dhb winter tops

Neil Compton · Post by **Neil Compton** » 27 Oct 2010 20:02

I fancy ordering some dhb winter tops from wiggle but have a bit of a dilemma...(sizing). My measurements put me between small and medium but closer to small. I read a comment from someone who purchased a top which was supposed to be his size that it was too small so is having to send it back. This gets me thinking that i should go for medium.

Has anyone purchased any dhb tops and can comment on size. Here is a link to there guide :-

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/dhb_C ... 360050985/

Philmondo · Post by **Philmondo** » 27 Oct 2010 22:08

Neil, I've found dhb stuff to be larger than I'd expect by comparison with other brands. I order large where I'd usually have to go with xl and find that the fit is good.

Neil Compton · Post by **Neil Compton** » 28 Oct 2010 09:03

Hmm, so really i should go for small instead. Argh.

George · Post by **George** » 28 Oct 2010 11:52

Sounds just like buying club kit in the Carvalho days: make a wild guess at the right size then wait excitedly to see what Santa sends.

Dave Cox · Post by **Dave Cox** » 28 Oct 2010 20:27

Neil due respect mate but I cant see you in a small jersey unless its made for Americans. I tried a small T shirt in Glastonbury Connecticut and Sue and I could fit in it.

Mattoid · Post by **Mattoid** » 29 Oct 2010 08:51

Neil, if you have a spare £20, why dont you order both and then send back the one you do not want. I have applied this process a few times and have found Wiggle pretty quick in refunding.

Neil Compton · Post by **Neil Compton** » 29 Oct 2010 09:13

Ahh i've ordered 3 different tops, the base layer, the core jersey and the wisp jacket. I've plugged for medium so if they are too big i'll blame Dave.

. I'll just have to return them if they are.

Post by **CakeStop** » 29 Oct 2010 09:59

Please let me know what you think about the wisp jacket, I could do with something that stuffs into a pocket because I struggle if I get too hot.

GrahamGamblin · Post by **GrahamGamblin** » 29 Oct 2010 13:58

Neil, small fits me in DHB stuff, I reckon that would be too small for you cos I'm pretty tiny.
Also interested in what you think of that Wisp jacket.

Neil Compton · Post by **Neil Compton** » 29 Oct 2010 20:14

I'll let you guys know. It's not expensive kit so i don't expect the quality to be fantastic but it has to be better than what i currently wear.

Neil Compton · Post by **Neil Compton** » 30 Oct 2010 22:16

The tops arrived today and it's a good job i didn't go for small. Medium is just about right. Sleeve length perfect. The core and wisp jackets could be maybe slightly longer in the body and the core jacket could have slightly bigger pockets but overall they are a good fit.

The wisp jacket is very light and folds up really small into a stuff pack that fits in a back pocket no problem. Now i just need to test them out properly.

GrahamGamblin · Post by **GrahamGamblin** » 01 Nov 2010 19:18

Thanks Neil. I've always been happy with dhb stuff, good quality for what you pay.

Neil Compton · Post by **Neil Compton** » 01 Nov 2010 21:21

I wore the tops on sundays clubrun and they kept me nice and warm although it wasn't a particularly cold day. Would all 3 layers be enough for a really cold day ! i'll have to wait and see. I had the wisp jacket unzipped on the way home to get some cool air into my body and i could notice a difference from when id had it zipped up so i could tell it was working.

The base layer wasn't ringing with sweat either. For how much the 3 tops cost i'd have to say they were good value for money.

Post by **CakeStop** » 01 Nov 2010 22:35

Thanks Neil - sounds useful. On a cold day I'm OK with 2 layers plus thermal gilet but the gilet is a bit bulky to stuff in a pocket so on a day that starts chilly but warms up I cook.

George · Post by **George** » 03 Nov 2010 21:12

Neil Compton wrote:Would all 3 layers be enough for a really cold day ! i'll have to wait and see. I had the wisp jacket unzipped on the way home to get some cool air into my body and i could notice a difference from when id had it zipped up so i could tell it was working.

The base layer wasn't ringing with sweat either. For how much the 3 tops cost i'd have to say they were good value for money.

Cripes, Neil! Three layers not enough for a cold day? For the last few years, since buying my Carvarlho windproof club jacket, my standard mid-winter garb has been an M&S thermal vest plus that club jacket. I can only recall two days (both last winter) when that wasn't enough.

The Beacon jacket was £50-odd I think. M&S merino wool vests are £15 full price, and in recent years I've picked up a couple in the spring sale half price. They're very warm and wick as well as any fancy techno-gear (just read Rapha's promo blub, then put two fingers up to their rip-off prices and buy from M&S).

Post by **CakeStop** » 03 Nov 2010 21:32

George - couple of questions....

I use merino wool socks in winter but I've shied away from merino base layers because I've found wool makes my torso itchy even through a shirt - is that likely to be the case with merino or does it have some special anti-itch properties?

I was admiring Phil G's Beacon winter jacket at Brecon this year - it did look toasty. I tend to shed layers as I warm up because I suffer if I overheat. What happens with a winter jacket once you've warmed up (I'm presuming you don't only use it when it's freezing) - do you just get hot and put up with it or does a quality jacket somehow regulate your body heat?

George · Post by **George** » 03 Nov 2010 22:07

CakeStop wrote:George - couple of questions....

I use merino wool socks in winter but I've shied away from merino base layers because I've found wool makes my torso itchy even through a shirt - is that likely to be the case with merino or does it have some special anti-itch properties?

Well, the M&S vests aren't all wool (wool/synthetic mix), so they may be less itchy than some. All the same, if you are particularly sensitive to wool itch, you may not get on with them. So perhaps it's not the product for you. Personally, I found wool a bitch itchy when I first wore it next to my skin (not recently), but I quickly got used to it.

CakeStop wrote:I was admiring Phil G's Beacon winter jacket at Brecon this year - it did look toasty. I tend to shed layers as I warm up because I suffer if I overheat. What happens with a winter jacket once you've warmed up (I'm presuming you don't only use it when it's freezing) - do you just get hot and put up with it or does a quality jacket somehow regulate your body heat?

First off, I should emphasise that my jacket came from our ditched supplier, so you can't easily get one the exactly same. But various people makes similar things; I think you can get something similar in Beacon colours from Impsport, for example.

I sweat quite easily, so it does need to be moderately cold (or very wet and windy) before I wear any windproof garment, otherwise I just get soaked from the inside. I would not have worn my club jacket on one of the mild afternoons we've been having just recently, for example. If the temperature is below about 10C, it's OK with a lightish base layer. With the woolly vest, it needs to be below about 5C. The days last year when I needed a third layer, it was well below freezing. But everyone's different ... if you don't overheat as easily as me, your corresponding thresholds could be a few degrees higher.