Any suggestions for T-shirts/undershirts when cycling?

[LeicesterChris]

I've got a very general question about clothing - I enjoy cycling and walking, normally at quite a leisurely pace, and I use my bike for going shopping too. Although I have panniers for that, sometimes I just wear a backpack, which of course makes my back quite sweaty after a long ride or walk!

I bought a whole set of T-shirts designed for runners about 10 years ago, made of a wicking material - not sure what, though, as there aren't any labels on it. Acrylic? Polyester? These work brilliantly - in the summer, when I'm only wearing a T-shirt on top they might be a bit damp and sweaty, but they dry in minutes in the sun. In the winter, I wear a shirt over them, and they seem to work well without the top shirt getting soaked. They don't need ironing, and dry really quickly.

However, as these are now looking rather the worse for wear, I went to my local running shop for some more - and they don't do anything like that any more. It seems that shirts designed for running are a different sort of design now made of different materials that might be fine if I were a runner and not wearing anything else on top, but are useless for cycling, or walking, or any activity that involves additional layers. I bought one, it got soaked in sweat, and took hours to dry. The local running shop didn't seem to comprehend the concept of buying one of their products for anything other than running, and weren't able to offer any advice.

Given that I'm sure lots of forum members wear more than one layer - especially in winter, or if commuting - and possibly have the backpack issue too, what material would you recommend for a wicking, fast-drying T-shirt?

Thanks!

Chris.

[Oldjohnw]

Alkpit merino wool. Every time.

[mjr]

Probably bamboo. I've a few bits of bamboo clothing that seem to work well in hot weather. I do not like the feeling of merino by my skin.

Myself, I wear lots of cotton, including a nice Rapha thermal cotton T-shirt, but I don't sweat much, so that probably doesn't help you much.

A big problem of a lot of "technical" shirts is that they dump plastic microfibres into the water supply every wash, which isn't very nice.

[peterb]

Uniqlo 'Airism', or Dryex T shirts. Check your sizing. I buy close fitting.

[LeicesterChris]

Thanks for the replies, everyone - very helpful, and I'll check them out. That's a very interesting point about microfibres, too, so I'll bear that in mind.

[TrevA]

In spring and autumn, I wear Helly Hansen Dry vests under my cycling top. In winter, I wear either a Merino wool top, bought from Aldi or a similar Polyester vest, designed for skiing and made by Decthlon. These both get soaked in sweat, but are fine whilst I’m riding and I take them off as soon as I get home. In summer, I don’t wear a vest, just my short sleeve cycle top.

I made the mistake of wearing a cotton tee shirt once, got soaked in minutes and then became cold and clammy. Never again.

[mjr]

I made the mistake of wearing a cotton tee shirt once, got soaked in minutes and then became cold and clammy. Never again.

There is cotton and then there is cotton. After all, Coolmax and Polar Fleece are both polyester but you don't reject one because the other is the wrong thing for a particular task.

Probably not ideal for this, but it makes little sense to throw out a whole category of cloths solely on the behaviour of one particular member.

[Bmblbzzz]

I'd second the merino suggestion, and the Alpkit recommendation; good quality, reasonable price, and fairly conscience-endowed capitalism.

As to what you originally had, I'm going to take a wild guess and say it might have been polypropylene.

[Bonefishblues]

Patagonia Capilene - are you a medium kind of guy?

https://www.exxpozed.co.uk/herren-tshir ... nt=1324763

See also Patagonia Nine Trails if you can find them.

Similar, Asics wicking running undershirt, which may be the kind of thing you have?

https://www.sportsshoes.com/product/asi ... u-asi12038

[simonhill]

I made the mistake of wearing a cotton tee shirt once, got soaked in minutes and then became cold and clammy. Never again.

There is cotton and then there is cotton. After all, Coolmax and Polar Fleece are both polyester but you don't reject one because the other is the wrong thing for a particular task.

Probably not ideal for this, but it makes little sense to throw out a whole category of cloths solely on the behaviour of one particular member.

Sorry, not just one, because I don't like cotton for active use. I'm happy to wear a cotton tee under a fleece for casual use, but if 'working' and sweating it gets as Trev said - damp, clammy and potentially cold. This also applied for me in a normal shirt that I often wear when touring. Poly cotton dries quickly and OK, pure cotton not.

Maybe the finest linen is OK, but I don't usually have that, for me cotton is cotton (I don't understand your point about Coolmax and Polar - I use both).

[mjr]

(I don't understand your point about Coolmax and Polar - I use both).

Well, do you wear Polar Fleece to keep you cool on a hot day, and a wicking Coolmax T-shirt for warmth over a hiking shirt? If cotton is cotton then polyester is polyester, isn't it?

[slowster]

Like Bmblbzzz I suspect that your shirts were made of polypropylene. My impression is that there has been a distinct trend over the years of the function of some outdoor clothing being sacrificed to improve the appearance of the garment, e.g. old style fibre pile is superior to the fleeces that have largely replaced it (Buffalo still use fibre pile, and Helly Hansen still make fibre pile garments - the latter are sold under it's workwear brand and are both cheaper and much warmer than the more fashionable fleeces sold under the main brand through outdoor shops). Similarly the original Helly Hansen Lifa polypropylene underwear was more effective at wicking than the current versions, but at the penalty of looking scruffy (the fabric was prone to bobbling) and having the nickname 'Smelly Helly'. The newer smooth fabric Lifa looks better and doesn't pong after prolonged wear (or at least nowhere near as much as the original), but - like most other modern baselayers - is not as good at wicking as the original Lifa.

I think the best of the currently available base layers for fast drying/low water absorption and general comfort, including for those who sweat heavily or who are doing higher intensity riding/exercise, are the Brynje Super Thermo mesh polypropylene base layers.

Merino is a bad choice for a next to the skin layer for people who sweat heavily or who are doing higher intensity riding/exercise, but works reasonably well if worn over a Brynje mesh base layer, because the mesh holds the wool fabric away from the skin.

Unfortunately I think availability of Brynje Super Thermo tops is not good at the moment, and depending on your size you may struggle to find one in stock.

https://www.nordiclife.co.uk/collections/brynje/products/brynje-super-thermo-t-shirt?variant=941756975

There is also a version with a full fabric inlay in the shoulders, but I think they are only recommended for people carrying very heavy backpacks.

[Jamesh]

Look up technical T shirts.

They are quick drying and don't hold sweat.

How many times do I tell myself I'm just going out for an hour and the days T shirt (cannot remeber the last time I wore a shirt - well over a year!) On and I come back drenched after chasing sone roadie passing him before turning off to my house gasping like the mamil I really am!

Cheers James

[mattsccm]

Any old polyprop vest will do much the same thing. Just pick thickness, colour, marketing spiel to suit. Of course nowadays it has to be called a base layer. Silly me.
Wool, Merino wool if you are delicate , works nicely of you don't get too seaty but some of us find that it just stays soggy and cold.
If it's slashing down and you are really going to get wet fibre pile next to the skin works best.

[gcogger]

I agree with the last few posts - you need a synthetic base layer (polypropylene or polyester). Merino wool is not great against the skin if you sweat a lot, as it holds onto moisture more than synthetics, and takes a bit longer to dry. It can be very good over a synthetic base layer, though - the combination of the 2 materials tends to hold any moisture away from the skin.
I really wouldn't recommend cotton for active use (in any form) if you sweat a lot, as it really holds onto moisture and takes an age to dry (much worse than merino).