Clothing for cycle touring Northern Europe in Summer
Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 11:32 pm
Hi all,
I am planning to do a cycle tour around northern Europe and Scandinavia during June-July next year (northern Germany, Denmark, southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Estonia) (also considering doing France and Germany during April-May). I'll be covering around 60-70km a day, 4-5 days a week, for about 6 weeks riding on a leather saddle (most likely a Brooks B17 or Flyer). Not quite sure what I should be looking at as far as cycle clothing goes, after reading a number of touring journals, forums etc there seems to be a mix between people who wear casual/normal clothing, disguised/low impact (shy/baggy shorts with padded liner and technical t-shirts/casual jerseys) or full cycling kit (cycle nicks/bib and jersey).
Temps will be mild, with around ~20 degrees Celsius average during the days, and around ~10 degrees at night. Fairly warm as far as this region goes, but still quite cool for a guy who grew up in northern WA which has 'winters' with 30 degree days and 15 degree nights. Ideally I would be looking for something that is comfortable, breathable, wicks away sweat, doesn't get smelly (less to carry and don't have to wash daily).
My thinking is the 'stealth' cycling apparel approach; to wear baggy/touring cycling shorts (e.g. Ground Effect SuperTankers or Juggernauts, or Rapha Touring Shorts) with a padded mesh underliner (e.g. Ground Effect Underdogs or Rapha Merino Boxers) and couple that with a long sleeve cycle jersey, using quality material such as Merino wool as much as possible (e.g. Ground Effect Berglar or Submerino).
Hopefully with this approach I should be able to get away with 1x (or maybe 2x) shorts, 2x underliner and 2x top. Combine this with a quality waterproof cycling jacket (still researching this; shortlisting Ground Effect and Showers Pass options) and I should be good for most weather conditions whilst keeping baggage load minimal and also looking respectable enough to be able to stop off at the shops/store without looking like a cyclist or a vagrant.
Not really sure if the Rapha shorts are worth the extra? The Ground Effect baggy shorts seem pretty decent feature/performance-wise and are a little cheaper. However on the other hand the Rapha shorts are a little more fashionable, and I know that they are quality as I own a pair of Rapha trousers. Both shorts are synthetic (Nylon) based. Or I could just wear some regular cotton shorts and combine it with some padded underliner for comfort in the saddle. Also with the underliner, I own a pair of the Rapha Merino boxers as they are very well designed and comfortable. I haven't owned the Ground Effect Underdogs, which are slightly cheaper than the Rapha alternative, but they are not made of Merino wool. Might be worth the few $$ extra for Merino over Lycra.
Thoughts? What do you wear on longer tours in mild climates?
I am planning to do a cycle tour around northern Europe and Scandinavia during June-July next year (northern Germany, Denmark, southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Estonia) (also considering doing France and Germany during April-May). I'll be covering around 60-70km a day, 4-5 days a week, for about 6 weeks riding on a leather saddle (most likely a Brooks B17 or Flyer). Not quite sure what I should be looking at as far as cycle clothing goes, after reading a number of touring journals, forums etc there seems to be a mix between people who wear casual/normal clothing, disguised/low impact (shy/baggy shorts with padded liner and technical t-shirts/casual jerseys) or full cycling kit (cycle nicks/bib and jersey).
Temps will be mild, with around ~20 degrees Celsius average during the days, and around ~10 degrees at night. Fairly warm as far as this region goes, but still quite cool for a guy who grew up in northern WA which has 'winters' with 30 degree days and 15 degree nights. Ideally I would be looking for something that is comfortable, breathable, wicks away sweat, doesn't get smelly (less to carry and don't have to wash daily).
My thinking is the 'stealth' cycling apparel approach; to wear baggy/touring cycling shorts (e.g. Ground Effect SuperTankers or Juggernauts, or Rapha Touring Shorts) with a padded mesh underliner (e.g. Ground Effect Underdogs or Rapha Merino Boxers) and couple that with a long sleeve cycle jersey, using quality material such as Merino wool as much as possible (e.g. Ground Effect Berglar or Submerino).
Hopefully with this approach I should be able to get away with 1x (or maybe 2x) shorts, 2x underliner and 2x top. Combine this with a quality waterproof cycling jacket (still researching this; shortlisting Ground Effect and Showers Pass options) and I should be good for most weather conditions whilst keeping baggage load minimal and also looking respectable enough to be able to stop off at the shops/store without looking like a cyclist or a vagrant.
Not really sure if the Rapha shorts are worth the extra? The Ground Effect baggy shorts seem pretty decent feature/performance-wise and are a little cheaper. However on the other hand the Rapha shorts are a little more fashionable, and I know that they are quality as I own a pair of Rapha trousers. Both shorts are synthetic (Nylon) based. Or I could just wear some regular cotton shorts and combine it with some padded underliner for comfort in the saddle. Also with the underliner, I own a pair of the Rapha Merino boxers as they are very well designed and comfortable. I haven't owned the Ground Effect Underdogs, which are slightly cheaper than the Rapha alternative, but they are not made of Merino wool. Might be worth the few $$ extra for Merino over Lycra.
Thoughts? What do you wear on longer tours in mild climates?