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I can’t imagine what other folk are doing with their Icebreaker tops
Wearing a Camelbak.
There is a lot of variation in merino quality
Now we're talking (sense)
I've tried a few, some, I ditched (eg. Endura), some I have stuck with and wear in the winter, a lot.
Couple of lightweight base layers (SuperNatural, I think they're a blend) are great - warmth next to the skin and don't get cold when wet and never smell. Icebraker one (150mg?) pure Merino, the same (was cheap off classifieds a very long time ago)
Warmer and really nice to wear as a jersey on it's own is the thicker (200mg) ISOBAA one (SportPursuit) - soft and warm, as merino should be. Would be too hot most days of the year, but lovely sub-zero.
None, Including the blends! SMELL of anything. Some, cheaper ones, are pretty itchy, but none of those I've kept are. They aren't something I wear all the time, but are useful on occasions.
Oh and of course, some people won't get on with it. It's pretty expensive to try and find you don't - so I'd recommend SportPursuit as a site to pick up something cheaper, just in case...
I've found I can get more riding in prior to "full on BO" smell. They might smell "A bit musty" though, if you don't manage to get them dried out quick post ride. I find this far more tolerable than the headache inducing smell I get from some synthetics after an hour or two.
They do wear out quite quick (even base layers) and get moth bitten, though sportwool is pretty durable and I like most things about my Torm top (I would've cut the pockets a bit different, but that may well not affect you)
Pure wool is a terrible idea for a jersey. It sags, stretches, gets soaked and will hole up very quickly. The Mrs bought an Alpkit jersey, which is a great example of this. It also shrank.
Good wool mixtures such as you get from Ground Effect or Torm (have both of these) are robust, look good, feel good and last ages. I'll commute in one of these for most of a week and they stay sweet 👍 My Torm jersey used to get loads of positive comments, which is amazing because I'm a bit of a gooseberry.
They're both well over 10 years old now and still get used all the time.
None, Including the blends! SMELL of anything.
They might not with you, but they definitely did with me. I sweat when I'm cycling, all the time. So I always wash them so I don't smell. The merino I have are no different, I have to wash them the same.
I have a merino mix HH base layer. It still shrank.
Fresh enough to commute in at least... Wouldn't wear it for a formal occasion. When I think about it, I don't think I've washed it since buying it last spring. I've been told my sense of smell is not the most sensitive, so your experince might vary. I tend to wash my wool things (apart from underwear) when they start to stiffen up noticeably.
I have had one of these for almost a decade Baked Alaska It's the best MTB top I've ever owned. It's my goto top for autumn, winter and Spring. Its been washed countless times and has never lost its shape or started to smell. It has a wind proof chest to keep the chill off when you are descending.
They might not with you
Yes, I am quite clean. Even my polyester stuff doesn't smell, I'm please to say. (but I do wash that a little more frequently)
Pure wool is a terrible idea for a jersey. It sags, stretches, gets soaked and will hole up very quickly
Except the ones that don't.
I'm the exact opposite to the beginning of this thread.
Merino does get wet, keeps me cool when it's hot, warm when it's cold. I wear it on multi-day bikepacking trips where I sweat my absolute balls off pushing hard and it doesn't stink.
Artificial fibres just don't outperform it in anything other than they dry out faster. Merino wins as far as I'm concerned in every other situation - even when it's wet because it'll stay warm when wet.
I also use merino socks (brigdale) - there's a reason walkers do. When it's minus five out and you poon through a river crossing the merino socks keep you warm and drier than the ridiculous waterproof stuff that simply gets full makes your feet wrinkle. In the summer I'm reasonably cool - and again - can wear them day after day.
3 hours of riding in the peak with artificial fibres and I smell like satan's jockstrap.
Edit: I've got some alpkit merino base layers that are OK but they're not as good as the icebreaker stuff which I've owned longer and are still bombproof.
Great for work, mainly outside all winter, never do anything too energetic to get a dab on👍🏼
I also use merino socks (brigdale) – there’s a reason walkers do. When it’s minus five out and you poon through a river crossing the merino socks keep you warm and drier than the ridiculous waterproof stuff that simply gets full makes your feet wrinkle.
Just about the only time I wear wool is winter socks for hill walking.
They’re both well over 10 years old now and still get used all the time.
Most of my HH Lifa synthetic tops were bought mid 90s, so must be getting on for 25 years old!
I’m wearing one now. And I’ve just come back from a ride. It doesn’t smell and it’s not damp. Maybe I didn’t ride hard enough. But Strava tells me I did the usual (it’s my commute) and when I wear my regular jersey it’s not much different other than it stinks.