Counterintuitive Discovery-Cycling in Trousers is Hell!

Elisa Francesca

This summer, for the first time in my life, I bought several pairs of Reebok sports trousers in
microfibre because the overall persuasion was that this would be more comfortable for cycling than
my skirts.

Since then, I've tested this principle again and again, and today I definitively annouce: It is not
true. Cycling in a skirt is vastly more comfortable.

I was using a hired bike on my summer holiday in Cambridge when I started wearing the trousers
daily. The bike was extremely stiff and hard to control, but I put this down to its promiscuous
origins and the fact that it had a wheel dynamo light. Even on flats in first gear it was hard to
start. I was constantly losing the pedals, and I found it very tiring. Moreover, after about a week,
I developed a numbness in my left foot which made it hard to walk.

I was happy to get back to my French bike at the end of the hols. But a few weeks ago I took her out
again, wearing my trousers. I immediately had the impression that the seat was too low because I was
finding it very difficult to catch the second pedal at starting. This despite the fact that the seat
height had felt perfect in my skirt. The bike suddenly felt extremely stiff. Short climbs which
posed me no problem the day before abruptly became major workouts.

Today it is raining hard so I came to work in rain trousers. I had to stop twice to catch my breath
in just 1.5 kilometers. I never went above 2nd gear on a trip where I daily course through the whole
range of my gears. I lost the pedals twice, and slid around on the seat in such a way as to sit
injurously and suffer balance loss.

It has become clear to me that trousers obstruct circulation and breathing. I find it very difficult
to tie my shoelaces - the fact of bending over so constricts my breathing that I start going blue in
the face. The numb foot has not recurred since I got back to France and my usual wardrobe. It is
also very hard in trousers to lift my leg - the fabric resists this gesture all the way from my
waist to my knee, wheraes in a skirt there is no resistance until you reach the hem in a scissor
kick! No wonder the pedals are so hard to find and cycling is suddenly so tiring - not only you
can't breathe, but to the downward resistance of the pedal you have to add the upward resistance of
the fabric. And no, my trousers are not especially tight. So long as I am standing up and straight,
the fabric moves freely all around my legs.

So once again, the conventional wisdom is proved wrong by controlled experiment. I don't know about
those lycra cycling shorts - they look more like leotards than trousers and perhaps they have enough
stretch in them to allow freedom of movment. But fat people wouldn't be caught dead in them.

I'm not suggesting that the gentlemen on this list add Mc to their names and adopt the kilt, or
become acolytes of Jean-Paul Gauthier, nor am I suggesting that the ladies go back to the New Look
of the 1950's. But try out different sartorial arrangements if you get the chance and don't take
received opinion for granted.

Elisa Francesca Roselli Ile de France

Zippy The Pinhe

On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 12:08:49 +0200, Elisa Francesca Roselli
<Elisa.Francesca.Roselli@quadratec-software.com> wrote:

>...the overall persuasion was that this would be more comfortable for cycling than my skirts.
>
>Since then, I've tested this principle again and again, and today I definitively annouce: It is not
>true. Cycling in a skirt is vastly more comfortable.

By God, you're right!!

You've changed my entire life.

kh6zv9

Zippy the Pinhead <uce@nospam.ftc.gov> wrote:
: On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 12:08:49 +0200, Elisa Francesca Roselli
: <Elisa.Francesca.Roselli@quadratec-software.com> wrote:

:>...the overall persuasion was that this would be more comfortable for cycling than my skirts.
:>
:>Since then, I've tested this principle again and again, and today I definitively annouce: It is
:>not true. Cycling in a skirt is vastly more comfortable.

: By God, you're right!!

: You've changed my entire life.

Yea, but if you go to fast the darn skirt blows up into your face and you can't see where you are
going and crash.

--------------------------------
Bob Masse' kh6zv9@PE.NET
--------------------------------

Mick

<kh6zv9@pe.net> wrote in message news:vpfqqupbqc4tcc@corp.supernews.com...
> Zippy the Pinhead <uce@nospam.ftc.gov> wrote:
> : On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 12:08:49 +0200, Elisa Francesca Roselli
> : <Elisa.Francesca.Roselli@quadratec-software.com> wrote:
>
> :>...the overall persuasion was that this would be more comfortable for cycling than my skirts.
> :>
> :>Since then, I've tested this principle again and again, and today I definitively annouce: It is
> :>not true. Cycling in a skirt is vastly more comfortable.
>
>
> : By God, you're right!!
>
> : You've changed my entire life.
>
>
>
> Yea, but if you go to fast the darn skirt blows up into your face and you can't see where you are
> going and crash.

And all the nice boys get to see your minge, Or the Giant blue belly warmers your wearing

Badger South

In article <vpfqqupbqc4tcc@corp.supernews.com>, <kh6zv9@pe.net> wrote:
>Zippy the Pinhead <uce@nospam.ftc.gov> wrote:
>: On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 12:08:49 +0200, Elisa Francesca Roselli
>: <Elisa.Francesca.Roselli@quadratec-software.com> wrote:
>
>:>...the overall persuasion was that this would be more comfortable for cycling than my skirts.
>:>
>:>Since then, I've tested this principle again and again, and today I definitively annouce: It is
>:>not true. Cycling in a skirt is vastly more comfortable.
>
>
>: By God, you're right!!
>
>: You've changed my entire life.
>
>
>
>Yea, but if you go to fast the darn skirt blows up into your face and you can't see where you are
>going and crash.
>
>
> --------------------------------
> Bob Masse' kh6zv9@PE.NET
>--------------------------------

Shorter skirts? ;-P

-B
--
Email Replies to johnson<nospm>01j <att> ntelos <dott> net

Elisa Francesca

mick wrote:

> > Yea, but if you go to fast the darn skirt blows up into your face and you can't see where you
> > are going and crash.
>
> And all the nice boys get to see your minge, Or the Giant blue belly warmers your wearing

Some skirts are definitely better than others. The long cotton voile broomstick skirts do indeed
need to be tied up for cycling. But my current pleated navy wool-crepe doesn't fly up or get caught
in the gears. And I can breathe, and my blood can circulate normally.

EFR

Mark

Elisa Francesca Roselli <Elisa.Francesca.Roselli@quadratec-software.com> wrote in message
news:<3F97A8B0.48BD74FE@quadratec-software.com>...
> This summer, for the first time in my life, I bought several pairs of Reebok sports trousers in
> microfibre because the overall persuasion was that this would be more comfortable for cycling than
> my skirts.
>
> Since then, I've tested this principle again and again, and today I definitively annouce: It is
> not true. Cycling in a skirt is vastly more comfortable.
CHOP
> So once again, the conventional wisdom is proved wrong by controlled experiment. I don't know
> about those lycra cycling shorts - they look more like leotards than trousers and perhaps they
> have enough stretch in them to allow freedom of movment. But fat people wouldn't be caught dead
> in them.
>
> I'm not suggesting that the gentlemen on this list add Mc to their names and adopt the kilt, or
> become acolytes of Jean-Paul Gauthier, nor am I suggesting that the ladies go back to the New Look
> of the 1950's. But try out different sartorial arrangements if you get the chance and don't take
> received opinion for granted.
>
> Elisa Francesca Roselli Ile de France

Well, I'm sure I don't speak alone when, as a lycra/wool enthusiast, I reply that the real thing is
what works for you. That is the ultimate standard. Fab has his fashion standards, but you know how
fashion is!

I'm not sure what the slightly off-color responders actually thot. It seemed like attempts to be
humorous, so I give them the benefit of the doubt.

best; Mark

Rich Clark

"Elisa Francesca Roselli" <Elisa.Francesca.Roselli@quadratec-software.com> wrote in message
news:3F97A8B0.48BD74FE@quadratec-software.com...

> It has become clear to me that trousers obstruct circulation and breathing. I find it very
> difficult to tie my shoelaces - the fact of bending over so constricts my breathing that I start
> going blue in the face.

While it's possible that you have stumbled upon the reason that men seems to generally be stupider
than women -- oxygen deprivation -- I think it somewhat more likely that your trousers don't fit
properly, or they're not of a type suitable for what you're trying to do while wearing them.

Skirts have waistbands too, don't they?

RichC