What do you wear road riding?

So this weekend I am going on my first longish road ride on my new bike. I want to fit in with road community so i need to dress appropriately…..actually thats a lie, no one wants to see me in lycra. However I do need a new cycling jacket for road riding as my mtb ones are a bit gross and muddy and I don’t want the extra baggier cut reducing my aerodynamics!

What kind of jackets do you lot wear on the road? I was thinking of something which is windproof, a bit warm but not neccessarily waterproof and at the cheaper end of the spectrum. Very cheap end of the spectrum.

Any suggestions?

My road kit is a mixture of Decathlon and Aldi, I ain’t that fussed about cutting a stylistic rug. 🙂 Aldi’s sales are fairly sporadic, but looks like Decathlon are pushing their road bike kit at the mo, seeing quite a few reviews of BTwin kit on Facebook. Not read em, but their stuff that I’ve got has been plenty good enough for me. 🙂

EDIT – Having realised I didn’t really answer the question… Today, got BTwin bib tights (just normal, not wintery), BTwin overshoes, a Quecha wicking T, a light Quecha fleece and an Aldi hi viz waterproof. Got winter gloves on, and they’re a bit too warm, but everything else is pretty bob on. 🙂

Up until very recently (when temps were still low, or at least wind was breezy) – it was Endura convert soft shell – with zip off arms; or if weather was not at all good, Cycle Jersey Windcheetah style jacket – quite thick but good cut, really warm jacket for the upper torso..

Gillet (endura Laser is good and cheep), any jacket will leave you a sweaty mess on a road bike.

DHB roubaix bibs.

Endura FS-260 winter jersey (not cheep, about £65 for a jersey, but probably my most worn bit of kit, it’s ace!).

reading your question this may be of interest:
http://road.cc/content/review/111879-btwin-anorak-7-jacket

Personally I’m a ponsey roady so its Castelli, Gore (oxygen jacket is suberb), mavic soft shell and various tight fitting club/branded tops

On the budget end look at Decathlon and DHB, as per titusrider though I’m more on the poncey end with Castelli & Assos so can’t actually recommend a cheap jacket from experience. Don’t forget your hands and feet though, they can get seriously cold on a road bike with windchill.

I tend to find that there’s a lot more consistent movement on a road ride than on an MTB ride so I dress lighter. Most of the year I’ll have a thin windproof jacket (just got a Decathlon BTwin one that seems good so far, have used Montane superlight in the past) with whatever insulation/wicking underneath as appropriate to the temperature. If it gets too warm then the windproof goes in a pocket.

It has to get really wet before I’l bust out the waterproof, but my waterproof isn’t very good/comfortable in most conditions.

the main thing is tight not baggy. Please don’t join the fleets of newbies deploying waterpoof flourescent parachute airbrakes 365 days a year.

Recently (temps anywhere between 5 and 10C) I’ve been wearing;

Gilet (mines a Scott made with Gore windstopper and was reduced to ~20 quid) or softshell (Howies Dyfi, 30 quid from wiggle) over a longsleeve thermalish jersey (usually a Montane merino-mix or a Pearl Izumi Elite thermal, half price at 35 quid from Cycle Surgery), OR no shell/gilet and the jersey and a warmish baselayer*. Tights, or bibs and leg warmers. Neoprene booties as much for keeping feet dry with all the flood water around as for keeping them warm. Thin non-insulated long finger gloves (tend to wear these year-round on the MTB, I dont tend to feel the cold in hands or feet).

*I’m not a heavy sweater so don’t suffer with merino getting damp/wet and then me getting cold, a lot of people dislike merino for its poor wicking.

Around this time of year – Roubaix type tops.
Endura FS-260 (brilliant bit of kit) and Specialized do some nice snug-fitting fleecy/windproof lycra tops too.

http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/ftr/fallwinter-road-apparel/mens-road-apparel

Or Rapha. 😉

So this weekend I am going on my first longish road ride on my new bike. I want to fit in with road community so i need to dress appropriately…..actually thats a lie, no one wants to see me in lycra.

I wouldn’t worry…

On the budget end look at Decathlon and DHB

The DHB stuff is great, but in my experience the jackets are a bit short at the back, which is a shame. Catch them in the sales though and they do some bargain showerproof stuff, which packs up tiny, and keeps you tip top in most weathers without having to constantly adjust layers. Aside from the backs, the fit is pretty decent, I think. Not massive, not tiny.

I have a waterproof Decathlon jacket too. Very basic, but for a tenner what can you expect. And it’s on the bigger side, fit wise, but keeps you dry, and is vented to let you breath. Nicely pocketable, ready to be deployed when the heavens truly open.

Aldi’s sales are fairly sporadic

The quality is sporadic too. The winter jersey I bought last year though is the best bicycle related item I’ve bought in a long time.

Overshoes are sensible this time of year. Your feet don’t half get cold when you’re moving fast.

have a look at some of the stuff on here;

http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/sugoi_firewall_180_winter_jacket-ID_61775

I got this jacket last week – not worn it yet but seems like a good slightly colder day choice. They have other stuff cheap too.

DHB roubaix bibs.

Endura FS-260 winter jersey

+1. Ideal and if to cold for that then Endura Windchill jacket and windproof fronted Craft baselayer underneath – good to close to zero

I tend to find that there’s a lot more consistent movement on a road ride than on an MTB ride so I dress lighter.

Really? I get far, far colder on the road bike than the MTB. I put it down to the extra wind chill from moving quicker.

Castelli Gaba…

Very cheap end of the spectrum.

Any suggestions?

Ah, maybe not 🙂 Lovely bit of kit though and well worth the cash for riding this time of year.

Really? I get far, far colder on the road bike than the MTB. I put it down to the extra wind chill from moving quicker.

I did think this a bit strange. Tend to move about a lot more on the mtb too, being in a static position in the wind on the road gets me far chillier.

If you can get one of these to fit you, they’re a great bit of kit for this time of year.

Packs down to the size of tennis ball in your pocket and can be added/removed for an extra wee bit of windchill/showerproof protection.

Sportful Hot Pack

They do come up quite a roadie fit though. Buy a size bigger than normal.

Thin longsleeve merino base layer, castelli longsleeve gabba,gore gilet, long bibtights, merino on-one thicky socks, endura neoprene overshoes, buff under helmet .. long finger gloves.

Commuting in the last few weeks I have worn a pair of Crane (Aldi) windproof bibtights, a Tog 24 wicking shirt, and a Paramo Quito jacket. A merino baselayer if it goes to zero or below. Plenty warm enough, and the jacket can be vented all over the place to prevent overheating. Mind you, the Quito is best for sub-zero waterproofing.

Haven’t worn my soft shell all winter it just hasn’t seemed cold enough.

Long sleeve jersey and base layer with a buff around the neck, gilet to keep the wind off on the cooler days.

Buff or cap under the helmet with Roubaix leg warmers and overshoes bottom half.