Bicycling Wearing Apparel - Page 3

I'm not really into much of the cycling gear-- although I do understand the attaction to it-- who wouldn't wish to be a little like Lance? Riding a bike in the USA makes you a total geek to 80% of the population away. So I never have a bad work about any other rider, their bike, skill level, dress, ect...

I like biker shorts and gloves, but often wear rubber faced, cotton backed work gloves in cold or wet weather. Add a $14 dollar pair of rain pants and a couple of wool sweaters I bought at Goodwill and that's pretty much how I ride. I often wear biker shorts under a pair a jeans as well-- comfortable. Poly blend T shirts are better than 100% cotton.

I'm also a tennie shoe with cages rider. Easier to walk around once I park the bike. I do hate being looked down on by wanna-be road racers totally tricked out, however. I got laughed at while riding home from the store the other day with a half case of beer and a 50 garden hose strapped to my rack-- it's kinda pissed me off, but, oh well.

If you ride more than a couple of times a week, for any distance at all, you need cycle shorts.
Cycle tops are comfortable, have convenient pockets, wick moisture, and dry quickly.
If a jobs worth doing, its worth doing properly. If you are more comfortable, you will enjoy riding more, so you will ride more often.

Well, I thank everyone for their comments. I can see that there is more to bicycling gear than just looks. The argument for padded shorts seems the best one to me (although I am not completely sure why this is better than padded seats). While I have not had any problems with my own posterior yet, as I stretch out my distances beyond 30 miles maybe I will long for some. That and padded gloves since my hands do get numb. But I still think a lot of people buy specialized clothing because they think its cool rather than utilitarian.

Don't let even us defenders of fancy gear tell you any different. Everyone's got appearences and personal style on their minds at least a little bit! I mean, come on. Did you shave this morning?

Nothing wrong with wearing stuff you think is cool, so long as you don't behave like a turd around folks dressed like Communists.



Hey, good topic though, jmgradon.

And even they have their own cycling jerseys now...

http://store4.yimg.com/I/glorycycles_1767_15826995

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Peter
Cannondale Synapse Carbon Scalpel Cyclocross Ultra

See? There ya go.

Wow...so is this what I'm to expect if I ever build up the courage to ride (or at least follow) a pack?

Based on what I've read here (not everyone, but most posts), this is what it means to be a newbie:
-Your first bike can't be a really expensive bike regardless of what your goals may be, cuz hey, you're a loser if it is.
-You can't wear the appropriate clothing, because you're not riding 100 miles a week, so until then, you're a dork for doing so and you will be laughed at.
-If you do ride 100 miles a week, but wear logo'd apparel then you're a dork for wearing the apparel even though it does benefit you, and your rides are "worthy" of it.
-You can't wear the shoes/pedals, because as a newbie, you don't know anything about efficiency, so again, you're a dork for getting them.


So I guess the serious riders are born that way, they never went through a learning curve, they bike, so they are, they're the only ones entitled to wear the holy apparel.

Of all sports, I thought this would be one where people wouldn't discriminate and accept the newcomers. Come on guys, show the love.

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Power is nothing without control

Word, Zer0hmz. Word. I feel the love. All cyclists are glorious dorks, cultural learning curves be damned.

I always over-dress when I ride, and I promise that my bike is more than I actually need it to be.

The point, of course, is fun. One of my co-workers is a state and regional champ and she hasn't made a dime off cycling as a sport; it's a hobby.

I think you'll find that most cyclists are much less concerned with the status of others than this forum illustrates.

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i relish complicating the obvious and trivializing the stupendous

it seems like it's the people that aren't wearing cycling clothing that are discriminating, therefore only follow packs of dorks and losers.

me, i don't care what you wear (though i wear cycling clothing), i just think they are utilitarian (sans logos).

I don't see what's wrong with "looking the part". ("If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right", etc.)

There's something about just putting on the gear that gets me ready and psyched to ride, I find. (Kinda like "putting on the game face" from team sports, I guess.)

I may be less comfortable off the bike in lycra bike shorts, tight-fitting jersey, and goofy looking shoes - but hey, I already look dorky just wearing a helmet, which I'll ALWAYS do for safety, and I'm dressing for comfort ON the bike, not OFF it, anyway.

I got to wait for awhile at the summit of a popular route (Skyline Drive atop Old Tunnel Road, for East Bay riders) yesterday for my riding partners, and I loved bike-watching and bike-gear-watching as the riders went by - I'm glad to see the range of gear people wear on semi-serious rides, and I rarely (if ever) think about who "deserves" what level of gear when I see them go by - how would I know, and who am I to guess or judge, anyway?

Why is clothing such an issue ? I wear club gear ( see the web site ) because its 1 ) cheap , 2 ) visable , 3 ) it fits .
Having had to buy from the sale / oddments pile it was a nice change to get to buy off the shelf , this stuff is expensive in the shops .
Pro team gear is very well made but hughly expensive , try buying last years gear and you can get some real savings .
.........that said I do worry a bit when I see someone in shorts ,shirt , gloves , socks and helmet of a current team´s strip that´s not a kid or an adult riding with a similarly dressed kid ( what we do for our kids )

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' too old to rock 'n' roll : too young to die '

El Inglés makes another great point. If you ride with a club, or have other connections to cycling culture or the industry, gear can be exceptionally inexpensive... we're talking from half-off to free, from quality manufacturers.

Allen H makes the other great point: wearing cool stuff is fun. As I said earlier, even when you're riding with friends, it's often just you and a grade for a long stretch. It's you inside your head... why not enjoy feeling good about yourself? Imagine yourself leading the pack over the final climb in the Giro d'Italia, or the SF Grand Prix.

But all that remains secondary. I still can't imagine climbing Tunnel Road/Skyline, descending Centennial at 45mph, hammering South Park Rd, or taking the Bears around the resevoirs (Bay Area represent!) in Reeboks, gym shorts, and a cotton tee. It would be utterly uncomfortable. Maybe the street-clothes crowd are super tough cats, is all!

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i relish complicating the obvious and trivializing the stupendous

You are either a nut or overly sensitive! GMAFB. Seasoned riders may poke fun at the new rider who blows $7K on gear. So? I'd also laugh at the golfer who shoots 125 with $1600 worth of top line clubs and pays $350 to play at Pebble Beach. So, who cares? What about the new skiiers who line up with $1000 skis and $500 jumpers?

Get over it. Not everyone plays nice all the time.

If you have the money to blow it, then blow it if it makes you feel good.
The best revenge in life is living well. (eek I sound like a character from "Revenge of The Nerds" ...LOL)

Hey when you go, you can't take it with you, so spend it on something that you like. Heck, if wearing cool stuff makes you get your a** out there to exercise harder, then it's worth it!

Not to worry there tiger, I know not everyone plays nice. So I guess you're the guy whose arms didn't grow enough and can't seem to reach your pockets, and that's why you laugh at those who can reach and do their thing the way they want.

So should everyone be like you? And I don't mean you as in Aztec, but you as that type of attitude? Everyone should go out and buy only EXACTLY what they need. If that was the case then nothing would ever evolve since everyone would settle for what they have.

Nice to meet you.

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Power is nothing without control