Off topic, but related:

If your skin gets very little sunlight, you may have a Vitamin D deficiency.

I take Vit D pills in the winter, Jan thru mid Apr or so.  Otherwise I am sure I get plenty of Vit D.

Thats a great contribution John, thanks so much for sharing.

This is one of those topics that 'gets legs' i.e. the more I look into it well, the more I look into it. Its quite interesting to explore the claims made by garment makers re the UPF factor ( and the ubiquitous 'waterproof claims). I'm learning to decipher what the claims exactly are. EG Some claim a high UPF factor protection of 40+, others claim up to 50. Some claims are dependent upon the fabric's contact with water and also if the garment has been stored/kept in a stuff-sack or on a hanger.
Personally I tend to ride 'covered up' ( an Australian legacy move ) and my particular interest is in a sun hoodie type garment that has a hood, and is hopefully a little contoured so as the drag factor ( LOL ) doesnt get too much!
I've discovered Decathlon have one so here we go! 

Costa Rica sounds fabulous.

Hi Pandanroll,

Thanks for your interest. I've decided to keep the Mercury. My plan was to have one pedelec bike and one "pure" Thorn, which is what I now have. Despite the rear cable disk brake, which I can never get to work as well as I'd like, The Mercury is a gorgeous beast.

Regards,

Jeremy

WOW! What a wonderful, storybook ending to your journey and quest!

Made my day to read this!

Best, Dan.

Thanks for starting this thread, Ian.  Apologies for being a bit slow to add my few cents' worth -- am just back from a nearly-end-of-winter break on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. (A useful spot to check out sun protection, though it wasn't for that reason we went there.  )

I'm a member of the Spotted Tribe -- my mum's family is Scots-Irish, and I've inherited her sensitivity to UV rays. (This of course lets me check in occasionally with Shaun Pollock and Rod Laver & exchange notes & wisdom.)

As for sources of cycle clothing:  Over the past ten years or so, I've come to rely almost entirely on Ground Effect in New Zealand, here: https://www.groundeffect.co.nz/

I've found their products first-rate for quality, fit and comfort.  Prices are reasonable, too -- not least because postage from NZ is very inexpensive by comparison with, say, Canada or the U.S.  I now have only GE garments for my longsleeved cycling jerseys (specifically  the "Rock Lobster"), and I have a couple of "Berglar" T-shirts for indoor wear & under-clothing.  GE advertises a UPF of 50 for their jerseys.

I also have a rainwear jacket, the "Anti-Cyclone".  (I should say that GE has an apparently endless stock of product names.  Most of these I enjoy, and I had a cheerful conversation with them about their use of "Zamboni",. something dear to every Canajan I know. Others are less, er, successful:  The rain jacket one step down from mine is named the "Storm Trooper".)

I've also found GE cycling shorts to be very comfortable.  I usually wear a pair of their liner short under loose overshorts.  For the latter, I use hiking shorts sourced in Ottawa, usually below the knee.

An alternative source for over-the-knee knickers is an outfit named AeroTech Designs, in Pittsburgh, Next Door.  I have a pair I bought years ago, and wear them often.  They sell a pair for USD 65 these days (about CAD 100) + extortionate postage.  That's a very reasonable price for a quality garment, but I doubt I'll buy anything from them for a while, on account of The Situation. (In times past I would use a friend's address in NYC when ordering, and collect them when we visited, but again, that option is off the table for now.)

Hope this is helpful, Ian, and good luck.

Cheers,  John