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Dressed to impress |
Down the street from my house is a local coffee shop and bakery called Runcible Spoon. Every weekend scores of cyclists make the hilly 30-mile trek from New York City, stopping at Runcible for much needed refueling. Lattes are guzzled, muffins are devoured, and fruit drinks abound.
High-end bikes crowd the streets, spilling over into sidewalks and doorways. Carbon fiber, titanium, aluminum, steel — it's all on display in the streets of my town. Ask the owners of these bikes what the most important component of efficient cycling is and they'll talk about shifters and debate trick materials. The word"Shimano" will pass countless lips, as will the term "aero."
Few cyclists, if any, will mention the most important component (besides proper nutrition and hydration): their clothes. Take the best cyclist and dress him in ill-fitting clothing that traps moisture and fails to maintain body temperature and you have a cyclist sitting on the side of the road, gasping for breath.
Why Clothing Is Key
Besides mere comfort, cycling clothing serves some very specific purposes: protecting the cyclist from the elements, supporting muscles, providing moisture transfer, and enabling the body to operate at its limited peak temperatures.
Ill-fitting jerseys and shorts rub terribly and cause nasty irritations and blisters. With so much to do, it's no wonder that cycling clothing costs so much. Good clothing is available from any number of companies, but so too is some poorly made clothing. To make matters worse, a garment that fits perfectly on one rider may chafe another terribly in some rather private places.
Selecting clothing is part detective work, part trial and error. Many cyclists find a brand that fits and stay with it, while others experiment, relegating the least comfortable products to shorter rides.
Quality construction, proper fit, and a technical fabric with wicking properties and a suitable weight for the riding conditions are all hallmarks of a good piece of clothing. While major labels such as Cannondale, Pearl Izumi, Canari, and others make some great clothes, no garment is "one style fits all." Experimentation is the key.
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