People who spend a lot of time on their bicycles owe it to themselves to invest in some good quality bicycle clothing. The two most important principles to keep in mind when choosing appropriate bicycle clothing are layering and tight fitting. As opposed to wearing thick, bulky clothing when bicycling add layers if you get colder or get wet. Adding layers, or taking off layers allows the body to better adjust to temperatures that go up and down. When it comes to bicycle clothing, being too warm in the clothes you are wearing is every bit as bad as being too cold. Loose, baggy clothing allows air to get to the skin very swiftly, which makes the rider feel cold sooner due to the fact that sweat tends to evaporate directly on contact with the skin. Appropriate bicycle clothing if it is tight fitting does its best to keep the skin dry and send the sweat to the outside of the apparel thus not causing any discomfort to the bicyclist. Bicycle clothing includes shorts, pants, shirts (jerseys), undershirts, fleece jackets, and rain jackets.

When buying bicycle clothing keep in mind that shorts are cut differently for men and women and they have a different degree of padding. Generally they are made from flexible lycra material and the seat and front is padded with leather or synthetic chamois. Underwear is never worn with bicycle shorts, as they are essentially seamless. They must fit snugly but not constrict the waist or thighs.

Bicycle clothing in the form of long pants can be purchased with or without padding. The pants that include padding resemble shorts with long legs and the ones that are minus padding can be worn over a regular pair of shorts. Some long pants for bicyclists are made of a thin lycra material while others are a thicker lycra with a fuzzy interior. Still others are made of a fleece fabric. Some people like to wear rain pants over their long pants but many find them cumbersome and uncomfortable.

Jerseys are special shirts for bicyclists that are made from either lycra or another type of synthetic material. They can be purchased in three different styles and those styles are long-sleeved, short-sleeved and sleeveless. The majority of jerseys have three pockets in the back that serve as a convenient place to store small items. A practical addition to enhance the effectiveness of a jersey is an undershirt. They are made of a thin material and can be worn underneath a jersey in cold weather, which increases the level of comfort for the rider.

Fleece jackets are a must-have piece of bicycle clothing, especially in cold temperatures. Bicycle fleece jackets are designed with water-repellant panels in the front and are much more tight fitting than fleece jackets designed for non-bicycle related wear. Rain jackets are necessary bicycle clothing and cheap ones can be just as good as expensive ones, depending on your budget and how often you plan to be out in rainy weather. Cheap rain jackets come in plastic bag versions and to work effectively need to have slits in the back and they need to be rubberized inside as well. A good rain jacket, whether it is expensive or not should hang low enough so that the bicyclist can sit on it, thus protecting his/her back and any spray that kicks up from the rear wheel of the bicycle.