Re: Wool for winter riding in Oregon??

In article
<1192050853.406662.193650@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
datakoll <datakoll@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Oct 10, 1:22 pm, Jay Beattie <jbeat...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Oct 10, 1:10 am, Michael Press <rub...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:





In article
<1191951712.948342.36...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,

John <johnmcmu...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Oct 8, 8:57 pm, "David L. Johnson" <david.john...@xxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Tim McNamara wrote:

Have you actually used wool?

I certainly have.

One of the things it does better than any
synthetics I have tried is stay warm when wet. Another is that it
stinks less from sweat than any synthetic I have tried. A third is that
wool has a broader comfortable temperature range than any synthetic I
have tried.

I used wool back when, and am not looking forward to it again. It may
have a broad range of comfortable temperatures, but that would not
include summer temperatures. Believe me. I wore wool jerseys, and
shorts, in central California summers, and do not wish to relive that
experience. synthetics are better in warm temperatures, and can be
washed more vigorously than wool without damage. So, I don't share your
belief that they stink less. I just toss cycling clothes in with
everything else now, no need for special care to keep them from shrinkage.

Staying warm when wet? The wicking synthetics are much better than wool
at that, and don't itch.

base layer, insulating layer (varioust types and weights as needed),
shell with good breathing and some water repelency, everything having
ample zippers.

That works for me, but none of the layers particularly benefits from
being wool any more. Synthetics have come a long way.

As have quality wool garments.

A high quality, very fine merino wool feels much better on the skin
than any synthetic IMO. To me, the difference feels/smells to be: a
softer touch, less sensitive to temperature fluctuations, less
clinging to the skin, better breathing, and less odorous when you need
to use it again without a washing.

The quality wools I have used (Ibex, Icebreaker, WoolyWarm) seem
wholly different than those I experimented with in my hiking/hunting
garb 10 years ago. The heavy, overweight fabric, wet dog smell, and
the itch are no longer attributes to some of the products available
now.

I was not going to join the fun, but you talked me into it.
I wear an Ibex merino wool jersey in a wide temperature
range. It has all the good qualities you list. Underneath
I wear a thin silk jersey. Even on cold descents, this
is typically sufficient.

What do you consider a cold descent? I would die of hypothermia
wearing only a wool jersey and a silk tee-shirt riding in the winter
around here and doing any of the longer descents. A wool jersey with a
silk tee-shirt is early fall, late spring dry day garb. In winter and
early spring, the long descents around here put you above snow line
(like on Larch Mountain -- a 14 mile climb) and often in rain and
descending at high speeds. I wore wool for decades (and still do),
and it is not nearly magical enough to keep me anywhere near warm
enough descending the climbs around here after November or before
March -- and certainly not when it is raining. Ya need a jacket for
wind and water during the winter. I think jacket design and
construction is way, way more important that whether you have a wool
or poly jersey/base layer during the winter in Oregon. The choice
between those two really comes down to drying times and personal
preferences, e.g., skin feel, smell, etc. -- Jay Beattie.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

discovering wind chill diferentials between upwinfd and downwinfd, or
uphill and downhill is a BIG surprise when first riding in the cool
zone - especially if you get caught out. What's hot downwinfd is
freaking *** freeezing upwind.
the big deal with a cheap breatheable (or Gore W/P/B's on the $200+)
coated nylon wind breaker is the wicking poly's ability to distribute
your moisture 'evenly' thru the it, the base layer thus encouraging
(do your own thinking here thanks DYOTHT) the moisture's volume/
pressure escape thru the breathable jacket fabric.
Wool doesn't, does it?
Baaaaaaaa
don't get me wrong, I like wool baaa baaa but it's snot poly.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That should be "it snot poly."

--
Michael Press
.

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