[Closed] 'Int modern riding kit brilliant

modern night lights are fantastic and the stuff of dreams compared to what we had in the 80s.

Modern bikes aren’t bad either.

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I agree, I don't understand how I managed to survive the rides I did over 30 years ago with the kit I had, particularly in the wet and cold. As for doing night rides with a pair of Ever Ready battery lights where you'd struggle to see where the edge of the tarmac was, never mind potholes and other hazards.

Yep, special mention for softshell gear as well. So good for MTBing.

Blimey those lights bring back some memories. Had a light fail last winter and rode home by the light of my IPhone torch, I think that was still better than those Ever Ready ones!

And while we’re at it I’ll add modern tyres to the list.

Winter XC rides in woollen half finger gloves, adidas TT ,Stan smiths and Sergio techinni tracky bottoms.

Don't know how I survived

I regularly think this when I remember lots of old outdoor kit.

Tents? Lucky if they were less than 3.5kg
Waterproofs that were baggy and leaked into every pocket, while being made of a fabric so stiff it would stand up.
Heavy leather or rigid plastic boots that weighed a few kg's each.
The only functional legwear were Ron Hills.

And dont get me started on paddling gear...

And yet I still can't cure my uber cold feet 🙁

Rob Hill tracksters 😀 Had loads of pairs of those for running and riding.

The only functional legwear were Ron Hills.

What do people wear for hillwalking now then?

(serious question)

I'm still using tracksters 😳

[i]And yet I still can't cure my uber cold feet[/i]

No socks have replaced Assos Winter Plus. Why did they stop making them??

What do people wear for hillwalking now then?

Tracksters and waterproof trousers are the most practical off road combo that I know.
I've tried lots of other stuff but still come back to that.

What do people wear for hillwalking now then?

And yet I still can't cure my uber cold feet

Properly warm/waterproof SPD boots, with merino socks. My Lake's even have a mini gaitor built in - I have managed to duck tap up the sole under the footbed, so now can all but wade and stay dryish.

Still wear Tracksters here too.

I rode for three and a half hours in a pair of Rapha Roubaix bib 3/4's in driving rain last night. Never got cold. The Mavic H2O rain coat was snug and warm and dry. The Exposure lights kept me safe.

Sadly the shoes and gloves need a bit more work...

Of course mudguards and fixed wheel are the antithesis of "modern kit" 😉

Today’s mini hero, as the temp dropped sharply as the sun went down, was the Sportful Hotpack gilet. Tiny pack size, easy to stuff, weighs next to nothing, but actually works and makes quite a difference when worn. And it’s a good cut and doesn’t flap about annoyingly!

Cheers for the outdoor trews tips. I might ask for a pair of softshell trews for Xmas, but where to get reasonably priced ones?

I also now wear shorts a *lot* of the time unless cold.

I can understand this. MTBing has taught me that shins don't really get cold. I might look a bit daft hiking in my enduro shorts though.

I know this is about clothes and lights but.

I was cutting about on my old steel roadbike with downtube shifters thinking... Christ this is a [s]terr...[/s] actually pretty good easy relaxing shifts. Brakes were grim mind.

I'm off out later on road in the cold but dry. I've got some Assos bib tights (I swapped them for some unwanted shades, I can't afford to buy Assos tights!), one of those close cut roadie softshell tops and some Northwave winter roadie boots. I'll be toasty.

Sportful Hotpack gilet

I have one of those, and the jacket. Bizarrely, the jacket packs down a little bit smaller than the gilet...

I have the hi-viz gilet, and the plain white jacket. I don't think that's why though.

Both good though. I like that they're not too flappy.

Gray, is the jacket the ultralight maybe? The hiviz one is a bit heavier too, maybe the reflective bits make it a bit less packable?

Standard Hot Pack 5 I think. It's only a small difference. Does mean that I use the jacket a bit more than I otherwise might though. I really like them both, and they're very reasonably priced.

I did slightly tear the jacket the first time that I used it, but that was my fault - should have paid more attention to the upcoming bends and less to congratulating myself on catching and passing a car on my way down an alp!

The Exposure lights kept me safe.

Not entirely trusting my Strada at the moment, drained the battery only two hours into last nights ride, mostly on a medium setting. Something’s not right with it. Drops into a mode not dissimilar to those Phillips lights up there!

Do like Di2 and d-fly with gear selection shown on the Garmin when it’s too dark to see what gear you’re in. Works great until the touchscreen on the 820 gets wet enough for water to pool on it and then it goes nuts 🙁

So what is the most breathable windproof on the market? It doesn’t need to have any waterproofing at all.

to see what gear you’re in

I find that bizarre, do people really need to see that? I saw a sales ad for an MTB actually expressing the virtuosity of the gear shifter windows the other day.

I find that bizarre, do people really need to see that?

Use it all the time. Really useful on the road bike for planning front shifts. Wouldn’t bother on an MTB though, at least on a 1x.

Breathable windpoof? Probably something with a mesh back or lots of vents?

So what is the most breathable windproof on the market

The least breathable are ones with membranes like Gore Windstopper. Most breathable are tightly woven fabrics like Pertex. For MTB highly wind resistant as opposed to wind proof can be a good bet as that can increase breathability - I'm a fan of my old ME Exolite softshell (it's a stretchy double weave fabric - wicks well, slightly warmer than a simple windproof, surprisingly water resistant even when left unproofed).

Honourable mention tonight goes to my old Sportful R&D jersey with polartec alpha panels at the front. Soaked through after an hour but still kept me warm. Bit of a go to jersey as it seems to cope well over a pretty wide range of conditions and efforts, dry or wet. See Rapha are doing a new range with similar Polartec Alpha placement, is very good.

Dishonourable mention to my Strada. An hour and a half into the ride, mostly run on the low 15hr setting, it decides to turn itself off. Stop to turn it back on. A couple of minutes later it turns itself off again. Repeat a couple of times, give up, cut the ride short hoping I make it home before the backup joystick dies. Shall be sent back to Exposure as it’s let me down a few times recently 🙁

Was just thinking today how amazing it was to be out in ~3ºC and to be warm enough on descents and not too hot on climbs.

Special shout out to the decathlon windproof that I bought for £15ish a few years ago and has saved many a chilly ride.

I’ve recently discovered the Fat Lad at the Back Gaffer jacket and it is superb but expensive. Just with a Polaris long sleeved base layer I’ve been fine on rides down to 5 degrees Celsius. With a jersey it’ll keep me going all winter.

However, I’ve bought some windproof Ribble bib tights recently and for £25 they are amazing. Just keep you warm and if they get wet they seem to dry quickly. I’m now using them on the MTB under baggies too.

Not completely convinced although I'll admit not to being an old timer so my comparisons are modern. My most comfortable vest is still my old HH Lifa one. Getting tatty as I bought it in 1978. For virtually all riding, decent wool gloves are as good as anything as gloves that keep rain out fill with sweat for me. Bread bags in the shoes with inner tube gaskets kept my feet dry 40 years ago. Nothing has been invented that is good as HH fibre pile for keeping you warm when wet and I know that predates my 1978 discovery of it. Best modern kit? Glasses that change tint with the sunlight.
Agreed wool jerseys sagged a bit but we bought small and stretched the sleeves to fit. My nearly modern winter tights are acrylic, bought from Barry Davies shop in Bangor in 1983. Cold and wet? Better than my fancy new stuff. Chamois is getting thin I will admit so maybe that's an improvement. Less hassle nowadays I think.
Haven't found a waterproof that doesn't soak me with sweat if working hard.

Haven't found a waterproof that doesn't soak me with sweat if working hard.

Must admit i’m quite tempted by one of those new Gore shake-dry fabric ones. Though of the view that being wet isn’t really a problem as long as you’re warm enough and comfortable.

HH Lifa

Never really got on with the HH Lifa stuff back in my running days when it was ubiquitous. May give it a try again.

As for doing night rides with a pair of Ever Ready battery lights where you'd struggle to see where the edge of the tarmac was

So what is the most breathable windproof on the market?

I bought a Madison Lightweight Zenith Sofshell. Mostly (If I'm honest) as it was a cheap option. Went for a very windy and cold ride yesterday, ambient temp was only 6-7 and with the northerly that was blowing was perhaps only 1-2 degs on the hills. Was wearing this, plus a base-layer, not only was it windproof to a degree I was not expecting (it's very lightweight and quite insubstantial feeling) it was also comfy and not sweaty (although yesterday wasn't the best test for that admittedly) Amazing bit of kit I can see me wearing to death, very impressed.

Those tops with a softshell front and jersey back are excellent for cold and/or drizzly weather.

Mainly cos I seem to be able to go harder in them than if I was wearing a full jacket.

Got an endura airstream one cheap a while back and liked it so much I bought two more when they were about 70pc off.

Also have the Endura version of the Gabba, but that seems more rain specific. Wouldn't wear it by choice in the dry anyway.