Button up shirts for cycling? - Bike Forum

Re: Button up shirts for cycling?

tootallpaul — Wed, 23 May 2012 08:59:21 +0000

I miss the Rift Valley...

Re: Button up shirts for cycling?

KZP894 — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:14:53 +0000

In hot weather you can't beat a large long sleeve cotton shirt for touring. Sun beating down, warm air rising off the tarmac, the road stretching out ahead, dropping down into the Rift Valley.....

Re: Button up shirts for cycling?

tootallpaul — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:09:16 +0000

I used to live near Yirgacheffe...

Didn't mean to start a row!

Cheers for all the suggestions chaps!

Re: Button up shirts for cycling?

MrSmith — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:53:34 +0000

rarely wear my Rapha shirts on the bike.
but there was this one time i popped into town to pick up some single estate yirgacheffe and some house blend espresso beans from an artisan roasters on my baby blue fixie condor.
i captured the hipster zeitgeist and had a really nice piccolo and cantucci at the same time. nice 8)

Re: Button up shirts for cycling?

Gary_M — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:47:29 +0000

Rapha kit is very robust so your initial outlay does last a long time. I've been using rapha kit for years, used very regulalry on a 20 mile each way commute and the jerseys still look very good and have not rips, tears, loose stitching, etc. Thats worn a couple of times a week over a few years - pretty good going.

Rapha does have city riding kit but the real cycling kit really is very good. They do sponsor a road team, its not all about fixie riding.

Re: Button up shirts for cycling?

brassneck — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:45:34 +0000

But I just get the impression that the Rapha stuff is more about riding your fixie from Hoxton to Shoreditch*, on a sunny afternoon, to meet up with somebody asymetrically-haircutted, for a skinny frapachino, than for 'real' riding - where its likely to get covered in shit, regularly soaked, get snagged on barbed wire fences you'er hoying your bike over, get oil all over over it when you inadvertently wipe your hands down it after fixing a puncture, then (somewhat inevitably) get a huge rip down it when you stack your bike on a rocky section

You might get that impression, but having had a club shirt, armwarmers and socks bought for me as a 10 year gift from work, I can assure you it's the nicest riding jersy I own - comfy, warm enough, cool enough, looks good, well fitted, wicks well, well thought out pockets etc etc.

And when I ripped it stacking an mtb through the brambles (OK I'll admit it was a single speed) they repaired it for me, FOC.

Wouldn't have paid me own money before, but now, I just might.. rather have 2 or 3 good jerseys than 8 gash ones.

Re: Button up shirts for cycling?

shedbrewed — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:45:13 +0000

It's not really my sort of style, but Start Fitness have some Bspoke shirts in a cycle fit, cheap enough too.

Re: Button up shirts for cycling?

binners — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:54:44 +0000

Furry muff Gary (sorry about the extra 'r'). Its your money.

*See Northern Quarter, Manchester for equivalent Northern species

EDIT: Blimey! I've just had a look round the Rapha site 8O Some of the prices are absolutely eye-watering! That shirt now looks like quite a snip at under 100 quid

Re: Button up shirts for cycling?

midlifecrashes — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:44:59 +0000

Columbia and Timberland make good hiking/outdoors stuff in the style you want, that's not cotton and lots of weights available. TKMax can be useful, but much better choice from US retailers.

Re: Button up shirts for cycling?

Gary_M — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:36:50 +0000

Ah muxu, thats the one I was thinking of.

Honestly, I don't know how I contain my shame sometimes, riding past people in my Aldi bike gear.

Some people are happy to spend what some may consider a lot of money on cycling gear others are happy to wear cheap stuff. Takes all sorts eh.