Heading out into the sun the other day I started to wonder if it was wise to be wearing a short sleeved shirt. Coincidentally - or not - my mailbox has been bombarded by ads from Albion for their SPF50 long sleeved T shirts. My first thought was "95 quid for a T shirt? Yer avin a larf!!" but I have to confess that I have cupboard full of Albion stuff, some of which I regret (stupid backpack thing, for example) and some which I really like (3 pairs of ABR1 shorts :-(. ). If it prevents me from getting cancer, that's a good thing, but maybe that's reaching a bit. Apart from the £££ my concern is that as it is intended for sunny weather, it will just be too hot to ride in, unless the fabric is super-wicky.
What do the more experienced riders think - not just about that item in particular, but about the general concept?
I use isocool tops from Mountain Warehouse - breathable, quite light, moisture wicking and SPF50+ (and currently on sale for around £10). They are available in long/short sleeves, with or without collar. In use, the sun protection has been great on all-day rides and I’ve not found them uncomfortable due to sweat or overheating. I often use the long sleeve ones as the fabric is light enough to roll the sleeves up and down as needed without causing any problems.
I've been working outside recently and was feeling frazzled by the end of each day.
I bought a couple of £10 long sleeve SPF 50 t-shirts from decathlon to try. My concern was being polyester they'd get whiffy by the end of the day, so far no problem.
I solved the collar problem by upgrading my sunhat to one with a neck flap, I won't be winning any sartorial elegance prizes!
£10 sounds good - I will investigate !!
I spent 6 hours of yesterday on a RIB in the Solent, most of that at anchor officiating a sailing event.
After being well and truly cooked in short sleeves (not burned due to the SPF 50) at Festival of Speed on Thursday I chose a long sleeve UV resistant rash vest thing.
Although it was obviously a low intensity day exercise wise it definitely kept the sun off. I just creamed back of neck, face and legs.
I didn't notice it was sopping wet on back and chest until I took my buoyancy aid off and the late afternoon breeze hit it so still comfy. Several off us wearing similar kit.
I’m pretty sure I’ve never burnt or even got any sort of tan while wearing regular or cycle specific tops. What’s different about these? Link?
ALBIONCYCLING.COM I’m pretty sure I’ve never burnt or even got any sort of tan while wearing regular or cycle specific tops. What’s different about these? Link?
My experience (50yrs) is that I don't get burnt wearing non-specific roadie tops and shorts. Exposed skin is a different thing, but a "sport" sweat-resistant SPF 30 regularly applied sorts that
You don't have to spend £95 but I'm going to say SPF rated clothing is worth consideration. I didn't give such things a thought in the past then I got quite burnt through a t-shirt and my attitude changed
I feel like surely any old t-shirt or long sleeved top must surely be at least equivalent of SPF 10. I have never burned through clothing of any sort. So unless you burn very easily and really badly need extra protection, I call gimmick.
But I do own a spf50 rash vest from decathlon, because it is also an indication that the top is intended to survive chlorine and salt water :-).
I’m pretty sure I’ve never burnt or even got any sort of tan while wearing regular or cycle specific tops. What’s different about these? Link?
I'm pretty sure most clothing without an SPF rating is still doing the job just fine but as I mentioned above occasionally something doesn't and I got burnt ☹️
wouldn’t buy one without a collar.
This x1000. The idea of a sun top which exposes your neck is just mind numbingly flawed
As posted by various above, this recent trend towards naming SPF50 specific clothing is deeply questionable. People have been making and wearing sun protective clothes for millennia.
I posted something similar to the OP a few years back and someone posted about the sun hoodies, which are basically like that t shirt but with ...a hood
I bought one but have never managed to persuade myself to try it when it is really hot. The last thing I want is a substantial, close fitting wicking layer. It's great for ice climbing though.
The best thing I have found is still a fairly standard long sleeved collared shirt. My current one is Columbia and is brilliant. It's fairly loose, sunproof and can be opened and closed depending on sun direction and activity. It is also excellent for sunny belays on hot cliffs where you just take it off and drape it over all exposed skin like a mini tent.
Highly recommended
I'm deeply sceptical about the merits of wicking material on truly hot strenuous days. I think we're being sold a complete dud on that one. The whole point of sweating is to reduce the temperature at the skin by evaporation. Wicking just takes that water somewhere else to evaporate without giving the maximum cooling effect. All it does is increase the amount of water and tabs you need to consume.
Obviously wicking is good for activities where you alternative hot and cold ( eg rock climbing or cycle climbs followed by descents) but for situations where you are simply too hot for hours on end, a soaking wet shirt is much better.
I’m pretty sure I’ve never burnt or even got any sort of tan while wearing regular or cycle specific tops. What’s different about these? Link?
I'm pretty sure most clothing without an SPF rating is still doing the job just fine but as I mentioned above occasionally something doesn't and I got burnt ☹️
I guess when you get to super light and very open weave clothing theres a risk that the natural SPF effect could be low. my lightest MTB tops are some 3/4 7 Mesh I bought a few years back. They don't make quite the same thing now but I notice they state and SPF rating for their tops (30 or 40 depending on the model).
In my case it was just a regular t-shirt, I think bought in a supermarket 'pack of 3' type deal. No fancy fabric or technical claims.
This x1000. The idea of a sun top which exposes your neck is just mind numbingly flawed
As posted by various above, this recent trend towards naming SPF50 specific clothing is deeply questionable. People have been making and wearing sun protective clothes for millennia.
I wear a neck protector rather than a collar as collars don’t always cover everything that well.
A lot of workwear in Oz is SPF50 - construction firms, councils etc take this really seriously. I worked with a contractor that provided shirts with no button cuffs so you can’t roll up the sleeves, etc. None of the bigger contractors let staff wear shorts.
The workwear I’ve had that was SPF50 was very tight weave.
Even then a few years ago a guy died of heatstroke on a road construction job near where I live.
I basically live in upf long sleeved tops when I'm outside in the summer. I actually find them cooler than shortsleeves. Use a range of stuff from shirts to long sleeved and hooded tops from black diamond and oneill. I still get sun when running etc but it saves the aggro of sun cream
The best thing I have found is still a fairly standard long sleeved collared shirt. My current one is Columbia and is brilliant. It's fairly loose, sunproof and can be opened and closed depending on sun direction and activity. It is also excellent for sunny belays on hot cliffs where you just take it off and drape it over all exposed skin like a mini tent.
Yeah, I ride in hot conditions in some Arc'teryx collared shirt I got cheap-ish on Sport Pursuit, it's much nicer to wear in hot conditions than anything else I've tried including Patagonia's Capilene Cool baselayer stuff. Polartec Delta is also a really good hot conditions choice, but really hard to find.
There are some good running / Hiking SPF sun hoodies - I've just bought one, I'll report back in time.
SPORTSSHOES.COM I’m pretty sure I’ve never burnt or even got any sort of tan while wearing regular or cycle specific tops. What’s different about these? Link?
Maybe 10-12 years ago there was a lot of talk about skin cancer and pro cyclists, iirc. Possibly when Sky had Froome wearing a fishnet skinsuit.
So normal kit might be better
I'm deeply sceptical about the merits of wicking material on truly hot strenuous days. I think we're being sold a complete dud on that one. The whole point of sweating is to reduce the temperature at the skin by evaporation. Wicking just takes that water somewhere else to evaporate without giving the maximum cooling effect. All it does is increase the amount of water and tabs you need to consume.
I'm pretty sure that's not right.
Cotton wets out so you reach a point where you stop being able to effectively sweat more into it because sweat evaporates from it slower than you can put sweat into it.
Wicking/technical fabrics draw that moisture and heat away from your skin effectively and use that body heat to evaporate it off the surface, which is no different to cotton (it's always evaporating off the outside).
You need more fluids to top up when wearing technical gear because it's doing what it should - taking the sweat from your body and giving the opportunity to rapidly evaporate.
I use these together with a poly-cotton type shirt, usually one that has an SPF rating… but not always.
CRAZYARMS.COM The sun sleeves work really well as they cover all my arm, allow ventilation up the short sleeve of the shirt and you can take them off when in the shade/indoors.
I definitely agree that collars are helpful too, as are Tilley hats (the new cheaper lugs weight one is good) or similar.
Possibly when Sky had Froome wearing a fishnet skinsuit.
Just jumping in to say that I ain't gonna be wearing a fishnet skinsuit. Nobody has deserved to see a thing like that.
As a rider who won’t venture out in the alps without spf50 on exposed skin I’ve never got burnt through any riding top from a cheap mountain warehouse one to branded race style jerseys no problem. I do think it’s all a bit of a marketing gimmick personally
I was sunburnt through my skinsuit during my first 12h TT. Left with a red itchy back and a white square over my bottom where the regulation CTT number sat. I’ve been careful ever since with a light base layer. I burn easily and the family has a disastrous history with the sun. SPF50 on exposed skin, but a base layer works.
I have the Albion long sleeve sun shirt, not actually worn it yet (bought it for a bike packing trip early June but that ended up being overcast and wet). It's super lightweight material but fairly loose fitting so not sure if it will have the annoying clinging to you in places thing.
I only got it for 5+ hour slow bike packing rides where suntan lotion might not cut it. For normal riding I'm happy enough with Pelotan. I guess if I lived somewhere with a lot more sunny days a year I might consider switching to SPF50+ clothing rather than relying on suntan lotion.
I also don't think it's a design flaw that the Albion shirt doesn't have a long neck, I think you're far better off using a sun buff for that so you can take it off and rinse it + saturate with water etc. when you stop.
Not clothing, but one of our best camping purchases is an SPF50 beach shelter - I've burned through parasols before, but this thing has been brilliant. Normally, if there's a bit of breeze it can actually be too cool underneath it, although this week in Brittany it's been either still or blowing like a hair dryer. Either way, no burn here from beach time. My SPF50 wide brimmed sunhat is also essential when out and about in this weather.
I'm deeply sceptical about the merits of wicking material on truly hot strenuous days. I think we're being sold a complete dud on that one. The whole point of sweating is to reduce the temperature at the skin by evaporation. Wicking just takes that water somewhere else to evaporate without giving the maximum cooling effect. All it does is increase the amount of water and tabs you need to consume.
On that basis would you not just go topless to maximise the benefits of evaporative cooling from the skin? In reality, isn't your body heat still evaporating the moisture but from the fabric rather than the surface of the skin and a good wicking fabric potentially holds more moisture, making the process more efficient?
I think the problem is that in the real world you have to wear something. What works best probably depends on the humidity/heat levels. As per my previous post, I really like Polartec's Deta fabric, works significantly better than any other base layer-type fabric I've used, but hard to find.
POLARTEC.COM Colour me confused - what is the difference between clothing with SPF ratings & normal cotton t-shirts/cycling jerseys etc?
Colour me confused - what is the difference between clothing with SPF ratings & normal cotton t-shirts/cycling jerseys etc?
My understanding is they're trying to be as lightweight as possible whilst still offering SPF protection, a standard cotton t-shirt made very thin probably loses a fair amount of protection as there will be gaps in the fabric. I expect a lot's just marketing to...
I'm deeply sceptical about the merits of wicking material on truly hot strenuous days. I think we're being sold a complete dud on that one. The whole point of sweating is to reduce the temperature at the skin by evaporation. Wicking just takes that water somewhere else to evaporate without giving the maximum cooling effect. All it does is increase the amount of water and tabs you need to consume.
There's two very different types of material involved in base layers though.
Lycra type materials tend to be hydrophilic, they soak up the sweat and then let it evaporate even quicker (and being skin tight they cool your skin in doing so). That's why a cycling top and shorts will likely actually be cooler than wearing nothing at all.
Then there's hydrophobic materials like polyester or even better polypropylene, these tend to be marketed for winter because for example you can jump into a freezing cold lake in a polypropylene fleece or base layer, climb out and be dry pretty much straight away once you get moving and generating a modicum of heat. Try that in cycling kit and you'll be wet for quite a while.
I use isocool tops from Mountain Warehouse
I have a couple of SS and LS Mountain Warehouse tops that look a lot like those, might be earlier versions(?) very good for MTBing in hot weather (IME/IMO), comfy and cool.
I don't recall ever seeing anything to indicate the SPF of them though. Nice to know I guess, I may well buy a couple more,
I got a couple of 'Sun Hoodies' from the Passenger outlet section as I don't like feeling scorched from the sun even if I know I'm lathered in factor 50. I've worn them on multiple-day 30+ degree rides through the last couple of heatwaves and been really happy with how much cooler and less baked I've felt so I'm a convert.
They're quite a light and loose-fitting fabric, I find closer-fitting/clingy tops make me feel more hot and bothered but I think that's partly my skins general dislike of a lot of polyester-type materials - they just make me feel hot and sweaty even in cooler temperatures. These feel more like a soft cotton material, so feel more natural/comfortable against the skin. They have just opened a Mountain Warehouse near me so I'm going to check out their own-brand stuff, but it'll depend how it feels on the skin as much as any particular claims.
On that basis would you not just go topless to maximise the benefits of evaporative cooling from the skin?
I dont reckon so. The shirt I wear holds a shed load of water and deffo cools a lot. And obviously I'm maInly wearing it for the shade ( or SPF50 🙄) effect
In reality, isn't your body heat still evaporating the moisture but from the fabric rather than the surface of the skin and a good wicking fabric potentially holds more moisture, making the process more efficient?
Hmmm. Don't think.so as
- More of the evaporative energy would then be coming from the sun/ external than your body. as it is nearer to A and further from B
- The fabric would thus sit between the evaporation site and your skin, and it would provide an insulation layer which would reduce the flow of energy from the skin to the surface. Thus limiting the cooling.
I think the problem is that in the real world you have to wear something. What works best probably depends on the humidity/heat levels. As per my previous post, I really like Polartec's Deta fabric, works significantly better than any other base layer-type fabric I've used, but hard to find.
If you do have any links to clothing using this I'd be keen to hear
Ooh. just found this on the Polartec site,:
...different to wicking fabrics. Instead of wicking and drying perspiration so fast your body doesn't actually benefit from sweat
🙂
