This Space for Rent

I find http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cycling/MensClothing/PantsTights/PRD~5023-196/mec-adanac-tights-mens.jsp are pretty good; no pockets as such, but no chamy, either. Various “board short” articles are basically a collection of pockets done in durable nylon fabrics, and you could wear something like that over tights? (My take on pockets is that they belong on the bike; anything in a pocket will start to chafe something fierce after awhile.)

Those look like they’re designed as rain/cool weather tights, though, which is not what I’m looking for. If it’s rainy and cool, the combination of my +4s and ¾ths length wool underwear works well. It’s the hot sunny days where I’m trying to keep up with the fast guys that the +4s plus underwear doesn’t work as well.

Ah, ok, sorry, brain leak. (And-or a complete refusal on the part of my brain to form a coherent thought about cycling long distances dressed in wet wool!)

The best warm-weather tights I’ve found are http://www.coolibar.com/03507.html which aren’t cycling tights at all, but do stop the sun and aren’t warm. Absolutely necessary to wear shorts over them for modesty and mechanical wear reasons.

MEC’s runner’s jerseys – http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/RunningAndFitness/MensClothing/TShirtsTanksTops/PRD~5018-386/mec-vector-long-sleeved-t-mens.jsp – are similarly not-warm, sun-protective, and long-sleeved. I normally cycle in one of those shirts and cycling shorts and fuss about sun protection vs. thermal balance for my legs.

The light-leg-warmers-and-shorts approach works pretty well for me up to moderately warm temperatures if I can get leg warmers that aren’t that warm and will stay on my legs. (I have a “thicker legs than the maker planned for” issue with leg warmers.) Which is sometimes; depends a lot on the current style trend.

If it is warm, I go with http://www.neutrogena.com/product/ultra+sheer+dry-touch+sunblock+spf+100-.do?sortby=ourPicks&page=2

It’s good stuff, meaning notably less unpleasant than being slathered with lard and it works to keep me from changing colour at all, never mind burning, which (for a very pale person who was on photo-sensitivity-increasing medication for years) is an accomplishment.

My notion of “warm” starts around 22 C, though, so my bias against the modern technical fabric semi-hipster activity pant might not apply for you; there’s a lot of highly durable stretch nylon fabric stuff with pockets out there, some in ¾ length, that I think of as hopelessly warm, but which almost must be much cooler than wool. Won’t generally be sold as a cycling pant, but they do usually have pockets.

I think that layering synthetics under pants would not work very well due to them preserving dead air space. And also because in my experience synthetics stink after a long day out (my +4s are mainly nylon, and after a fast or hot 200 they smell as if a skunk zombie crawled inside them and exploded; my windvest also has a synthetic “microfiber” collar liner which reeks if I sweat even a drop while I’ve got the neck zipped up) while wool does not.

David, I’ve found that the base layer sold (brand name “Paradox”) at that infamous cycling outlet, Costco, works quite well for wet/dry temps below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. from my BF Pocket Rocket

I haven’t found any problem with layering +4s over woolen underwear for colder weather (though I did end up putting on knee-length socks when it got down to 30°F on the night of the flèche) but I have found it to be a problem on hot days when I’m trying to go nowhere as fast as possible. (I could use thin woolen underwear, but they tend to creep upwards unfortunately if the Smartwool microweight pairs I’ve got are any indication.)

The Endura Humvee cycling knickers w/liner, which snaps out, have pockets. Universal Cycles on SE 22nd and Burnside (I think) carries them. I have the girl version; the guy version is better. Ventilation, pockets… what’s not to like?

MTB cycling shorts are baggy, with pockets. Go spend some time at Universal Cycles :-)

For most of the ride I wore a ss wool jersey and cycling shorts.

Shoes - the Pearl Izumis which look like sneakers are pretty comfortable and have a nice stiff, but very walkable sole. My 5+ year old PIs gave it up a couple months ago, and I am really pleased with the replacements.

I’ve looked at the Endura stuff, and they sound like they’d have the same warm-weather problems as my existing Chrome +4s do, plus I don’t really like the MTB baggy+cargo pockets look. Now if I was going to get something bike-specific, I’d want something like the Ibex bike shorts, but without the chamois. I suppose I could just buy the Ibex thing, then unstitch and discard the chamois, but I’d be afraid that I’d discover than Ibex took advantage of the chamois to hide seams that would otherwise crunch into parts of me that I REALLY don’t want to crunch into me.

I’ve actually got an old pair of Specialized mountain shoes that were too small for me when my blood pressure was high and which might be a reasonable fit now that my heart isn’t teetering on the brink of an explosion. I decided to frivol some of my REI dividend on a set of eggbeaters (and a half size larger pair of Shimano mountain shoes) so I’ll be playing with those on the project bike and/or xtracycle after they arrive.

I fly non-chamois too. For me, Devold wool boxer briefs from Riv don’t creep while riding while a pair of Patagonia boxer briefs does creep. I have some lightweight poly REI shorts (not too baggy) that I’ll probably wear with the Devolds for summer rides. This system worked well last summer although it’s not as aero as bike shorts.

Just as a general comment, I used to ride with some truly hefty guys. You are nowhere close. Tights are a good thing, really.