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Cycling Fashion
by Warren TI’ve seen a bunch of recreational cyclist out the last couple of weeks and over 90% of them seem to be clad in spiffy cycling jerseys and shorts. I’ve also seen a few other commuters this week and they’re outfitted the same way.
I don’t want to upset those of you who are used to wearing Lycra / Spandex for your daily commute — but I just don’t get it. Fritz kids me sometimes because I tend to commute in a tee-shirt, jean shorts and old tennis shoes. I only rack up 10 miles a day on my commute so it works for me; plus I want people who are driving by thinking they might want to take a crack at bicycle commuting to see me and know that they don’t need to go out and buy a whole new outfit to give it a try. I like this comment from the Rivendell Bicycle Works site:
“In America, cyclers who are otherwise normal wear spandex shorts and skin tight jerseys with psychedelic geckos, skulls & crossbones, wilderness murals, flags and serious-looking bald eagles, and advertisements for the local coffee shop or podiatrist. The message it sends potential riders is that without special clothing, they’ll have a substandard experience on the bike, but of course that’s not true.”
Is there really an advantage to the Spandex for shorter commutes? I truly am interested in your comments.
Now, on the other hand, I was checking out Velorution last night and wonder if these fashions are the anti-spandex. Perhaps it might be a bit cooler in London than it is in my home base. Still, I think it would be a blast to have one of the tweed outfits with the woven reflective thread in the late fall — I’ll bet more drivers would notice me.
Photo from the Velorution site by Giovanni Canitano and used with permission. (Thanks Andrea)
[...] of cycling fashionably Jump to Comments As a cyclist, and more specifically as a commuter, cycling fashion tends to elude me. While it’s no secret that I’ve been slowly building up a fixed gear bike these past couple [...]
I have to agree with Patrick when he says; ”
I’m shocked by the lack of reflective material on most bicycling clothing and other bicycling materials (or for that matter, materials for runners or just folks walking).”
For commuting I try to find highly visable and reflective clothing. I even switched to reflective tires and a high visability backpack. I’ll put my money on safety over fashion any day. Do you hear that bike manufacturers?
Summer-time (regularly over 100)I wear board shorts and a tee shirt. There’s not much sweat in the morning, and it’s straight into the pool when I get home! I carry fresh work clothes and a towel in on Mondays. When it gets cooler, I’ll throw on the knickers ’cause I don’t need ventilated privates. If it’s below 40 I use a long-sleeve wool shirt (my base layer for skiing) and long pants.
No spandex/lycra here, no one needs to see that!
I typically wear some kind of wicking t shirt because I sweat a lot to begin with. Plus, here it is already 85 degrees with 100% humidity by 6am when I tend to leave the house. The last time I wore a regular cotton t shirt it was literally soaking wet on every square inch after about 8 miles.
For shorts, I found some really great breathable items at Target. They’re made similar to basketball shorts but aren’t ridiculously, exaggeratedly large or bulky. I’d call them soccer shorts but they come down to my knees.
I used to wear Shimano MTB shoes with clipless pedals. You couldn’t look at the shoes and tell they were cycling shoes. I decided that’s fine for long rides (I do bike-packing and some loaded touring as well) but not on my commute where I’m stopping and starting. I switched to BMX style pedals. I can use any rubber or soft soled shoe I want to now have yet to slip out.
My commute’s quite long (around 1 hour), but still, I’m not the type to go for full lycra/spandex. I normally wear a tee and a pair of sweatpants/leggings. I’m lucky to have shower facilities at work. Plus, I wear a uniform for work – and not one that would be comfortable to cycle in.
I am another baggy bike shorts (spandex and chamois hidden inside) and a cheap wicking shirts. We do have a gym where I have a small locker for toiletries at work where I can shower and change and then ride about 1/4 mile to my building.
I ride a 10+ year old Rock Hopper with no suspension. I have a seat post mounted rack. I bungee my backpack style laptop bag to that. I am working out a better system for rain, but so far things stay dry.
I prefer spandex because they’re more comfortable. When I get to work I can change my clothes and not be so sweaty. I don’t think what you wear is a big deal.
I find the comment by Rivendell about “cyclists who are otherwise normal” a bit funny. Dressing up is fun! But if you don’t like to dress up, then wear what you like!
I wear reg. athletic shorts and a wicking shirt. I switched to platforms because, I didn’t want to worry about extra shoes. I am able to dry out & wash up before work. I will do the lycra on club rides or anything 50+ miles. 16 miles round trip for my commute.
I run the gamut. I bought the full kit (loose jersey, not tight, and plain block color, no logos) for a century ride and training up for it. Since I have it, I wear it whenever it’s clean. I’ve also got some MTB shorts for places where extremely casual is okay. If none of the above is clean, I’ll ride in sweats and t-shirt. I won’t ride in work clothes because at 10 miles one way, I’ll wear them out to quickly (cycling eats though the crotch of dress slacks) and I will sweat enough to be visible on the shirts.
When I’m just running short rides around town, I wear jeans or jeans shorts and a t-shirt or polo shirt. That way I don’t have to change when I go places, something I can do easily at work, but not so much at the local movie theatre.
I haven’t made the switch to clipless yet, but when I do, they will be platform so I can still hop on with street shoes for those shorter rides.
The point of cycling gear is not that its necessary, but that it makes it easier/simpler/cleaner to ride the way I want to ride. It’s a personal choice to use it because it makes my life easier. If you don’t want to use it, don’t, if you do, feel free.
As a sort of recovering racer from about 20 yrs ago, and having a 3 leg, circle commute of 36 miles, the geek suit is my only option. I sometimes add on another 14 miles at the end to conquer 50 (is that so wrong)? I use my commute as a training ride, so I go very fast at times. I shower after the second leg (at the office) but if I’m out on my bike on a ride that may turn social near the end – let’s say grabbing a pint somewhere – I bring some light overclothing.
Over the last 30 years or so I’ve ridden just shy of 125,000 miles, and I’ve noticed a thing or two about riding in traffic. When you’re geeked out as I am and ride with confidence and authority, drivers tend to take you more seriously. Also, cycling specific clothes tend to have higher visibility, and that’s a good thing. GClarke and Patrick are right in their appeal for more reflective lines.
Then again, I shave my legs, too, so what do I know?