Review - Cycling clothing taken

My cycling kit

Shoes - Shimano MT23 (SPD) - couldn't fault them. No fit issues although a little narrow for my feet so bought next size up. Got wet but dried quickly. Inserts were washed once and dried quickly. These shoes are lace up, MTB shoes with recessed cleats, with a neat elasticated band to keep your laces from sticking out where they may catch the chain.

Socks - 3 prs white trainer socks, 2 prs black cycling socks - the white socks were fine until it rained and then the grime became so difficult to wash out. (I should have taken Vanish washing powder which would have cleaned general grime easily). Oil was the final straw with one pair which now languishes on a tip in La Rochelle. The trainer socks were cheap and a bit thin too. The black cycling socks were taken as a back-up for ordinary socks as well as for cycling. These were freebies with bike magazines, were thicker than the white ones and didn't show grime as much. I may have got away with the white ones if the weather had been better.

Underwear - 4 prs of pants - ah, the much talked about pants! Wore clean pair each evening then the same pair for cycling next day. Worked well for me. Extra slight cushioning, no chafing. 4 pairs meant that pressure was not on to wash each night. 

Shorts - 2 prs padded shorts + 1 pair of padded bib shorts - only ever wore one pair padded shorts. Could have left the bib shorts at home with the other pair as back-up. 

Jerseys - 2 short-sleeved, 1/2 zip, Muddy Fox - budget buys but a little too thin for the cold and wind that we experienced. Cut not brilliant either. Would replace with better quality full zip jerseys and accept that these will cost a lot more. Could have got away with these if the weather had been hot.

Arm warmers, leg warmers, ear warmers (muffs), buff - all used, all bought from Decathlon except the buff which was another magazine freebie, and all excellent. They got wet but dried quickly.

Lightweight windproof - stuffs into its own sewn-in bag to the size of your fist. Thin but effective and sprayed to be waterproof before leaving home. Not as warm as I would have liked and would buy a slightly thicker gauge material.

Waterproofs - struggled to find something suitable before the trip that would be light and wouldn't be expensive. Took Muddy Fox jacket and golf waterproof trousers with cycle clips. Both garments were re-proofed with spray. Jacket was poorly cut and pulled across the shoulders but was windproof, largely waterproof and day-glo orange! Could be seen from neighbouring countries! Trousers were impractical as they soon became oily and were eventually left in a pannier, not to be used after the first few days. Really have to bite the bullet and buy quality waterproofs which are going to be heavier too! Ummed and aahed over buying Altura but will now look hard at these, as the trousers have in-built leg length adjustment, whereas other makers regard all cyclists as beanpoles!

Gloves - 1 pr fingerless padded gloves - these were OK and that sums them up. They weren't expensive and did a job but I had to supplement these with the disposable filling station gloves because my fingers got so cold. I wish that I'd taken a pair of full gloves as well (which I found at home when I returned).

Overshoes - a buy from Aldi, which I waterproofed. Needs overtrousers to pull over the top of them if they are to be effective. Crude in terms of cut and fit, sometimes had difficulty in clipping in but helped in Spain in the worst of the weather. Fabric hem wore through on the sole after a couple of days. Not a good buy and would need to look at a quality pair if I was to consider overshoes again.

Yellow gillet/waistcoat - I took this because this is apparently a legal requirement in bad weather and at night. However, I never wore this and wouldn't bother to take one again. (No doubt the police couldn't get close to me to caution me as they were blinded by my day-glo orange jacket!)

Rob didn't wear specific waterproofs and took the view that as long as he didn't get cold, his clothes would dry while he cycled (unless it carried on raining, of course). After the "failure" of my waterproof trousers and overshoes, I abandoned them and just wore the waterproof top. Whether the top was waterproof or not is open to conjecture as you can get wet simply from perspiration but the top largely kept me warm. Shorts and leg warmers worn on the lower half did get wet (as did the shoes) but they didn't feel like it and they did seem to dry very quickly, so the need for waterproof trousers and overshoes was not felt.

Helmet - we both wore helmets, whatever the weather, and this was just a matter of course for both of us