer briefs under a pair of street capris when it gets warmer.

[elk]

hmmm

I only did 10 miles...but was uber comfortable the whole time. i did have to stop on the way back---INTO the wind--- to put on my new present from DH (which he picked out with no prompting from moi) a smartwool headband for my ears...

i had on my icebreaker 3/4 leggings, ibex skirt over, smartwool ski socks (with superstripes ) Under my shak zip i had a longsleeve Riv crew and over it I wore my new Marmot sharp point softshell.

I LOVE that jacket. It has so far been great in cold weather, rain, and if I get too hot I just unzip the pits for instant regulation.

Plus I looked ...

and listen to me...talking woolies with the big girls...

[SadieKate]

Dang, I just went to the LBS' wool night with the Ibex and Smartwool reps. Not a dang thing for me -- and I'm even a medium which is what all the sales samples are sized. The one thing I really, really liked didn't fit. Bubba got 3 undershirts and he wasn't even there.

I do feel virtuous though - didn't buy the red Swobo jersey because it was only 10% off. Ooh, it is such a purty red!

Well, heck, virtue is its own reward at the time. Didn't find a thing for me, but I won the Shak Jersey!

So I have to call them back today with a size. I have what I think is a Woolie Zip-T in a medium. Plenty big. Frankly, I can't tell the difference between the Woolie and the Shak from the pictures. Anyone have a clue? Can I go with the same size?

http://www.ibexwear.com/shop/Product...ct=Shak-Jersey

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well, heck, virtue is its own reward at the time. Didn't find a thing for me, but I won the Shak Jersey!

So I have to call them back today with a size. I have what I think is a Woolie Zip-T in a medium. Plenty big. Frankly, I can't tell the difference between the Woolie and the Shak from the pictures. Anyone have a clue? Can I go with the same size?

http://www.ibexwear.com/shop/Product...ct=Shak-Jersey

Holy Cow- you lucky girl!!!
The Shaks are a much more substantial, thicker weave wool than the woolies. They have a nice square weave micro texture. Also like a light sweater item, but not bulky at all. in warmth, one Shak layer = about two woolies layers, more or less.
If a woolie zip-T in medium fits you, then a shak jersey in medium would fit you too I believe. BUT...if you want to wear your Shak layered over a couple of base layers for instance, then a Large would be more like a slightly loose sweater type thing. The shaks shrink only a TINY TINY bit in the laundry.
I wear medium woolie base layers. I get my half zip Shak in medium, but i get the full zip Shak in Large beacuse I like to wear it over stuff like a light wool cardigan type item. If it's really cold out, I'll a woolie crew base layer, then my shak half zip in medium, then my shak full zip over them in large.

I was xmas shopping today in our little town, and in the shoe store the salewoman said Hey I have that vest too!- on sale from Ibex! Mine is Blue!....she had the same Cortina vest I just got!

[SadieKate]

Thanks, Lisa. I'm off to talk to them. I think I'll go for the chocolate brown. I love the green, but it don't love me.

Would you correct all my apostrophe and spelling abuse in the quote? I was typing as I was talking to someone on the phone.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Would you correct all my apostrophe and spelling abuse in the quote? I was typing as I was talking to someone on the phone.

Too funny. Did I catch the errors sufficiently?

[SadieKate]

Deja vu thanks.

[KathiCville]

As I was zipping around to various websites today, I spotted several Ibex items at nice sale prices on backcountryoutlet.com---all of them too small or too big for me, grrrr.... Ibex items were all L's and XL's. Icebreaker stuff was either XS or XL.......Thought I'd pass the info along in case anybody wants to buy herself an early Christmas present!....

(Of course, as addicted as this group is to wool, y'all probably monitor websites hourly for Ibex, right??)

I just scored a new beige Ibex Pingo jacket on eBay this week for $50 plus shipping. (Insert image of small woman doing happy dance.....)

[SadieKate]

Holy Cow- you lucky girl!!!

Could you hear me laughing last night? Last night, I went to the monthly Web Cyclery movie (a fundraiser for the local trail alliance) at McMenamin's. They showed "Off Road to Athens" with Adam Craig and Carl Decker in attendance. I won a Web Cyclery beer glass and filling of choice.

BTW, Adam Craig is a hoot. Though I didn't ask him, a Giant team member, why he has a huge Cannondale trailer parked in front of his home. Oops, now it'd be easy to stalk him.