And are they very hot in the summer?
If so, then why are they even made in short sleeves?
i don’t own a merino cycling jersey, but i have a few merino wool shirts and most of my socks are wool.
merino is the best fabric i’ve ever found for thermoregulation - it’s warm when it’s chilly out, but breathes beautifully and keeps you cool in hot temperatures. add in its amazing wicking properties (never seems to feel wet even when soaked) and the fact it doesn’t hold odours, and it’s just about the perfect fabric for athletes.
if i was rolling in money, i’m not sure i’d ever wear anything other than icebreaker clothing. as it stands, my collection grows as quickly as i can find sales…
cheers!
-mistress k
not exactly a jersey…but I have two merino wool short sleeve collared shirts that I wear to work when I commute on the bike. They are pretty light and thin, but b/c they are merino, they don’t stink. So long as I don’t hammer on the way in, I can usually get by with a baby wipe “shower” and a change into work pants.
There are different merino fabric “weights”. The short sleeve ones are made with light weight material that is e very breathable, plus its stink free vs. synthetics. I have one and I like it.
Rapha if you want to spend, personally I go with TORM; wear it from 90+ degrees to 30s with layering and you don’t look like a moving billboard as well. 100% merino wool jerseys don’t last long, I find the mix blend of merino wool and polyester fabric give me the best of both world.
I have the same experience as everyone else. I don’t own a bike jersey but wore the same 2 t-shirts for a week in Yosemite in June a couple of years ago. We spent the week hiking and climbing. The shirts regulated temp nicely and never smelled.
mine’s long sleeve so I can’t really answer the summer question, but I will say that I absolutely love my wool jersey. It’s like it magically knows what to do to keep me comfortable.
I have a full zip icebreaker short sleeved cycle jersey. It’s great. Wore it with arm warmers for IMNZ a few weeks back. I suffer in the heat, so tend not to like too many layers, but it keeps me warm when I need it to, and yet it breathes really well when you hit the hills and start the slow climbing.
I have a black rapha jersey and its fine in the hot summer days, wore it at the axel merckx gran fondo in penticton on a pretty hot day, great jersey.
Yes, in hot and cold and in between it is the best for training. MERINO wool is comfortable, no stink (just let it air dry after), machine wash and air dry, and cooler in the hot weather and warmer in the cold weather.
Merino jerseys do not feel hotter in the summer, rather they actually feel cooler. By the way, for extreme heat days I have an Arctic Heat Cooling Vest from Australia with liquid gel ice inserts, but guess what material it’s made of? Merino wool.
Winter mornings in Tucson (35 to 40 degrees F) cold and dry
Summer afternoons in Arizona (100 to 115 degrees F) hot and dry
Summer afternoons in Houston (90 degrees) hot and humid
Summer mornings in Costa Rica (40 degrees and rain)
Summer afternoons in Costa Rica (90 degrees and SUN)
It’s all better in Merino wool. :o)
Thinner merino wool (Sugoi Wallaroo) is more comfortable but also more fragile.
A bit thicker merino wool (Ibex) is still comfortable but is more durable.
When I started cycling a few years ago, my dad gave me the Francesco Moser Italian championship wool jersey he bought over 30 years ago. It has a few holes in it but that’s my absolute favorite jersey to ride in and I always feel pretty special riding along in it.
We have the ice vest. Handy dandy in Southern summers for warm ups at races.
I do have 1 merino short sleeve jersey. I love it.
i don’t own a merino cycling jersey, but i have a few merino wool shirts and most of my socks are wool.
merino is the best fabric i’ve ever found for thermoregulation - it’s warm when it’s chilly out, but breathes beautifully and keeps you cool in hot temperatures. add in its amazing wicking properties (never seems to feel wet even when soaked) and the fact it doesn’t hold odours, and it’s just about the perfect fabric for athletes.
if i was rolling in money, i’m not sure i’d ever wear anything other than icebreaker clothing. as it stands, my collection grows as quickly as i can find sales…
So true. Merino wool is super awesome.
I like Icebreaker, but I think I prefer Mac Pac products (from NZ). Might be hard to find in Europe and in the US, but very very cool brand and products. Quality seems a bit higher than Icebreaker and fabrics are softer.
I have many wool jerseys and have taken many bike tours with them.They don’t smell after eight hours of riding.wool also holds heat better than any other material when. It gets wet.I have ridden in four or five ironmans which were wet and cold and was.perfectly happy to be wearing a wool jersey.just keep them in a mothproof place.
Wool is a fantastic material for hot and cold weather. Wish I found out about them sooner.
I have a couple rapha and a couple woolistic. When I’m not wearing a club jersey, I’m wearing one of these…love em all.
If you like the Icebreaker stuff, check out Fleabay. My wife has been getting us some great deals on Icebreaker shirts. As it is, I have had a couple of the 150 weight tees I paid retail for a few years ago and they’ve held up well. They were about $65 CDN, but well worth it.
lot’s of good info above, especially on the weight of the merino.
150 is lightweight and good for warm weather, high-sweat activity, keeping you cooler, drying quickly, not smelling, so good for multi-day use without washing if you can’t be-bothered. Dry’s quickly too.
150 weight also works as thermal underwear in cooler weather, so just a great multi-temp product. High humidity (>90%), in cold or hot weather, damp, wet, it’s all good.
I have some 190 weight, some 270, the difference is the fabric becomes thicker, and correspondingly harder wearing i reckon.
Lot’s of brands to choose from, and as someone already mentioned, maybe a mix of poly and merino is more durable, although i don’t have any mix items to compare.
Good stuff, get some!
OK I picked up some 290 wallaroo (Sugoi) and wore it today beneath a fleece jacket for hill repeats (45* in NJ). I may have been a bit overdressed but…
Now what, how do I was it and more importantly, DO I wash it?? 
I think both Dan and Bernie approve of your Marino Jersey.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa431/skipbadger/marino.jpg