| Top tips for staying warm and comfortable in the best performance bicycle clothing
Many people ask me what the secret is to comfortable padding, and the answer is not as you might think, in quantity but in quality. The padding in our men's shorts is contoured for a good fit, and perforated to help keep you cool. These days the padding is made from a special fabric which looks similar to the old fashioned 'chamois' leather, but is actually synthetic, with quick drying properties for better comfort, and easy to wash and care for. Women's padding is CD Special Soft Seamless padding, which molds to your shape as you sit upon your saddle, and has been found to be the best solution for comfortable cycling for very many women.
Cycling shorts, padded underwear and cycle tights must be snug enough to hold the padding snuggly in place so that it doesn't move about. If shorts are too loose the padding will shuffle about with the pedaling action, and either crease or move out of position. Either will cause chafing and make you sore. In the summer when the weather is warm and comfortable (!) a top can be a loosish fit which suits most people. It doesn't want to be too loose or it will flap about in the breeze. However, in the winter, close fitting layers will give much better insulation, and prevent cold air from 'flushing' down the inside of the garment.
Wearing a combination of thin layers works very well towards keeping your body comfortable whilst exercising. The reason for this is that it is much easier to adjust the total amount of warmth you get from your clothing if you can add or remove one thin layer at a time to get the optimum insulation. For this reason most of our clothing is moderately light weight, and when used in various different combinations will ensure your best comfort and therefore a more enjoyable ride. Your wrists are a vitally important part of your body to protect from cold.
Keeping them warm will go a long way to keeping your hands warm & comfortable, and indeed the rest of your body. For this reason our long sleeve tops and jackets have very generous cuffs, with a double layer of fabric. This helps to ensure your best comfort and therefore a more enjoyable ride.
The special fabrics used for performance sportswear, and particularly chosen for our cycle range, have a technical property called 'Wicking'. This means moisture (seat) is absorbed by the inside of the fabric, and transferred to the outside surface where it will quickly evaporate. This means the garment dries out quickly, and you the wear stay more comfortable. Such fabrics also tend to stay relatively warm whilst they are damp.
What is the best way to care our Performance CycleWear? The happy answer is: 'The easy way'. It is my firm belief that sportswear must be easy to care for, so all our soft fabrics can machine washed, spun, tumbled and or line dried. They need no special treatments, and no special washing powders. Just use your normal coloured's powder or liquid, the clothing responds quite happily. One last point though: Do Not Use Fabric Conditioners! These make fabrics more water absorbent, and with our high wicking, quick drying fabrics, we are trying to make the garments as water un-absorbent as possible. (This applies to all sportswear)
So there you have it! Corinne Dennis is a long standing expert in the comforts of high performance cycle clothing. for more information please go to http://www.corinnedennis.co.uk/ |
| Author: Corinne Dennis |
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Author Bio:
Corinne Dennis is an expert on this subject. Corinne has written several articles in the past on this topic. |
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