Clothing Advice

[MaXX99]

Hey Everyone,

I'm looking to ramp up my bike clothing a bit since most of my gear is either used to the bone or not fit for MTB use (In a far away past I used to be more of a roadie). I'm living in Belgium so weather conditions are similar to UK/Scotland.
I recently already purchased following:

• Northwave X-Celcius Artic GTX
• Craft Fuseknit Comfort Thermoshirt
• Craft Fuseknit Comfort Thermobroek
• Craft Keep Warm Zip Mockneck

I will be using my gear for everyday commuting on the speed pedelec (45kph) and on my analog MTB during the weekend.
I was mainly looking into the Endura MT500 Waterproof II product range due to very good reviews, waterproofing, breathability and durability (if taken proper care of).
However, none of the LBS do stock Endura, or do not have the required sizes on display, so I'm going to have to rely on personal experiences and order different sizes & models, especially since I'm a rather stocky build (1m83 / 100 kg - 6ft / 220,5 lb) and sizing guides tend to differ between brands and models ... Some reviews say the jacket tends to be boxy, whereas other tend to say to size up. I'm guessing I would have to go XXL or XXXL there but would like to avoid ordering half a container of clothing just to try Besides the trousers only go up to XXL ... I should lose some weight again (I hope ) when returning back to the office and biking to work though.


I will be needing some more gear later on, but those two items are my top priority to keep warm and dry.

 

[steve_sordy]

Unless I am buying something I have had before that I know works, I tend to ignore brands and instead pay attention to performance. For clothing next to the skin I only buy it if it is made from a "wicking" fabric. In other words it transports sweat from your skin through the fabric to the next layer.

External clothing has to have a Durable Water Repellent coating (DWR). I mostly prefer a windproof that has a DWR as it keeps me dry most of the year and is also exceptionally breathable. Breathability is so important.

Waterproof jackets have to be waterproof enough to be able to support a column of water at least 10,000 mm high without leaking, although 20,000mm is preferable. I have not found anything more to be necessary, but I live in the UK.

Waterproof jackets also have to be breathable and here the higher the better. Breathability is measured by how much water vapour in grams will pass through one square meter of fabric per 24 hours. A just about acceptable level is 10,000gm/m2/24hrs. Much better is 20,000, although Endura do a jacket in their MT500 range that claims 65,000! I have a waterproof that is rated 20,000 on both waterproof and breathability scales and I have yet to find it wanting. I have tried lesser levels of breathability and I will no longer go below 20,000 gm/m2/24hrs.

Better brands also promise how long the DWR coating will last "90% of performance after 60 washes" for example.

When my DWR kit gets mucky, I prefer to wash in water without any soap or detergent (deffo NO detergent!). Washing in water alone brings them up nice and clean without affecting the DWR coating. But eventually, you will need to clean and then even later reproof. In which case I use Nikwax products, although there are many alternatives.