What am I going to wear?

Clothing for on & off the bike

On the bike

• Bicycle helmet - my current helmet-of-choice is a Giro Pneumo, nice and light with lots of air vents. And yes, it was a Pnuemo (now replaced) that saved my life back in May of 2004!
  
  
• Biking shoes with (recessed cleats, for Frog pedals) - my shoes of choice are Sidi (Women's) Dominators
  
  
• "Always" bike clothes
  
  • 2 pairs bike shorts
    
  • 2 sleeveless biking jerseys
    
  • (sometimes I add) 1 short-sleeved biking jersey
    
  • 2 sports bras
    
  • 2 pairs cycling gloves
    
  • 4 pairs socks. I switched back to wool socks last year and have been very very happy with them. I use SmartWool RBX Ultra Light or Cycling Ultra Light Mini Crew socks, both of which are very thin, fit nicely in my cycling shoes, and dry very quickly (very important with my tendency to wash them out every night). Why 4 pairs? Because I've learned over the years to be very kind to my feet. Having extra socks allows me to switch to dry socks if I get caught in the rain. And I can double them up for hiking. And they're small (OK, OK, I know I have really small feet!)... Why SmartWool? Because their socks are very soft wool within minimal seams, because my feet like them, and because their web site, while a bit odd, makes me laugh! (Not really - the web site does make me laugh, but that's not why I chose the socks!)
  
  
• "Just in case" bike clothes
  
  • Shower's Pass rain jacket
    
  • Pearl Izumi wind vest - in screaming yellow
    
  • 1 pair of arm warmers. In keeping with my purple bike theme, in the spring of 2005 I bought a new pair of arm warmers - not because I needed them, but because I found a pair of purple arm warmers!
    
  • 1 pair of leg warmers or tights
    
  • 1 pair of knee warmers - again, I want to be prepared for cooler weather, and I really don't want to wear tights all of the time. I actually prefer the knee warmers over the longer leg warmer/tights option - and I will often take one or the other (as in knee warmers or leg warmers, not both)
    
  • Water & wind-resistant shoe covers
    
  • 1 pair of rain mitts (nylon shells lobster mitts)
    
  • 1 pair Patagonia capilene glove liners - for inside of rain shells
    

For my "off the bike" time

• 1 coolmax t-shirt for sleeping
  
  
• Underwear - 3 pairs underpants + 1 sports bra
  
  
• Hanging out clothing
  
  • 1 Terry wrapper (nylon skirt!). Yes, it's an extra, but yes, I do wear this!
    
  • 1 pair lightweight shorts, usually Sahalie zip-dry nylon shorts
    
  • 1 pair lightweight travel pants - must be fast-drying, comfortable, and do dual-duty of for non-biking travel (as in flying to my destination) + off the bike pants while touring. This is a sometimes item - and in fact I sent them home several weeks into my cross-country trip. It was hot, and I figured (correctly) that I really didn't need them!
    
  • 1 sleeveless coolmax tank
    
  • 1 short-sleeved coolmax T-shirt
    
  • 1 long-sleeved Patagonia silkweight crewneck (sometimes)
  
  
• "Just in case" clothes for off the bike that can double for on the bike in really cold weather
  
  • 1 sleeveless long underwear shirt - an REI midweight MTS tank - to be used as a layer or alone
    
  • Patagonia R.5 pullover. This is very lightweight but is great for warmth.
    
  • 1 Patagonia R2 vest. It's amazingly lightweight and warm.
  
  
• 1 bathing suit. I don't always need this, but you never know when there will be access to a nice comfortable hot springs (or a swimming pool)!
  
  
• Chaco Z1 sandals.
  
  
• Patagonia Dragonfly pullover (wind-breaker, water-resistant) - I've always regretted not having a windbreaker on previous trips. The Dragonfly weighs an unbelievable 3 ounces, so it's a natural to always be with me! (As of 2005, it appears that Patagonia has replaced the Dragonfly with their Houdini jackets.)
  
  
• A hat to keep the sun away when I'm not wearing my biking helmet