Starting from (near) scratch

[hebe]

What's a minimum set of gear that I should be looking at for mainly off-road riding two or three times a week please? I'm in the UK, probably won't be riding at or near freezing or when it's pouring with rain but will ride in cold/wind/showers. At the moment my cycling wardrobe comprises:

1 pair padded undershorts (not brilliant as the leg seams ride up)
2 pairs of gloves (1 fingerless, 1 full)
1 showerproof jacket
3 pair of socks
1 pair lace up cycling shoes (quality is a bit dubious)
a couple of old wicking sleeveless running tops
1 longsleeve zip up running jersey - neither waterproof nor windproof, just a lightweight extra layer

Pretty much everything bar my helmet was cheap as chips, I didn't want to invest heavily until I knew that I could ride so I've been wearing normal summer capri length trousers (something that I'm keen to stop as it's not hugely comfortable, even over the padded underwear). The downside of buying cheap is the jacket is on the small side and not well ventilated, the shoes have plastic threads poking through the inside of the heel and it all clashes horribly with my black and pink helmet. Money is still on the tight side, but I can ebay some stuff to get some decent basics. So what kind of things should I be looking at? bike shorts + trackpants plus jersey? tights?
I'm not necessarily after brand recommendations as I won't be able to get them all here, but any tips on what to look out for in suitable clothes would be very helpful too.

Any and all advice appreciated, thank you.

[OakLeaf]

You'll definitely want some base layers for the cooler weather. They're not cycling specific. I wear my wool base layers under everything (and sleep in them, too).

Shoe covers are nice, but plastic bags inside your shoes are fine for shorter or very cold rides.

[Owlie]

Comfort is the biggest thing to look for. Sadly, you can't always predict that out of the package. I'd go for new shorts and shoes, because as you start riding longer, those seams and threads are going to get more annoying. Following that, a new jacket. I don't know much about riding off-road, but I've layered lined track pants over bike shorts and was toasty. If you're going to spend money on anything, spend it on shorts.

Foska, by the way, makes some fun stuff and is based in London. It's not cheap, but if you create an account, you get a bit of a discount.

[hebe]

Thank you for the replies and for the lovely pm I received.

Oakleaf, I will look out for some base layers. Can wool base layers be machine washed? That's interesting about the shoes. The ones I have have some kind of inner membrane that's meant to keep feet dry, but I don't yet know how they'll cope when it's really cold. I was thinking about wool socks.

Owlie, thank you for those suggestions. I love some of the tops on the Foska site, what a great link! I shall do as you suggest and look for shorts first, with base layers and then shoes. I'm wondering if a de-bobbler thingy would just shave off the sticky out threads before they stick out any more and start going through my socks. (I did already change them once as the first pair were worse, but it is such a novelty to have my feet stay on the pedals even in the rain that I decided I cope with them until I knew what to look for).

Anyway, I have just put a couple of baby slings up for sale so can start looking at shorts Thank you again for all your help, I really would be lost without the lovely women on here.

[jessmarimba]

Most of my cycling clothes aren't cycling specific - there are a lot of "technical" garments I wore for running, hiking, etc. first. A lot of my tops and tights came from Target and were pretty inexpensive. I don't know what the UK equivalent of that sort of store is though

[hebe]

Most of my cycling clothes aren't cycling specific - there are a lot of "technical" garments I wore for running, hiking, etc. first. A lot of my tops and tights came from Target and were pretty inexpensive. I don't know what the UK equivalent of that sort of store is though

Possibly Lidl, which is where my jacket, shoes, gloves and socks came from (for about $48 for the lot ) I used to go fell-running years back but sadly don't have many of the clothes still. Actually I'm quite sure that my old running tights would be far too small now, even if I did still have them. That's encouraging to know that things don't have to be cycling specific.

[KnottedYet]

A lot of my tops and tights came from Target and were pretty inexpensive. I don't know what the UK equivalent of that sort of store is though

Marks & Spenser?

[hebe]

I did check M&S online, but there wasn't anything that I really liked. Thank you for the suggestion though, much appreciated.

I found this place today, which is based in my home county and has some lovely things - www.minx-girl.com I need to choose now!

[Owlie]

My Smartwool base layer is machine washable (on cold, delicate). I think most of them are.

Re socks: I was quite happy wearing wool hiking socks the last time I went out in the cold (it was above freezing, but not much).

[hebe]

My Smartwool base layer is machine washable (on cold, delicate). I think most of them are.

Re socks: I was quite happy wearing wool hiking socks the last time I went out in the cold (it was above freezing, but not much).

Thank you!

[OakLeaf]

I don't buy much of anything that isn't machine washable.

I do have a front-loader, which helps, and I put the lightest ones in a lingerie bag, and the delicate cycle for all of it. I dry them flat (which I just had to order some more drying racks because no one has them at retail any more, not even Lehman's non-electric store ).