DeFeet UnDShurt Short-Sleeve
By Jon Sharp

In the spring and autumn, I struggle with what to wear on my bike. In the summer, I know to dress lightly all the time. In the winter, if I make it out at all, I wear every piece of warm gear I have—unless I’m on the trainer indoors (see summer, above). But in the fall and spring, the weather can do anything. It might be warm enough for a standard jersey. I might need arm-warmers. Should I wear a long-sleeve jersey? A vest? My rides might start out cool, but warm up later. DeFeet has the perfect piece that can be worn all spring/autumn (and probably throughout the winter as well): their base-layer, the UnD Shurt.

The UnD Shurt is a light-weight base-layer. It comes in three styles: long-sleeve, short-sleeve, and tank. The fabric is MicroSupreme® acrylic. Though the sleeves and neck are finished as is typical for a shirt, the bottom is just barely finished enough to keep the fabric from unraveling, but without a real hem. In other words, if you like to wear the UnD Shurt tucked in to your bottoms--whether traditional or bib shorts--there isn't a hem to bunch up and get in the way. Also, this shirt is knit such that there are no seams around the main body. Considering that this type of base-layer is meant to fit snug, the lack of seams adds to the comfort.

As a tight-fitting base-layer, the UnD Shurt fits well under most jerseys. The close fit means that, instead of sweat running down your body, it is immediately wicked away by the UnD Shurt. In warm weather, this keeps you cool. In colder weather, keeping you dry helps prevent you from cooling down too much as you sweat. Though the UnD Shurt is by no means wind-proof, having an extra layer under your jersey does much to keep the wind at bay. I find that if I unzip my jersey on the uphills, the UnD Shurt keeps me dry. When I start down, I zip my jersey up and the extra layer keeps me much warmer as my speed picks up. I've found that I can comfortably wear the UnD Shurt from around 50 to 80 degrees. Below 50, I feel like I need a vest or something to really keep me warm, and above 80, the extra layer starts to adversely affect my core temperature.

Summary: By adding the UnD Shurt to my cycling wardrobe, I can extend the range of my normal jerseys and shorts to keep me more comfortable in the cool days of autumn and spring. Of course, the added wicking layer works well in the dead of winter to keep you drier under all those layers. As an added benefit, I find that wearing the UnD Shurt under my bib shorts makes any bib more comfortable by removing the possibility of chaffing from poor placement of the bib straps. For $30, the UnD Shurt is a high-quality base-layer that can keep you drier, warmer, and more comfortable.

Jon Sharp is a contributing editor for GearReview.com who, not only survived LOTOJA, but did it wearing his DeFeet UnDShurt. (After 206 miles, that thing got pretty rank.) Read his blog.

For more information, contact:
DeFeet International
1-800-688-3067