Bicycle Fixation Weblog
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07/07/2011: "Wool and Summer"
It's a common misconception in temperate climes that wool is a winter fabric, and a winter fabric only.This, of course, has never been true. Until the Seventies, bike racers wore nothing but wool, and raced mostly in high summer. The British Army in North Africa wore wool gabardine (our own favorite fabric). And going further back, the Bedouin have wandered the deserts of Arabia for centuries in robes of wool.
Just last Sunday, i went (as usual for me on the first Sunday of the month) on Chuck Schmidt's Rose Bowl Ride. The ride itself is twenty-five miles long, a rolling gabfest with good friends, and comprises a couple of noticeable hills. I ride it door-to-door, adding the forty-mile round trip from my home in the Miracle Mile, which also adds several more hills of varying heights.
It is July. By the time we arrived at our lunch stop in Sierra Madre, the thermometer on the outside wall at Beantown read 100° F. It is an accurate thermometer.
I was wearing a pair of my Classic Wool Knickers and a prototype wool T-shirt (not yet in production, sorry!). I was perfectly comfortable and not very sweaty at all, considering the heat and that the last mile before the coffee stop is an unrelenting climb. I even wore our wool knicker socks (to keep the fierce sun off my shins).
So, yes, wool is excellent summer wear! And ours clothes are specifically designed for both heat and cold--we sell plenty around Southern California and even the Deep South, but also have loyal users among year-round commuters in Minnesota, Western Canada, and the Pacific Northwest. (In cold weather, a pair of merino tights under the knickers can get you through almost anything.)
Not to mention that wool is made from grass by sheep and is entirely biodegradable!
So don't pass up a chance to combine comfort, versatility, and stunning good looks! Check out our fine wool riding togs now:
- Classic Wool Knickers
- City Knickers v2.0 (for a more casual look)
- Knicker Socks
- The James Black Hat
