Let's talk cycling apparel

It's winter so here is another post about what I wear on the bike. The first time was Sept 2020. Link. I had just started my journey into cycling specific clothing. And I was pretty unimpressed, especially with the items bought to keep me warm and dry. Priory to this I wore shorts and a t-shirt, or jogging bottoms and a normal jacket when the sun wasn't out. I got sweaty in the heat; cold and wet for the other 50 weeks of the year. And at times I must have looked very scruffy. It's debatable I look better in my current wardrobe, but at least it's functionable.

In the intervening three years I've bought more clothing. My opinion hasn't changed much. One example was a very expensive rain jacket bought during an end of production sale. It doesn't keep me protected from the rain and I get soaked in sweat. Both promises made by the manufacturer.

I've added to my glove collection too. An expensive pair let in water and allowed windchill. A pair from Stolen Goat showed great promise. But their longevity was short. They now leak and my hands freeze.

The latest acquisition is from Galibier. They are a little more bulky when compared to the Stolen Goats, but not overly so. The digits, especially the thumb could be longer. I guess I could have gone up a size, but then the hand part would have been too big. I have mostly mitigated this by adjusting the levers to reduce their reach. Importantly they work. I'll have to wait to test their durability. 

I also bought a jacket from them. And would you believe it; I didn't get soaked in sweat. I wasn't completely moist free, it doesn't employ magic in the manufacturing process. But it's noticeably better than anything I've owned before. Admittedly my longest ride so far is just over 20 miles. I bought a size small, and the fit is just right. Not so tight I can't wear layers underneath, not so loose it flaps about in the wind. It's also bright blue. Most others are only available in black.

I've started running to bring some variety. But I don't have any specific clothing. So I wore a long sleeved base layer, a short sleeved cycling jersey and the jacket. It drizzled for most of the route and I was a little overdressed. It didn't let in any rain, and allowed most of the sweat to escape. 

The little side pocket is a genius idea.

In summary: I haven't worn them in very heavy rain, but they do keep me just the right amount of warm.

Entry is too expensive

Someone new to cycling would look to the internet for advice. What would they find? 

Videos like this. The inference would be that if you take riding seriously you need a carbon fibre bike. There are advantages for sure, but the cheaper end of the market is not much better than metal as far as weight etc is concerned. Just because a bike is made from this wonder material doesn't mean it's much lighter. The frame is more expensive to produce so the other components tend to be lower spec. 

A better video for anyone new to bikes might be this. I'd spend a little more, as they suggest, and get disc brakes. 

Or you can buy second hand, as I did. I upgraded it as parts wore out. I did eventually buy a new carbon fibre bike. But that was because I wanted disc brakes and to compete in TT's. My old bike found a good home. 

The road bike I have is more suited to recreational riding. When I ride into London I take the mountain bike. Another minefield of info is which style of bike to buy.

There are gravel, XC, touring, hybrids, cross country, racers and mountain bikes.

I have two because I returned to cycling with the intention of doing it mostly off road. As time went by I did this less often. I could have sold the bike but it was worth so little it didn't make sense. The Kona Blast is from 2006 and very much old school. Having said that; only the frame and fork are from then. It's now used on a Sunday to meet Matt for coffee; and to commute.

If you mostly ride to work and for errands then a cheap bike might be best.  Especially if you have to leave it in a less secure location.

Buying an expensive bike has its advantages and disadvantages. The components might last longer but will cost more to replace. It's more likely to be stolen. 

Then there is clothing. If you ride for long periods this is important for comfort. But the cost can be incredible. I initially rode with what I had already; but as the distances increased this became impracticle.  So I bought specific clothing from the cheaper end of the scale. It was okay, but there were problems. It didn't fit that well and soon wore out. I couldn't justify the expensive alternatives, so settled for somewhere in the middle. Still expensive but I can appreciate the better fit and longevity. 

Most annoying is that even the more expensive options fall short of their promise. I have yet to find gloves and socks that will keep me completely warm and dry. 

Commuters can probably stop reading the post here.

If you are still with me lets talk food, indoor training, tech, events, and clubs.

I started by eating as I went along, from shops as needed. Then I carried food with me and adding powders to water. I bought sports nutrition as it's called. It was easy to carry, kept me energised and didn't upset my stomach. But it's expensive. Now I make my own or buy what are called breakfast bars. They taste okay and are much cheaper. On hotter days I'll still use electrolyte tablets in the water bottle, otherwise I'll just add sugar to the water.

When the weather is grim you move inside, or you don't ride. For me at first I just stayed in the house. But as I became fitter I ventured out in poor weather. See above about clothing. And I fell off more. I was given a simple trainer that a bike is bolted onto. I use it to this day. It's okay but it can be very boring. Here is were the spending can start once again. You start with a "smart" version of what I have for £100 or so. It links to a cycling computer and takes you on a simulated ride. Or it links to an online world through a web hosted service; monthly charges apply. From there you can spend up to many thousands of pounds on equipment. I'm sticking with what I have.

I use tech on my rides, do I want to use more? Maybe. I have a cycling computer, bought initially for sat nav duties. It can do much more and it use to record my rides for uploading to Strava. My sports watch does this now. I do use a heart rate monitor as well. But it can be linked to a powermeter to monitor my effort as well. The constant upgrades to all of this perpetuates almost endless waste. Manufacturers follow the same rules as all tech companies; telling us the equipment we have is no longer up to the job. Even though when we bought it they told us it was.

By events I mean what are called sportives. Rides over a set route with feed stops, signs and some kind of support. I rarely do them now, they can be expensive. Before cycle computers that provide sat nav a new destination was a hassle so having the hard work of route following done for me was great. Food stops less so, there is nearly always a shop or petrol station nearby. They do sell the illusion of being almost a race. Some participents ride like it is, they can take it too seriously. Another reason I'm put off. They can also use locations seen in pro races around the world. This encourages travel, mostly by air; which is highly polluting.

Clubs are a good choice if you want to expand your cycling world. They provide support and encouragement, new destinations and targets. Knowledge and advice is another advantage. Find a good one, the membership fee will be worth it.

I have participated in most of the purchasing encouraged by the cycling world. Some of it I still use, some not and some I judged not to be worth it. If you have the money to spare, indulge; except for the air travel. 

Cycling is life improving and can reduce pollution. It doesn't have to be expensive.

A tale of two jerseys

When I first returned to cycling it was in normal clothes, jeans and a t-shirt. I rode a bike given to me by my brother. As the distances and frequency increased I wanted to be more comfortable. 

Looking for a replacement bike, I couldn't believe how expensive they were; I wasn't after a top of the range one, but it needed to be reasonable. So I bought my Kona through ebay, the spec was better than I could afford new; it was only eighteen months old.

A few years later I planned to do RideLondon, so a road bike was needed. I faced the same problem, resolved in the same way. This time it was older, I upgraded the brakes straight away. You need to buy well above entry level for them to be effective.

Last year I looked for a newer road bike, with some better features aimed at comfort. Second hand made it affordable, but again the brakes were a joke. It wasn't a starter bike, costing nearly £1000 when new, so I would have expected better. Looking at other bikes in that price range and higher, the same penny pinching is still evident today. It's had a few updates that I have mentioned previously to bring it closer to what it should have been. 

The clothing purchases started with padded under shorts. Then a coat to keep me dry, which it didn't. A pair of trousers was next, light enough that they dried quickly but still able to keep me warm; and shorts for the summer. 

That was it until March this year. Being furloughed meant I rode everyday. The weather was mostly brilliant, but I still needed some extra items, and more than one change of clothing. I looked at jerseys, and some more shorts. Buying from a big, well known brand is expensive. I found an alternative, that fitted well and had brilliant customer service.(d2d Cycling Clothing)

It appeared that the more premium producers used better fabrics, and spent a lot on development, hence the price difference.

Knowing a bit more I looked at these premium manufacturers, I found that they did list alternatives to polyester. Or varying percentages of polyester and something else, not always lycra as you'd expect. Some would just say "made of quality Italian materials", whatever that means. 

The short sleeved jerseys I have are 100% polyester, the long sleeved one has 10% spandex. Many months of wearing and washing hasn't affected them. I then bought a Rapha jersey, ex-display so nowhere near full price. What exotic material did it use to justify being double the RRP? The majority is polyester except for the stripe on one sleeve, which is 88% nylon and 12% Elastane. It could be the zip, it doesn't look like an expensive alloy though. In fact, the Rapha jersey doesn't have the grip tap around the bottom like the D2D has; it's just at the back, so you could say it's not as high spec. To access their high tech offerings I'd need to spend at least an extra 50%. I can't comment on it's longevity, it doesn't look different or fit better than to the jerseys I already own. If it wasn't discounted I wouldn't have bought it.

No-one is going to loan or give me clothing to compare, so I'll just have to pass judgement based on limited experience of the clothing available. I'm sure their racing kit is very high tech and consumes much R&D, but I'm not after every advantage, to save seconds on my rides. I just want comfortable, long lasting, affordable cyclewear. I'm not convinced paying so much has enough advantages

Now for my cycling week.

Monday; a bank holiday and really nice weather. Best of all a ride to a cafe in Westerham to meet Matt. I arrived just before him so ordered and took a seat. I was was very relaxed, and feeling great. 

Matt arrived and we chatted over breakfast. Deli Di Luca is a friendly place to spend half an hour catching up. It would have been even better without a few wasps, attracted by Matt's cake. I know they do a great job in the garden; but why do they have such a bad attitude all the time?

Tuesday; the Waller Lane loop on the mountain bike. On the return leg, up Waller Lane two people wished me luck getting to the top. I wasn't struggling, I guess my default expression is pained.

Two urban animals crossed my path, a fleet-footed fox and cool cat.

 

The second video shows why most urban walks are almost impossible for Marcia and myself without using a car. The pavements are blocked by thoughtless parkers. We couldn't travel by foot and wheelchair down most side roads and even some more major ones. We are forced to drive.

The rest of the week; because I'm sure you don't need a day-by-day report. 

I'm getting faster each time I ride up Waller Lane. People are still a mixture of surprised, disbelieving and impressed at my attempt.

A pic from the week.

The weekend came around and I could just squeeze in a longer ride on Saturday to Eynsford. It took me back to my childhood, we would regularly visit during the summer. Eating sandwiches on the banks of the river and splashing around in the ford. We would also bring boats my dad had made, careful not to let go of them, lest they be dragged under the bridge.

And a picture as well. No, I didn't ride through it.

Some ducks.

And finally a great way to end the week, cycling to the churchyard to meet Matt. There was a rumour Phil would be there; it's been years since he attended a club ride. Matt had bumped into him near Westerham on Saturday. But he he didn't appear, a shame.

Dream Job

 I'll be working with Marilyn again on the collaboration for the online clothes retailer.

I have posted a lot on the subject of being a full time photographer. I mentioned the different fields and my thoughts on how difficult it would be to break into them, the risks and my unwillingness to take those risks at the moment.

Then whilst out cycling with my NVL co-member I mentioned that a picture I tweeted of a bottle of Red Stripe beer I had been drinking whilst in Jamaica had got a reaction from the brewers. They only said great picture. But it was enough for Matt to say, "expect a message from them offering an all expenses paid trip to Jamaica. A tour of the brewery and a job offer to become their official photographer." I have already mentioned an unlikely job opportunity in my last post. That of a portrait photographer commissioned to travel with a wealthy family to photograph their holiday. The Red Stripe fantasy is much the same. I would spend time visiting the places in the Caribbean where Red Stripe is sold. Producing their promotional material. What a great life that would be. Combined with the family portrait travels.

How often do those types of opportunities come up?

I guess I'm waiting for that big break, or that one situation that will take my photography to the next level. If I keep moving forward, creating my own luck you could say. Then it's only a matter of time before it pays off.

I am in the early stages of a collaboration that could be the step up I'm looking for. It's with an online clothes retailer. They aren't very big at the moment. But that could change. They have been let down in the past by photographers and models. At first it won't be paid. I know what you're thinking. But this could be that chance. We have discussed models, locations, themes and clothing. So fingers crossed. Stay tuned for more news. 

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