Non-plastic MTB Clothing

[SquireRides]

I prefer cotton in summer, merino all year round. I find i need some synthetic materials, but it's a case of choosing carefully what to wear. If it's going to be wet, I usually end up in synthetic shorts and either a synthetic top (if its warm) or jacket (if its cold).

I have been tempted to get one of those fancy ventile jackets, but haven't felt spendy enough.

IceBreaker has proven to be good merion t-shirts (acknowledging they do contain a % of nylon for durability). I also really like Howies stuff - Good cotton t-shirts, but they seem to have stopped doing the merino ones.

What about bamboo? Seems to have similar properties (and price!) to merino. Have had several pairs of bamboo socks and they are lovely, but durability seems to be a bit of an issue.

PS. Eco is important but I am more driven by feeling comfortable, looking ok, and not sounding like a rustling bin bag when i move.

 

[Pyr0]

I like bamboo, merino and cotton, I can wear nylon and polypropylene too, but not a fan of polyester because as others have mentioned, it smells awful after wearing it. I've thrown polyester t-shirts away before because they stink.
And no, i'm not wearing them multiple times, they get washed after each use.

 

[Gary]

No....more fullbody effort will be used, to get the desired fun out of it.
This is a common misunderstanding

Unless you're riding trials on your 52lb mobility bike.
Don't kid yourself.

 

[Pdoz]

Well, considering the sheep are sheared with elecric clippers that may be powered by a coal fired power station (or not) and usually baled in nylon based bales, transported to auction in diesel trucks, transported from auction in diesel trucks, shipped to the manufacturer mostly in diesel powered ships, processed in mills that are usually not all that eco friendly, that packaged in plastic bags and shipped off to the wholesaler/retailer .... well, not that eco friendly.

Now, if you were to buy some home-made stuff right off a craft farm you will probably find it much more green ....... but it will also cost you a lot more green.

Bugrit, there's an alpaca farm just up the road and they spin their own fabric. So if I charge the emtb using my solar array , should I feel guilty about the tyre particles left on the road when I stop to buy my new riding apparel ? It's either that, or whip out the bow and kill a few snakes for their skins.....the frogs will thank me.

 

[Gary]

Lol, right? I wear my work boots and jeans while riding, but found I was getting lots of small grit in my shoes--so I made the next mistake, I bought MTB shoes that have closed tops that (hopefully) keep the crap out. And, when I ride up the hill looking like I stepped out of flea market all these punk kids with their fascist uniform kit makes me feel like some kind of alien. GD marketing guys winning again, creating all kinds of demand for unnecessary consumption!

Don't blame marketing guys or kids for you're own lack of confidence.
I ride in jeans, Vans and a cotton t shirt a lot too.
I rock that look like a boss like I do whatever I'm wearing. But I couldn't GAF what kids or marketing employees think.

Ps. Do your workshoes have rubber soles? My point being rubber and plastic share the same polymer make up

this plastic contamination thing is a thing in our household now.

Your household sounds a lot of fun

 

[steve_sordy]

I like natural fibres too. But I react badly to Merino and Merino mixes over about 25%. For a lot of my travel and day to day I wear silk, which has the benifits of Merino and is lighter. Incredible for travel and hiking. Might be good on the bike too.

Silk Clothing for Women, Men & Baby by SilkBody | SilkLiving

The home of the best silk clothing by Silk Body. Full range of silk dresses, tops, underwear, cardigans and jackets. Also silk baby and children's clothing.

www.silkliving.com

Gordon

I read somewhere that the troops of Genghis Kahn used to wear silk shirts under their armour (bamboo, leather, nothing?) The silk was so strong that although the arrow pierced the wearer's body, the silk was not. If they pulled on the silk, the arrow would come out cleanly because the silk stopped the barbs on the arrows from digging in to the flesh. Think about that the next time you fall off at speed into the bushes.

 

[steve_sordy]

Wtf is Merino?

There is a breed of sheep in New Zealand called Merino. NZ is renowned for its rainfall on the west cost and lots of grass. Lots of grass = lots of sheep. The Merino sheep has a fleece made from hollow fibres. The hollow fibres keep the sheep warm even if the fleece is wet, which in NZ is most of the time.

 

[Mikerb]

The point is all of this type of research is funded......and if you check who is funding it you often know the outcome ! One of the biggest industry sectors currently is Renewable Energy. They fund research to undermine the oil industry, to blame co2 for everything from global warming to cancer and infertility. Multiply that by every commercial lobby you can think of and you get a body of research that does little more than add to everyone's burden of worry and suggest the best way to live life is to stay in bed!

 

[tomato paste]

Don't blame marketing guys or kids for you're own lack of confidence.
I ride in jeans, Vans and a cotton t shirt a lot too.
I rock that look like a boss like I do whatever I'm wearing. But I couldn't GAF what kids or marketing employees think.

Ps. Do your workshoes have rubber soles? My point being rubber and plastic share the same polymer make up


Your household sounds a lot of fun

I think real rubber comes from a tree, but there is alot of stuff that states 'rubber' when its actually an oil product, usually PVC. AFAIK, rubber products have been dodo'd, but we're looking for them, especially jackets, let me know if you know a source!

 

[apac]

There is a breed of sheep in New Zealand called Merino. NZ is renowned for its rainfall on the west cost and lots of grass. Lots of grass = lots of sheep. The Merino sheep has a fleece made from hollow fibres. The hollow fibres keep the sheep warm even if the fleece is wet, which in NZ is most of the time.

At last a proper explanation. many thanks.

 

[Philly G]

There is a breed of sheep in New Zealand called Merino. NZ is renowned for its rainfall on the west cost and lots of grass. Lots of grass = lots of sheep. The Merino sheep has a fleece made from hollow fibres. The hollow fibres keep the sheep warm even if the fleece is wet, which in NZ is most of the time.

Merino are also very big in Australia (the breed originated in Spain, so I'm sure it will be farmed in the UK too). In general it does rain heaps on the West Coast of the South Island, but it is a lot drier on the East Coast. We are getting drought more frequently, up and down the country, as well as the West Coast, along with other extreme weather events caused by global warming. Heavy rain, slips and flooding up in Napier this past week. It's certainly not wet here most of the time, we're not like the UK

 

[steve_sordy]

@Philly G Merion is a Spanish breed! Wow, I never knew that. But as sheep are not native to NZ, I guess they had to have come from somewhere.
Digging deep into my Geography lesson about NZ from 57 years ago, there is a mountain range running down the east side of NZ quite close to the coast. This dumps all the moisture from the onshore winds, leaving only dry wind on the other side of the mountain range, which is why the East coast is drier. What I remember is the phrase "rain shadow" which is what the east coast is in. The only other thing I remembered about NZ from that time was Merino sheep, two big islands, and the Maoris. Nothing about earthquakes though.

 

[Philly G]

@steve_sordy your geography lesson has served you well! Yes it's the foehn wind, which gives us on the east coast a strong, hot, dry wind while its barrelling with rain on the west coast. The Southern Alps exist because of two tectonic plates colliding, there is a fault line up the middle of the country, hence the earthquakes. Our rugged geography certainly provides some epic riding locations!

 

[SquireRides]

So where do Polyester Sheep come from?

 

[Flatslide]

So where do Polyester Sheep come from?

Du Pont...

 

[Flatslide]

The point is all of this type of research is funded......and if you check who is funding it you often know the outcome ! One of the biggest industry sectors currently is Renewable Energy. They fund research to undermine the oil industry, to blame co2 for everything from global warming to cancer and infertility. Multiply that by every commercial lobby you can think of and you get a body of research that does little more than add to everyone's burden of worry and suggest the best way to live life is to stay in bed!

Shh, you'll give capitalism a bad name...

 

[pavelmatic]

@steve_sordy your geography lesson has served you well! Yes it's the foehn wind, which gives us on the east coast a strong, hot, dry wind while its barrelling with rain on the west coast. The Southern Alps exist because of two tectonic plates colliding, there is a fault line up the middle of the country, hence the earthquakes. Our rugged geography certainly provides some epic riding locations!

And I thought the Foehn only exists on the north side of the Euro Alps. Here it’ll just give you headaches...

 

[Farmernz]

all my riding gear is merino, apart from my shoes, pads and helmet. It's all various brands but all very good for our extreme climate, which ranges from -10 in winter to +35c in summer so the natural climate control abilities of merino are perfect, its warm when the day is cold and cool when it gets hot. It absorbs sweat and moisture so you don't feel wet , or cold and clammy after exercise. it also locks away odour. Its amazing characteristics haven't been able to be matched by synthetics. It is worn by astronauts on the international space station, mountaineers, adventurers, though to top fashion garments for its wrinkle free properties. The most comfortable shoes in the world (allbirds) as voted by time magazine are made from merino.
merino is very sustainable for the environment, it eats grass which promotes regrowth that absorbs carbon from the atmosphere and is sequestered back into the ground. Merinos could have been a solution to mitigating the large bush fires that consumed huge areas in california and Australia- they could have been lessened by grazing the rank overgrown pastures that have been destocked over time. merino sheep are a browsing animal that is perfectly suited to extensive areas including high country land scapes. Where i live they thrive in the exact terrain we love to ride our bikes in!, often having formed some of the single tracks we follow.
i understand there are some logistical and manufacturing impacts with natural fibres (as with all materials) but i feel they are so much better for our planet than the synthetic apparel that release micro plastics every time they go through the wash.
Now where did i put the carbon fibre bike catalogue.....

just a few of the many companies utilizing merino

Mons Royale - Performance Merino Apparel

Mons Royale creates more versatile merino, combining technical performance with style to make it wearable on or off the mountain.

monsroyale.com

Personalized Mountainbike jerseys in Merino Wool

www.soigneur.co.nz

Sustainable Merino Wool Clothing | icebreaker®

www.icebreaker.com

Abbigliamento termico sportivo uomo donna in lana merino

Scopri l'abbigliamento termico sportivo uomo donna Rewoolution prodotto in 100% lana merino ZQ. Termoregolante, controlla gli odori e temperatura corporea.

www.rewoolution.it

 

[Philly G]

@Farmernz agree 100%! Thanks for the links, a couple there I hadn't heard of

 

[tomato paste]

all my riding gear is merino, apart from my shoes, pads and helmet. It's all various brands but all very good for our extreme climate, which ranges from -10 in winter to +35c in summer so the natural climate control abilities of merino are perfect, its warm when the day is cold and cool when it gets hot. It absorbs sweat and moisture so you don't feel wet , or cold and clammy after exercise. it also locks away odour. Its amazing characteristics haven't been able to be matched by synthetics. It is worn by astronauts on the international space station, mountaineers, adventurers, though to top fashion garments for its wrinkle free properties. The most comfortable shoes in the world (allbirds) as voted by time magazine are made from merino.
merino is very sustainable for the environment, it eats grass which promotes regrowth that absorbs carbon from the atmosphere and is sequestered back into the ground. Merinos could have been a solution to mitigating the large bush fires that consumed huge areas in california and Australia- they could have been lessened by grazing the rank overgrown pastures that have been destocked over time. merino sheep are a browsing animal that is perfectly suited to extensive areas including high country land scapes. Where i live they thrive in the exact terrain we love to ride our bikes in!, often having formed some of the single tracks we follow.
i understand there are some logistical and manufacturing impacts with natural fibres (as with all materials) but i feel they are so much better for our planet than the synthetic apparel that release micro plastics every time they go through the wash.
Now where did i put the carbon fibre bike catalogue.....

just a few of the many companies utilizing merino

Mons Royale - Performance Merino Apparel

Mons Royale creates more versatile merino, combining technical performance with style to make it wearable on or off the mountain.

monsroyale.com

Personalized Mountainbike jerseys in Merino Wool

www.soigneur.co.nz

Sustainable Merino Wool Clothing | icebreaker®

www.icebreaker.com

Abbigliamento termico sportivo uomo donna in lana merino

Scopri l'abbigliamento termico sportivo uomo donna Rewoolution prodotto in 100% lana merino ZQ. Termoregolante, controlla gli odori e temperatura corporea.

www.rewoolution.it

View attachment 44391

Awesome, thanks for sharing.

 

[Mcharza]

Thanks for sharing, just ordered Mon Royal bike shorts. Even they are only 39% of merino.
Am I now 39% green person?

 

[Gary]

Stealing the wool off New Zealand lambs and transporting it halfway round the world says probably not.
Wear nothing locally picked doc leaves on your £5k electric bicycle FFS.

 

[mopar04]

I’ve replaced about 90% of my clothing, from MTB riding to everyday clothes, with merino wool. If you get the good stuff there is nothing more comfortable and breathable, and it never holds any odor and is a renewable resource. It’s available in varying weights for summer (125-150 weight) to winter (350+ weight). Lots of good brands but the best I’ve found is FirstLite, I wear their “Wick” 150 weight shirts as my next to skin layer almost every day year round. Their T-shirt in summer and long sleeve hooded T-shirt in cooler months. Throw a Patagonia nano-puff (which is fair trade/recycled and breaths well) over the long sleeve merino shirt in winter and it’s good down to about 40*

 

[The Hodge]

Well I tried Merino ..and couldn't stand it ..but I'm a really hairy hubert..
Plastic ( if that's what you want to call it ) all the way for this gorilla ..

 

[mopar04]

Well I tried Merino ..and couldn't stand it ..but I'm a really hairy hubert..
Plastic ( if that's what you want to call it ) all the way for this gorilla ..

The comfort of Merino is very subject to the quality and size of the thread being used. Some merino is pure garbage, the best stuff feels almost exactly like high end Pima cotton or bamboo.

 

[The Hodge]

I'm not sure how " high end " it was ..made by Endure and "scratchy"..

 

[The Hodge]

I'm not sure how " high end " it was ..made by Endure and "scratchy"..

Endura

 

[mopar04]

I

Endura

In general I haven’t found cycling brands to do merino all that well, unfortunately. I own a few pieces from some of the bigger brands and not very impressed by any of them. Lifestyle and hiking companies like Icebreaker and SmartWool tend to make better merino apparel. I’ve actually found the best stuff to be from the hunting industry since they’ll wear the same apparel for a week straight in all different weather backpacking into the mountains. Merino may be worth taking another shot at it if you can find a deal on a piece you can return without much hassle, it’s a cool material both for sports and everyday.

 

[Farmernz]

Thanks for sharing, just ordered Mon Royal bike shorts. Even they are only 39% of merino.
Am I now 39% green person?

Nice, report back how you find riding in them.

 

[nB2000]

'Green' mountain bike clothing--is this a thing? Cotton or wool, rather than polyesters, nylon, or other hydrocarbon derivatives.

Note that a search for 'green MTB clothing' will return green colored plastic clothes, as one would imagine!

Have you looked at "Ventile"?
It’s a pretty interesting fabric.

Home - Ventile

A collection of natural, all-weather cotton textiles which are grown sustainably. It is the best choice for durability, reliability, and all-round performance.

ventile.co.uk

Be aware that it becomes waterproof when the fibres swell a little - this means it can stiffen a little when its very wet. Resat of the time it just feels like sturdy cotton weave. Howies used to make some rather nice Ventile jackets.
I guess its made in small mills rather than massive plastic processing plants - so its costly. BUT as an example my 2 Ventile Howies jackets and Ventile Brit Army surplus trousers are fine at almost 20 years old.

[*some Ventile has a DWR coating, (mine doesn’t) - if you're wanting to be 100% non chemical, you're not going to want that - Ventile, the ugly facts they don't tell you about this remarkable fabric ] Of course you. may not need 100% organic so just plain Ventile may be OK for you?
I like Pertex too, but its plastic based sadly.

Alpaca: What You’re Wearing, Part 6: Alpaca Wool (Ep.118)
Icebreaker info, very interesting podcast : GEAR 101
More on wool: What You’re Wearing Part 2: Wool (Ep.62)

I've had some useful merino half zip bike tops from UK maker on-one
their sister company has just sox at the moment: Merino | Planet X

heres some rider opinions on Merino

That On-One Merino..

February 27, 2013 - Cheap tat? Or worth getting... Or do I just spend the extra on icebreaker?? Never used Merino, so genuinely interested..

singletrackworld.com

silk makes a great base layer too - the army use it, polar explorers too, doesn't stink like synthetics, very warm - but. not durable, so definitely a baselayer product

bit to look at and listen too there, hope it helps

neil