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A friend of mine asked me recently for a recommendation on what gear to bring next summer for our annual Picos tour.
I'm no expert, so please take whatever you read with a large pinch of salt. I do, however have some experience riding here (in fact almost all my experience consists of riding in Spain)
Many of you just bring what you have. I know, I can see it; riders wearing Rukka, Halvarssons and many wear the whole BMW shabang. I have no criticism to make; I think it's fine and everyone has their reasons. Even Spaniards wear leather here sometimes. For some, nothing less will do. Again, fine. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind or preferences. This is just for anyone who perhaps hasn't ridden in Spain before and who isn't wed to laminate or leather.
For Spain I use a mesh drop liner suit and If anyone is interested I'll tell you why I think it's the perfect suit for Spain.
Riding home from our annual Picos tour last September through Burgos, Guadalajara, Cuenca and Teruel all I needed was the mesh outer. At times I encountered well over 30 degree heat even at night, and the airflow a mesh suit gives is just ideal for comfort and endurance. I rarely ever use the warm liner, especially in the summer months and actually I prefer a woolly jumper or fleece anyway when I do need it. The waterproof liners fit easily inside a 1l freezer ziploc and crush down very easily to much less as do the warm layers if necessary. The WP liner is often a necessary windbreak, though, in temperatures below 20 degrees. Adjust that to suit your individual temp comfort range; for the penguins among you the range will be much lower, of course.
The major disadvantage of a drop liner suit is that if you encounter heavy rain, it is totally unsuitable if it goes on for a prolonged period of time. For that, you will need a rainsuit as well. Again, a rainsuit can be put in a slightly larger ziploc bag and crushed down to less than half its volume. For Picos riding this applies at any time of year, sadly. Another disadvantage over a laminate is the requirement to carry the liners and, possibly, a rainsuit which can be a faff and a deal-breaker for some. But I really can't overstate the importance of ventilation in the summer heat.
If all you have is a laminate, then so be it but except between Nov - March it really is too much for these climes. There are many advantages to a laminate suit but I guarantee you that no matter how much ventilation it has, it won't be enough between May and October south of the Picos/Pyrennees. July and August..... even Goretex won't save you.
Use & Lose.
A great idea for touring (shorter than 2 weeks) is to save your old smalls. Wash them one last time and save them in a box in a garage. As you go, use and lose. Same with old T shirts.
Wicking T layers.
Obviously you can use the old ones mentioned above to use and lose but Uniqlo do a fantastic range called AIRism. For hot summer riding under the jacket they are the dog's!
Other options.
I invested in a pair of ROKKER Revolution jeans a couple of years ago. They are pretty awesome and well worth their money. For anyone who isn't familiar with them they are single layer, waterproof, windproof and pretty tough with a good slide rating, and very comfortable to boot. The comfortable temp range is from about 8 - 24 degrees where you feel neither hot nor cold. Outside of these ranges they are just like any other jean, though, so no use in Jul - Sept. They come with all the armour.
I'm no expert, so please take whatever you read with a large pinch of salt. I do, however have some experience riding here (in fact almost all my experience consists of riding in Spain)
Many of you just bring what you have. I know, I can see it; riders wearing Rukka, Halvarssons and many wear the whole BMW shabang. I have no criticism to make; I think it's fine and everyone has their reasons. Even Spaniards wear leather here sometimes. For some, nothing less will do. Again, fine. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind or preferences. This is just for anyone who perhaps hasn't ridden in Spain before and who isn't wed to laminate or leather.
For Spain I use a mesh drop liner suit and If anyone is interested I'll tell you why I think it's the perfect suit for Spain.
Riding home from our annual Picos tour last September through Burgos, Guadalajara, Cuenca and Teruel all I needed was the mesh outer. At times I encountered well over 30 degree heat even at night, and the airflow a mesh suit gives is just ideal for comfort and endurance. I rarely ever use the warm liner, especially in the summer months and actually I prefer a woolly jumper or fleece anyway when I do need it. The waterproof liners fit easily inside a 1l freezer ziploc and crush down very easily to much less as do the warm layers if necessary. The WP liner is often a necessary windbreak, though, in temperatures below 20 degrees. Adjust that to suit your individual temp comfort range; for the penguins among you the range will be much lower, of course.
The major disadvantage of a drop liner suit is that if you encounter heavy rain, it is totally unsuitable if it goes on for a prolonged period of time. For that, you will need a rainsuit as well. Again, a rainsuit can be put in a slightly larger ziploc bag and crushed down to less than half its volume. For Picos riding this applies at any time of year, sadly. Another disadvantage over a laminate is the requirement to carry the liners and, possibly, a rainsuit which can be a faff and a deal-breaker for some. But I really can't overstate the importance of ventilation in the summer heat.
If all you have is a laminate, then so be it but except between Nov - March it really is too much for these climes. There are many advantages to a laminate suit but I guarantee you that no matter how much ventilation it has, it won't be enough between May and October south of the Picos/Pyrennees. July and August..... even Goretex won't save you.
Use & Lose.
A great idea for touring (shorter than 2 weeks) is to save your old smalls. Wash them one last time and save them in a box in a garage. As you go, use and lose. Same with old T shirts.
Wicking T layers.
Obviously you can use the old ones mentioned above to use and lose but Uniqlo do a fantastic range called AIRism. For hot summer riding under the jacket they are the dog's!
Other options.
I invested in a pair of ROKKER Revolution jeans a couple of years ago. They are pretty awesome and well worth their money. For anyone who isn't familiar with them they are single layer, waterproof, windproof and pretty tough with a good slide rating, and very comfortable to boot. The comfortable temp range is from about 8 - 24 degrees where you feel neither hot nor cold. Outside of these ranges they are just like any other jean, though, so no use in Jul - Sept. They come with all the armour.