Quote Originally Posted by Mistie View Post
I have been reading comments about wool jerseys and I have a couple of questions. I should mention I only wear wool socks and sweaters (also wool undershirts beneath my sweaters in the winter) and live in Roanoke, VA. While our winters are somewhat mild (25+ degrees F), our summers are awfully HOT and HUMID, especially in Roanoke, between two "mountains". I won't insult anyone from out west where you are surrounded by monster mtns.
1. How hot is the wool jersey in summer? I understand it is wicking and that is great, but wool can be hot. Give me your opinions please.
2. I read in a previous post that merino does not hold odors....please tell me this is true because it would be a dream! Both hubby and I are sweaty folks and no amount of washing/antiperspirent/deodorant will change that. His jerseys are the worst and we wash as soon as we can but usually the day or day after we ride. I am a newbie rider though so my stuff still has not had time to stink up the place.
Mistie - to be perfectly honest, I couldn't bring myself to wear wool for biking in the summer when I lived in NC. It was just TOO hot. I know some people did, but it didn't work for me. That said, I do wear wool up to about 80 degrees. It definitely wicks...and it does not smell! I now have a bunch of wool tank tops (that I didn't have when I lived in NC) and I think I could wear them in the summer there. I've worn them here on the 'hot' days (hot is a relative term!) and I was suprisingly comfortable. I think you just need to find the right weight for your needs. These tanks are quite thin - and I have a wool t-shirt that is actually thinner than cotton and it's wonderful for sweaty work (like moving day when it was mid 90's or working in the garden).

Hmmm, I probably didn't help much, did I? Bottom line, if you have a summer weight wool t or jersey, give it a try. Maybe wear it for a short run or some other endeavor where you won't be super far from home when you discover that it's not for you?! Or, maybe wear it riding, but carry a regular summer jersery in a back pocket so that you can change if you need to?