🚀 go-pugleaf

My own experience has been that my lycra pants were not
very warm.  I always had to wear something else over the
top of my lycra pants.

allen 

In <BxGx9z.Cuw@access.digex.com> steveg@access.digex.com (Stephen Grant) writes:
>Would lycra
>be acceptable as an outdoor 'warmer', or should it be used
>in conjuction with something else?

I don't bike, but I do ski.  For years, I had done the nylon pants over
generic long underwear.  Until last year.  I finally spent the bucks
on some of those two-layer long undies--the ones with the wool blend 
outerlayer and the polyprop underlayer.  Best money I ever spent.  In
fact, I used the pants alone (with a long shirt to hide the fact they
were men's long underwear :-) rowing this fall.  

Beth Mazur                   "...life is more than a vision.  The sweetest
mazur@inmet.inmet.com         part is acting after making a decision."
...!uunet!inmet!mazur                                  -- The Indigo Girls

|> alot. My question is the following. Does lycra (such as the
|> running and cycling tights - both long and short) have any
|> distinct warmth advantages?

Lycra alone will keep your legs warm down to around 40 or 50 degrees;
somewhat lower if you ride fast, somewhat higher if you coast alot.  In
colder weather, I usually wear polypro tights under lycra tights.  You
can get polypro in thin or thick versions for use in different
conditions.  In windy or wet weather, I wear windproof nylon over the
lycra.

Note that your legs are working hard, so won't need as much insulation
as the rest of your body.  You'll probably need an one or two more
layers on your torso than on your legs.

-- 
Ken Lee
DEC Western Software Laboratory, Palo Alto, Calif.
Internet: klee@wsl.dec.com
uucp: uunet!decwrl!klee

For running, I've been using some "heavy weight" Lycra pants I purchased locally, the brand name on
the set was Hot Chillis, the other were Hind's. I've used both down to about 30 deg without any
discomfort. For cycling, I tried the "Hot Chillis" and until I got warmed up (so to speak) some body
parts were definately cold. I recently got a pair of Descente cold weather biking pants from NashBar,
used then in 20 deg weather and all was ok. PS, I wear a polypro T-neck under a Gore-Tex jacket for
running, a wool top went over the polypro when cycling in the 20's -- all was ok.

In article <BxGx9z.Cuw@access.digex.com> steveg@access.digex.com (Stephen Grant) writes:
>Howdy folks. I am gearing up to exercise and also ride some
>now that the weather is getting a little more chilly. This is
>really my first winter/fall where I have exercised outdoors
>alot. My question is the following. Does lycra (such as the
>running and cycling tights - both long and short) have any
>distinct warmth advantages? Is it warmer than average materials
>such as sweats and those nylon running suits? Would lycra
>be acceptable as an outdoor 'warmer', or should it be used
>in conjuction with something else?
>
>All responses welcomed.. thanks
>
>Steve
>

The main advantage of lycra tights is that they cost next to nothing to
make.  Obviously, this is not an advantage to the consumer.

But, once manufacturers and distributors have convinced consumers to
pay $(old cost of decent woollen tights)-~10 for lycra tights, they
would then have to charge some multiple of the price of lycra tights
for it to be "profitable" to sell woollen tights.  Or something like
that.

Are there any consumer mail-order sources of woollen cycling clothing
in New Zealand that can handle overseas orders?  I hear wool is easily
available there, and relatively cheap.

Baa! Humbug!

Adrian.
arpepper@math.uwaterloo.ca

Of course, I guess woollen cycling tights end up being even more
expensive since they must be made from the wool of black sheep, which
are somewhat rare.  8-)

In article <BxGx9z.Cuw@access.digex.com> steveg@access.digex.com (Stephen Grant) writes:
>Does lycra (such as the
>running and cycling tights - both long and short) have any
>distinct warmth advantages? Is it warmer than average materials
>such as sweats and those nylon running suits? Would lycra
>be acceptable as an outdoor 'warmer', or should it be used
>in conjuction with something else?

Wow. Lycra has no insulating properties to speak of. It does, however,
have a prety good wind resistance. I wear a lycra jersey under my
winter stuff to keep the sweat from being frozen to my skin on very
cold rides. After lots of experiments I find that it works well.
>