For years, the lowly base layer came in a solitary style: white. Or, if you happened to find a particularly wild and exotic strain: black or gray. Today, base layer options include sublimated prints, custom designs and even a Xylitol-infused Castelli piece with a pattern that vanishes when your skin temperature rises.
Fine-tuning ink viscosities with Panache
The number of custom cycling clothing companies has skyrocketed in the last five years, with many firms offering head-to-toe sublimation pieces. The base layer, however, has been largely left out. Panache founder Don Powell says this is because printing on the thin material is tricky because of the heat and pressure involved.
"Essentially the process of sublimation involves printing on a paper. It's the same process used to print from your home or office printer, except that the ink type is special," Powell says.
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"Then, the the fabric is placed over the paper and run through a machine that applies heat and pressure, like making a panini. The difference between printing a normal jersey fabric and a base layer is exactly the same. However, base layer fabric is very light — about half the weight of the jersey fabric — and has air channels in a complex mesh."
The houndstooth-on-houndstooth print doesn't affect wicking on the Panache base layer
Ten-piece minimums with Sommerville Sports
Castelli's minty fresh, heat-activated Prosecco Ice
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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