Fingerless cycling gloves, ideal for summer rides

If you prefer your cycle clothes to include gloves, to protect your palms and to improve your grip, summer can present a bit of a problem, as wearing full finger cycling glovesin hot weather is sticky and uncomfortable. Fingerless cycling gloves are the answer to this issue, as you still have the palm protection and the extra grip, but your fingers stay cool. Most types of gloves come in full or fingerless versions, so you don’t have to get used to a whole new feel every time the weather changes.Whatever the weather it is really not a good idea to go gloveless, especially if you are cycling on terrain which makes an accidental spill a possibility. Even fingerless gloves can give you quite a good degree of protection from grazes and if your training regime is quite tightly timetabled, you won’t want to lose any time off the road while you nurse injured palms or knuckles back to health. When you shop for your fingerless gloves you will be amazed at the huge range available and you will certainly find that you will be able to match the feel and specifications of your normal full gloves or mitts from the fingerless range.

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Some fingerless gloves are pretty basic leather models but going a little upmarket there are all kinds of extras available. Padding for the heel of the hand is pretty standard, but then you get into the realms of air cooled palms, strengthened panels for better grip and an absorbent strip on the back of the glove for wiping away sweat from your face. Suddenly, gloves don’t sound like quite such a basic piece of kit after all.

As with most other pieces of cycling clothing, it is really vital that you keep your gloves clean by frequent washing. It is a totally false economy to make do with only one pair and swill them through when you have a moment. Have at least three pairs; one to wear, one as a spare pair and one in the wash. This way, the one in the wash can be gently hand washed and allowed to dry naturally – there is nothing worse for any man-made fibre, especially when synthetic leather is part of the mixture, than being dried on the top of a radiator or even (worse still) in the tumble drier.

Cycling wear the ideal stocking fillers for a Christmas surprise.

You really want to buy them a little surprise, something to wear when cycling this Christmas, but it can be so difficult. They maybe fussy about style or you may not have the faintest idea where to even start. There is the added problem of size as well as style, so what to buy is the possibly best place to start.

All cyclists should have their basic kit these are likely to include a helmet, padded cycling shorts, a short sleeve jersey, socks, shoes and cycling gloves, possibly fingerless for summer months and a helmet, padded cycling tights, long sleeve jersey, full finger gloves and a jacket for the winter months. Many cyclists fail abysmally when it comes to accessorising for a bike ride, so this is one area where you look buy a little Christmas surprise.

Normally cyclists will be quite talkative about their rides, how far they have travelled, who they went with and where they stopped for refreshments. It should be fairly easy without raising suspicion to casually slip into the conversation questions about keeping warm on and off the bike. From the answers you can build a basic picture of where they are feeling cold or even pain. With a few simple answers there is a host of stocking fillers to suit the rider.

Let us first look at feeling the cold starting at the head and neck, the head can get very cold because and the trusty cycling helmet is ventilated to allow heat to escape. Most riders will feel wind chill on their face, nose and neck. While obvious solution to this may seem like a scarf there are better options. A balaclava or ski mask produced in a lightweight stretchy nylon or polyester will probably give the best protection against the elements, the down side is you can look like you are a member of a terrorist organisation. Or there is a Buff, a Buff, a Buff sells for under £15 and is a tube of stretchy nylon and polyester and it is usually worn as a neck scarf but can easily be manipulated into anything from a bandana to a balaclava. Another option that is proving quite popular is a beanie hat that has a draw string on top, by simply loosening the string this can be pulled over the head converting to a neck scarf.

Moving to the arms, these can get cold simply because when cycling usually more than seventy five percent of the energy is down to the legs and lower body. Therefore, the handiest piece of kit a cyclist can have has to be arm warmers, these are polyester or nylon tubes in a stretchy warm spandex type material. They are very easy to store in pockets and easy to put on and take off. They are also very handy in the summer months when the sun starts to set and a chill creeps into the air.
And now we come to legs, the legs are the power house when it come to cycling and when they get cold they can cramp. Many cyclists will wear cycling shorts even through the winter months and even normal spandex type cycling tights won’t always stop the wind biting. The simple answer is to leg warmers made from a heavier fleecy lycra type material such as D-Robax. These work exactly same way as arm warmers but on the legs there is the added advantage of preventing cramps by keeping the working muscles warm and compressed.

The hands are another area where a cyclist can particularly feel the cold and the obvious answer is gloves. There are many glove options, but the big factor to consider in the winter is wind chill, therefore it is wise to look for a glove which is protecting the back of the hand with a windproof fabric while still allowing breathability between fingers. When it comes to the feet a warmer pair of socks is often the answer, however if there is also the option of overshoes for roadies or for mountain bikers Sealskinz socks can really keep the feet dry and warm.

Cyclists, men in tights

Metis Xpandx Bib Tights with G.Tex Pad

I don’t know why but the words Lycra, Xpandx, Spandex seem to bring out worst in our subconscious. Obviously the thought of the elasticised form hugging properties combined with the smooth silky feel must send subliminal messages to the brain. Even when trying to subdue the image you hear in your head the male cyclist jokingly refer to his Spandex cycling shorts or Lycra cycling tights as “budgie smugglers”. It is true to say that Lycra, Xpandx and Spandex can be very revealing and generally don’t look good on men or women with, let’s say, a fuller figure. But the benefit of the material always far outweighs the fashion statement you’re not making, especially when it comes to cycling.
While many sportsmen wear Lycra or Spandex, cycling is a road sport which puts the cyclist and his bright coloured skin tight attire right in the eye of the unsuspecting public, thus making cyclists the butt of many spandex innuendos. Seasoned cyclists won’t think twice about putting on their bright form hugging cycling shorts and tights but newbie’s to the sport, especially those with a fuller figure will often think twice before they venture out.

With winter on the horizon many a would-be Mark Cavendish will want to continue their summer cycling routines into the colder weather. This will undoubtedly mean wrapping up more to keep the body temperature constant and preventing muscle cramps. This is when a good quality set of Xpandx tights will become an essential part of cycling attire. The tight fitting garment will not only help with the retention of body heat, the compression qualities is claimed to help improve peripheral circulation in your leg muscles by aiding removal of blood lactate.

When the real cold winter weather sets in it is wise to consider warmer fabrics such as D-Robax or Super Roubaix, these still have the same body hugging compression qualities as Xpandx but are thicker and incorporate a fine inner fleece which captures and retains pockets of heat from the body while still allowing excess moisture to evaporate. One variation of tights that is worth a mention is bib tights; whilst they do basically the same job they can offer additional shelter to the stomach and lower back and the shoulder straps mean they should never fall down.

Don’t ever let the stigma associated with Lycra put you off wearing it, it’s wise to layer up in colder weather so if you need to cover up wear a pair of baggy shorts over tights or a baggy jersey on top of compression tops.

Making the Most of Mountain Biking |

Making the Most of Mountain Biking |.

Wrap up for winter cycling

Mountain Bike in Wensleydale

A customer emailed us with a question: “Hi, Got the jacket and cycling gloves so I could wear the jacket on my Saturday ride but was really fighting to stay warm (16c 20mph wind). I was wearing a heavy base layer and the wind was coming straight through the jacket and if not for the base layer I would have been really cold. So my question is have I purchased the wrong jacket type for my winter cycling as it will get a lot colder over the coming weeks”.

The customer had actually bought a jersey with a full length zip, not a jacket, and with the best will in the world a jersey is not designed to do the work of a jacket. I know that many cyclists wear a full zip jersey as an additional layer but when it comes to wind and rain they will also have the added protection of a rain or wind jacket. When winter sets in it is important to have the right balance of clothing for cycling. This can mean many things to many people for example on Friday afternoon 21st October my brother in law and I decided to take a mountain bike ride. Our route started from Castle Bolton in Wensleydale towards Askrigg then over the hill to Swaledale and along Apedale Road back to Castle Bolton. On the first leg we travelled along the northern slopes of Wensleydale in a westerly direction head on into north westerly winds of 25mph, while the temperature was suppose to 12 to 15 degrees Celsius the wind chill factor would have reduced that significantly. However cycling into the wind means we were burning more body heat.

To cover my torso I was wearing a full sleeved Xpandx base layer under a short sleeved summer jersey and a wind proof gilet on my bottoms I wore a ¾ length baggy cycling shorts, on my feet waterproof Sealskinz socks with cycling shoes and full finger gloves to protect the hands . My brother in law wore two layers of jersey and a wind proof jacket to cover his torso, full length cycling tight under baggy shorts to cover his lower regions, Sealskinz socks with cycling shoes on his feet and to save his hands from cold windproof gloves. I also carried a compact waterproof jacket in my bag in case of rain.

While we would never make the cycling wear fashion statement, the important thing is neither of us felt the cold while on the move.

Rosella Ratto in Deko Cycling Wear

Rossella Ratto was born on October 20, 1993 in Moncalieri near Turin, Italy. Like her brothers who are professional cyclists, she decided to become a cyclist when she was a child. At the age of five Rossella was used to spending all the days a lot of time in cycling wear on her bike and during important cycling competitions such as “Tour de France” and “Giro d’Italia” she loved to watch them on TV.

She won her first competition, which was an a mountain bike, and then she started her adventure on road. Enjoying herself a lot both during competitions and trainings, she made progresses and she managed to also win male competitions. In 2006 she took part in her first national championship at which she won the bronze medal and at the end of the season she collected twelve victories.

The following year she won fourteen times and she obtained the silver medal in the national road championship. In 2008 although Rossella changed category she got very good results: thirteen victories of which the most important is the “Coppa Rosa”, a traditional and prestigious national race for young cyclists of 15 and 16 years old, the silver in the time trial national championship and the bronze in the road national championship. After a lot of medals in the national championships, in 2009 at last she won her first tricolour jersey with the time trial competition in the city of Imola and she wrote for the second times her name on the roll of honor of the “Coppa Rosa”. In 2010 she changed category and became a juniors.

She took part in her first internationals competitions. She obtained two bronze medals in the time trial and in the road national championships. She entered in the roster of the Italian national team and went up to the third step of the European podium in Ankara (Turkey) and won the silver medal in the road world championship in Offida (Italy). In the end, she won the last race of the 2010 season leading the pack in the final sprint, in San Secondo Parmense, Italy.

How can mountain bikers endure the British climate?

Ah, the good old British weather, it’s always a topic for conversation, especially if you spend your weekends on a mountain bike. Whatever the time of year, one thing you can depend upon is the changeability of the British climate. So, what cycling clothing should you be packing for that cross country ride?

The whole point of a mountain bike is to ascend then descend steep and difficult terrain, a typical 300 metre climb, according to weather experts, will see a typical reduction in the air temperature of 3 degrees centigrade. This in theory is fine because as you climb your body temperature will also rise a few degrees so in one should cancel out the other. If only!

In reality there are a multitude of things to consider before you pack your clothing. Even in the height of summer when there’s not could in the sky an early morning start in the valley as the sun is low could start off fairly chilly but as it reaches the afternoon it can become really hot. In winter the wind chill can really cutting, especially as you leave the shelter of forests or reach the open summit. Autumn and spring can bring a concoction of weather conditions with huge and sudden variations of temperature. And let’s not forget the good old dependable British rain.

There is no two ways about it; because you are burning energy you are going to get hot on a ride. So does it not make sense to dress so as to not feel the cold? There is really no right answer as to what to wear, after all we all have our individual styles, but there are simple defences you can apply cheaply. Leg warmers and arm warmers for example are great and inexpensive additions to your kit, they are very easy to carry too. A waterproof gilet can be purchased fairly cheaply, it will not only give you basic protection from light rain it can save you from a uncomfortable soaking from mud splashes thrown from your wheels after a storm. Even a basic cycling jacket can be used as an additional layer as the evening sun sets.

Cycling clothing advice for the summer

So, you’ve bought your new bike! With your suspension forks and a gazillion gears you are ready to put on your shorts and tee-shirt to cycle the bridleways, disused train lines and forests of the United Kingdom, maybe stopping off for quick refresher at the local pub or cafe on route. Just imagine those hot sunny days and Idyllic long warm evenings cycling into the sunset with your bike and a few friends. Ah perfect!

Unfortunately your dream of the perfect cycle ride can be easily quashed by some very simple factors. The changeable British weather or simple case saddle soreness for example can ruin a potentially great ride out. Fortunately wearing the correct cycling clothing is the simplest way of preventing major discomfort.
No matter where you ride the British weather at sometime is going to catch you out, whether it’s a typical summer shower or a chill settling in on a warm evening the correct cycling attire will always keep fairly comfortable. Good quality cycling clothes are produced using fibres that are designed to retain body heat while allowing perspiration to wick out and disperse quickly on the surface, keeping you dryer and therefore cooler. Whilst there is no way to avoid getting wet the odd summer shower wearing this style of clothing means you will dry many times quicker than the equivalent produced in say a cotton fibre.
When the sun starts to set and the chill sets in you will again find that the fibres used in quality cycling wear will retain your body heat, particularly when you are on the move. Because the clothes are light and compact it is fairly easy to pack and extra base layer, jersey or gilet (type of sleeveless jersey).
When it comes to leg wear the preferred summer attire for the cyclist is shorts. Cycling shorts come in two main categories, tight Spandex shorts and Baggy Shorts. While tight shorts are defiantly more comfortable to cycle in they don’t look too good in the country pub, as a little too much embarrassing bulge can show. So, the Baggy type short is often first choice for the social cyclist.

The leg length is also down to preference; above the knee or below the knee, wear the cycling shorts you feel more comfortable in. Quality Cycling Shorts fibres have the same heat retaining and perspiration wicking properties mentioned earlier, but more importantly should also come with a chamois to protect your sit bones. Coolmax chamois are the preferred protection for all Terrain cycling shorts as they are designed to wick away the perspiration that causes chafing while protecting the sit bone. To gain the maximum comfort you should not wear underwear between the Coolmax chamois and your skin, as this will prevent the chamois from wicking away perspiration, thus causing you discomfort and chafing.

Don’t let discomfort spoil your cycle ride, visit us at www.encove.co.uk for the best deals on our exclusive Terrain Cycle Wear