Paul- Here are a couple of links to the photos of wool cycling shorts from the '70s. They are from slides I'm slowly scanning so the quality is somewhat iffy in some cases.
The first one shows a pair inside out on the back of my bike, you can clearly see the real chamois which would be softened up overnight with chamois fat. http://www.flickr.com/photos/billweaverphoto/9604243962/in/set-72157630138429316 The next ones show a better shot of fit, they did have some nylon for stretch. http://www.flickr.com/photos/billweaverphoto/7376786100/in/set-72157630138429316 http://www.flickr.com/photos/billweaverphoto/9607325113/in/set-72157630138429316 The last link is to the whole Flickr set where you can see everyone wearing wool even through the desert at 105 degrees. http://www.flickr.com/photos/billweaverphoto/sets/72157630138429316/with/9607325113/ The merino wool mix of the shorts were extremely cool in the heat much more than the Lycra currently available. Also my tights were not to different from the Aussie wool ones offered by Riv except they had zipped ankles. You might want to take a look at the construction of some of the baggy mountain bike shorts currently available, many have ventilation built into the design by using a more loosely woven fabric. On Monday, September 23, 2013 10:18:20 PM UTC-5, Paul Y wrote: > > Many thanks to everyone for all your invaluable feedback, this has been a > very encouraging response for me to keep going with this project. > > Regarding material: > The main reason to use a wool blend vs. 100% wool has been that the wool > blends are lighter weight to deal with the warm weather here. Since these > will be made to order, the purchaser will have a choice in material, and > 100% wool could be an option. > Generally the blends seem lighter and less prickly than any 100% wool I've > seen available here, and still dry fast and resist odor. I know merino > could be the ideal 100% wool, but that would make this a much more > expensive product. > > Regarding the sit bone area: > I've been wondering what to do about the wear marks, and with this post it > seems clear that finding a solution to reinforce that area will be > necessary. Because one of the primary objectives are that the shorts look > smart, I'm avoiding the more popular synthetic materials for the short, and > also don't want to visibly add nylon. Wool seems to get "polished" by the > saddle as shown in the pictures. I am thinking with the next prototype, to > try adding elbow patches to the sit bone area. > > @Lee : What a great DIY photo set you put together; thanks for sharing > that. > > @Shoji : Yes, these have a gusseted crotch, unless we have different > understandings of what a guesseted crotch is - there is enough range of > movement for the toughest hike-a-bikes I've found here, enough to do yoga > even! > > @Deacon : I'd never come across worsted wool before - thanks I will look > into it. > > @bwphoto : I've never seen these old cycling shorts before. Would you have > a photo to share? These shorts seem to work just fine without a chamois, so > I am quite certain to keep them chamois-less, as that is pretty much a > feature with these! But I am curious about these shorts you used to wear. > > @Patrick & Shoji : Great tip about plumbers crack, I will be sure to get a > high back into the next prototype. > > @Patrick : Thanks for giving me so much information. I'll look at adding > an additional rear pocket. You'll be glad to know that the front pockets > are deep. > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
