# For when you finally grow tired of wearing a *jersey* while commuting:



## RedRex (Oct 24, 2004)

After nearly two decades of bike commuting, it finally dawned on me....

...I have no need for a cycling jersey while riding to work.

i suppose this was last spring.

After one year of riding with "real" shirts instead of a cycling jersey, I have to give two thumbs up, WAY up, to these....

http://www.rei.com/product/732432

So if you've ever felt silly sitting in your barber chair in your Yoo-Hoo jersey, or wanted to shrink behind the oil filters in your local Auto-Zone while wearing your Pink Floyd jersey, these wicking tee-shirts are for you. They really do stay dry on my 26 mile commute.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

+1.....When I'm commuting or doing an urban ride, I've given up on jerseys too...I carry a messenger bag so there is no need for a jersey.....

Target sells some type of coolmax type shirts that are dirt cheap...they work great


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

or a mtb jersey... sometimes it's nice to have a rear pocket and front zip and most are not outlandish. even cheaper are c9 or whatever sports t's from target (made by champion), about 1/2 the price of the rei (or less)


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## hrumpole (Jun 17, 2008)

Target rocks for this stuff. I usually commute in a wicking t-shirt w/backpack, with a pair of target synthetic khaki "golf" shorts over my bike shorts. No friction at all (poor man's mtb baggies). The shirts are like $15, and the shorts were around $12. They do generate some funk, tho'.


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## PaulRivers (Sep 11, 2006)

I need the jersey pockets when commuting - I need somewhere to hold onto the batteries from the light on my helmet (wire runs down my bike). Just seems to heavy mounted right on the helmet. :-(

P.S. Also, just fyi, I just bought a "Specialized" tshirt from a bike shop. It looks like a tshirt, but uses the same cutting edge fabric, bla bla bla, that their jersey's use. I would practically kill (lol) to get them to make this exact shirt with jersey pockets on the back.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Put me in the no-jersey group, too. The pockets are irrelevant, since I carry too much stuff on a commute (wallet, phone, keys, glasses, watch, etc.) and I want to be able to keep it organized. So I wear a fannypack that I've modified with internal pockets for each necessity, so I know at a glance if something is missing, and when I take it off everything is in place, unlike the situation when emptying a bunch of things from jersey pockets. Keeps the stuff from getting all sweaty, too.

Sometimes I wear ordinary cotton t-shirts, but the wicking stuff dries quicker and is more comfortable. I have a bunch of them, short and long sleeve, and just layer them up, with windvest or shell, as the weather changes. Check out Sierra Trading Post for deals on that stuff. For example, here is something comparable to that $22 REI shirt, for $8.50.
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/189,15211_Wickers-T-Shirt-Moisture-Wicking-Short-Sleeve-For-Men.html


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

i ride with wicking t's most of the time, I buy them at Walmart or Target for 7 or 8 bucks!


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

I need to run to Target to buy some wicking undershirts...


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

In Hawaii I wore underarmor loose fit shirts. Normally they are pricey but my neighbor was the island distributor and I got them at cost and seconds were free. The loose fit shirts dry better during the day. I wear bike jersies on my current commute for several reasons. First of all, I need a security badge to get in the gate and I don't want to wear it around my neck for an hour and twenty minutes on the way to work and I don't want to dig it out of a bag. Second, I live in a heavily forested area and ride towards the water so the temps are usually 10 or so degrees cooler at the house than in town. This morning it was 52 degrees so I wore arm warmers but took them off about halfway to work. I used to race so I have a tub of jersies.


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

I bought two of the long sleeved versions of the very same REI shirt you link to last year. It's amazed me how much I used them this summer, even with long sleeves. I stay cool and avoid the sun screen. 

Scot


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## JohnnyTooBad (Apr 5, 2004)

I have some wicking Ts from Dicks that were uber cheap, but the cheap ones do get perma-stink pretty quick. I also just bought a nice one from Performance last weekend (house brand). I like that it's not just one solid color (white with olive green accents). I'll wear a jersey for commuting if I don't have any clean Ts. Today I wore a brand new LG jersey I just got for $30 from Performance. But it's just plain white with black piping and black sleeves. I actually like it a lot, but I agree that jerseys aren't necessary, or even good for commuting. I only have 2 jerseys that have any sort of graphics on them, and I've never commuted in them.


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## peterjones (Apr 25, 2007)

+ whatever for the target/champion shirts. I have some long and short sleeves and at least one that has a jersery-ish pocket on it. I wish I had bought more of those when I found it.
Either way, I wear them all the time for commuting, simple grocery-type trips, and mtb-ing.
I'm def not into garish jerseys, but no one would ever confuse the lounge kit with garish.


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## ispoke (Feb 28, 2005)

*take it another step...*

Yeah, special high tech non-jerseys have their place. And nothing wrong with MTB shirts.

But really, except for the warmest 3 months of the year, this type of commuting wear suits me just fine for a 12 mile trip:








(pardon the light sticking outta my head)

And my commuting bottoms look like this:









Sometimes I don't even bother changing socks/shoes, but I do have a clean pair of black shoes at the office just in case I'm feeling fancy.

Oh yeah. And the odds 'n' ends go here:


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## MDGColorado (Nov 9, 2004)

Yep, I rarely wear jerseys anymore. I have 2 Icebreaker merino t-shirts that I love. Although pricey, you only need to wash one every 5 or 10 wearings.


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

I always wore jerseys. Part of the reason was because I had a long commute - 18 miles one way. I frequently used the back pockets, and I also appreciated the wicking and high visibility qualities.


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## jdeane4 (May 5, 2008)

Dave Hickey said:


> +1.....When I'm commuting or doing an urban ride, I've given up on jerseys too...I carry a messenger bag so there is no need for a jersey.....
> 
> Target sells some type of coolmax type shirts that are dirt cheap...they work great


Agreed. I bought some of those Target wicking tees and they were like $8 a shirt. No a bad deal and it is extremely comfortable. It is actually more comfortable than my duofold shirts which cost 3x as much.


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## undies (Oct 13, 2005)

ispoke said:


> But really, except for the warmest 3 months of the year, this type of commuting wear suits me just fine for a 12 mile trip:


I also have a 12 mile commute. The few times I have ridden in wearing my work attire I found that I was extremely self conscious about stank. I probably didn't actually stink, but I worried...

+15 on the Champion tech Ts from Target :thumbsup:


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

I guess it would depend upon your commute. My last job was 11 miles out and 18 miles back (scenic route) and it was hilly both ways. Coming back home was a lot more hilly than going out. Either way I would end up at work really sweaty no matter how hard I tried to take it easy on the uphill side. Back then I was riding a steel road bike so I had to carry everything I needed on my back or in my jersey pockets that didn't fit into the small saddle wedge. Now that I've built up my commuter bike with those tiny Nashbar panniers I will be able to ride without having to worry about carrying a backpack nor with a jersey.


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## ispoke (Feb 28, 2005)

Squidward said:


> ...Either way I would end up at work really sweaty no matter how hard I tried to take it easy on the uphill side...


Yeah, true. It's also about how you approach it. I pedal my outbound route smooth and easy. Really no effort other than one steep overpass. After 30 minutes in the office, a few drops of sweat are carried away by the AC. But on the return home I tend to go faster, both for exercise and to hurry to dinner. Then the khaki pants get sweaty and end up in the laundry pile.

Either way I get some satisfaction dressing like a normal human being, and I (perhaps naively) hope that motorists treat me with more respect than they would a lycra clad 'roadie'...


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

I wear the Target wicking shirts while kayaking and also as a base layer under my jerseys in cooler weather. However, I like having pockets in the back while commuting. I keep my ID, bandana and cell phone in my pockets. They would fit fine in my seat bag, but I like having some things more handy. Besides, I'm used to looking like a cyclist; it's my uniform.


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## PaulRivers (Sep 11, 2006)

PaulRivers said:


> I need the jersey pockets when commuting - I need somewhere to hold onto the batteries from the light on my helmet (wire runs down my bike). Just seems to heavy mounted right on the helmet. :-(
> 
> P.S. Also, just fyi, I just bought a "Specialized" tshirt from a bike shop. It looks like a tshirt, but uses the same cutting edge fabric, bla bla bla, that their jersey's use. I would practically kill (lol) to get them to make this exact shirt with jersey pockets on the back.


Well, I had a chance this weekend to wear both my Specialized TShirt and my wicking shirt from REI, both on bike rides.

I've worn the REI tshirt and it's definitely a solid step more comfortable and less hot than my regular cotton tshirts. But I was a little surprised but impressed to find that the Specialized tshirt was yet another solid step more breathable and less hot than the REI shirt.

Now to be fair, in the evening the temp went down and I was bordering on freezing my ass off with my Specialized shirt while other people wearing tshirts were fine, haha. I might be hesitant to wear it if it's cool enough to wear long pants!


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## macalu (Jan 16, 2003)

When they make T-shirts with 20 inch front zippers, sign me up. Until then I will stick with jerseys for the DC summers.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

I finally made my way to a local Target and found the Champion brand Duo/Dry shirts for $10. I'll see what they have at Walmart but there isn't one that is local to me. My Duo/Dry shirt is in the laundry so I'll have to wait to give it a try.


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## slowrider (Mar 12, 2004)

I brought 2 Duo/Dry shirts that look like a bike jersey from Target a few years back for $4. They have the quarter zipper. I like the way they feel when I sweat. I tried several different cheap wicking shirts, and did not like them. Some were to thin, some did not breathe at all. I know what I like, I just got to find more of them cheap.


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

I stick with wool jerseys about 80% of the time.

Something about my body chemistry and synthetics that creates an eye-watering stink. 

I'd loooove to get one of these... http://www.swobo.com/catalog/product_info_m.php?cPath=1095&products_id=740

Though the price seems pretty steep for a polo shirt. I've been on the lookout for a while for an inexpensive merino wool polo I can edit into a jersey...


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Another good thing about the Target/Champion wicking shirts is that they come in a lot of colors as well as short-, long-sleeve and sleeveless. I've got them in white, gray, black, green, orange and red. They also come in blue.


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## Tweezak (Dec 6, 2008)

I just bought my first two real jerseys this weekend. I got them off the clearance rack at REI. Until now I've been rocking poly shirts I pick up at a discount place called Ross. You can get Nike/Reebok/Adidas/etc. athletic shirts for anywhere from $6.99 to $12. Across the street the same shirts go for about $30.


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## Maximus_XXIV (Nov 10, 2008)

buck-50 said:


> I stick with wool jerseys about 80% of the time.
> 
> Something about my body chemistry and synthetics that creates an eye-watering stink.
> 
> ...


This is getting cheaper and you can often get 20-30% off if you sign up for daily emails.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/...o-Shirt-Merino-Wool-Short-Sleeve-For-Men.html


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## Slim Again Soon (Oct 25, 2005)

I've got three of the Target T-shirts. Very nice.

I also have an REI long-sleeve t-shirty thing that I use when it gets cool. My favorite.


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## Spudzie (Apr 17, 2007)

Most department type store carry a wicking type t-shirt even that wal-mart place has them as well.

I find myslef buiing them more then cycling jerseys.

As for needing pockets my main ride has a pannier bag on it an i tow a nashbar trailer..


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## saf-t (Sep 24, 2008)

I wear wicking t-shirts a lot, but like the fluorescent yellow bike jerseys that I grab on closeout from time to time for visibility.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*no no!*

If I'm not wearing the (lime) yellow jersey, how will people recognize me at the Champion Commuter?


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## RedRex (Oct 24, 2004)

Also if anyone cares I found high-vis yellow and orange t-shirts (short sleeve and long) at "Workworld" in town, but I'm guessing there are several chains that deal in work clothing for construction workers, nurses, etc. The high-vis shirts (I wear them in the winter during dark commutes home) were 12 bucks I think. Stupid bright.

http://www.bluecollarworkwear.com/c...isibility-Hydrowick-Safety-T-Shirt-TS-HW-GRN/


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## KenS (Jan 28, 2004)

Another shirt that has been popping up lately on the sale table is the wicking summer-camp collar shirt. They are a bit more work-official than a walmart t-shirt--running on sale about $20. I use them for lots of mix of work and riding/hiking/walking.


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