It's been flippin freezin up here in York (and even more so when I was up in Edinburgh for Christmas), so we thought this might be a good time to tell you about Merino base layers.We've been selling base layers for years, but they're only now really starting to gain recognition as an essential part of all-weather riding kit. Any decent base layer should wick away moisture - i.e. keep you from getting sweaty. It might be a bit of a stretch of the imagination to think of yourself being sweaty on a motorbike when you're more worried about wether or not your toes are still there, but unless you are very lucky, there's probably a part of your getting-your-bike-out routine that involves locks, covers, garage doors or whatever, and I bet you warm up a bit then - only for sweat to do it's job and cool you down as soon as you get on your bike.... Cotton is one of the worst thing you can wear as a base layer - it soaks the sweat up like a sponge. We've even had customers who have confused this with leaks in their jackets.
Keeping your core warm has a knock on effect for your fingers and toes too - your body prioritises which bits to keep warm and your major organs are further up the list than your extremities.
With this in mind, we're all becoming converts to EDZ Merino base layers. Merino wicks away moisture like any decent base layer should, but it's also great for temprature regualtion (warm when it's cool, coo
l when it's warm). They're machine washable (at 30 degrees) too, but that's another beauty of Merino - it's naturally anti-bacterial, so it doesn't whiff like man made fibres do. (If you've got some smelly base layers, try Storm Fast Wicking Wash by the way). The wool feels more like soft cotton and it's thin, so it's nice to wear and doesn't add a lot of bulk, which is a big reason why the Merino gloves are going so well. We've beanie hats too, because sometimes you can't wear a crash helmet...
We've added the ladies secific tops and trousers to our website today too; at the minute they're special order only (our shops can order them too), but I think we'll have enough demand that we'll be stocking them before long. They're exactly the same as the blokes kit, just cut differently.
Just for the record, my ex-Edinburgh winter commuter top tips are:
- Keep your bike kit somewhere warm in the house- espescially your gloves. There's no point in going out expecting to warm up.
- Pay attention to your neck and wrists - blood flows close to the skin there so it gets a chance to cool down.
- Gore Tex is worth every penny.
- Blokes - if it's really cold, make sure and go for a pee before you leave the house.
