Pants for biking and working



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KáRi HarðArson

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Hello all,

I bike to work. I use the bike to run errands during the day as well.

I can't be bothered to wear special biking pants and change into something fashionable -- I have
been using Dockers cotton pants but I must confess they don't look good after a while.

Does someone want to recommend a brand of pants (or make of cloth) that are comfortable for bike
rides but look good enough to wear to work ?

Thank you, Kari Hardarson (that's a mans name where I come from.)
 
Personally I wear my Lycra cycling shorts underneath my trousers so I have the benefit of a padded
rear on the bike seat and still normal wear over the top. Can always do a quick change of the
undergarments on reaching work!

Cheers, helen s

~~~~~~~~~~
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"Kári Harðarson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello all,
>
> I bike to work. I use the bike to run errands during the day as well.
>
> I can't be bothered to wear special biking pants and change into something fashionable -- I have
> been using Dockers cotton pants but I must confess they don't look good after a while.
>
> Does someone want to recommend a brand of pants (or make of cloth) that are comfortable for bike
> rides but look good enough to wear to work ?

Wool and synthetics generally resist wrinkles and other problems a lot better than cotton. It may
seem extravagant to buy synthetic fiber pants costing twice as much as Dockers from a good
outdoor gear company, but the clothes really do the job. Look for stuff from Sportif, LL Bean,
Patagonia, etc.

Matt O.
 
[email protected] (Dennis P. Harris) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> On 21 Jan 2003 02:13:05 -0800 in rec.bicycles.misc, [email protected] (Kári Harðarson) wrote:
>
> > Does someone want to recommend a brand of pants (or make of cloth) that are comfortable for bike
> > rides but look good enough to wear to work ?
> >
> the problem is defining "look good enough"!

I think this is pretty self-evident. The OP was wearing Dockers, that is to say, 'casual' cotton
slacks, appropriate to work in an office environment.

Polartec fleece, then is *definitely* not admissible, nor is any specialised bike-wear.

My suggestion would be to wear a nice pair of woolen trousers; be sure to get a clip to keep the
cuffs from getting caught in the chain. Brompton-riding City gents here in London tuck their trouser
cuffs into their socks while they're riding. Looks kind of silly, but it works; they untuck them
once they come off the bike, of course.

being wool, the wrinkles generally fall out once you've hung it for a while. And it can go some time
between dry-cleanings. also warm, especially if you happen to be caught out in the rain/snow/sleet
unexpectedly.

-Luigi
 
Kári Harðarson wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> I bike to work. I use the bike to run errands during the day as well.
>
> I can't be bothered to wear special biking pants and change into something fashionable -- I have
> been using Dockers cotton pants but I must confess they don't look good after a while.
>
> Does someone want to recommend a brand of pants (or make of cloth) that are comfortable for bike
> rides but look good enough to wear to work ?
>
> Thank you, Kari Hardarson (that's a mans name where I come from.)

In North America you can get Dickies' Work Pants. Polyester and cotton. Usually black or tan. Wear
like iron, wash like a rag. Cost pretty cheap too. Like $25.00 CAD. Look good for a long time. When
they stop looking good you can garden and fix your bike in them for the rest of your days.

<legal disblamer> I don't work for Dickies, just wear them. :)
 
Kári Harðarson wrote:
>
> Hello all,
>
> I bike to work. I use the bike to run errands during the day as well.
>
> I can't be bothered to wear special biking pants and change into something fashionable -- I have
> been using Dockers cotton pants but I must confess they don't look good after a while.
>
> Does someone want to recommend a brand of pants (or make of cloth) that are comfortable for bike
> rides but look good enough to wear to work ?

This is a difficult question, because people have different standards for how "good" they want/need
to look at work. Some men are always auditioning for modeling jobs, it seems; others couldn't care
less. Some companies are very particular, some very casual.

I think I'm somewhere in the middle (but doesn't everyone think that?), wearing slacks, dress
shirts or sport shirts, dress shoes, no necktie to work. About half the guys I work with wear ties,
half don't.

For my seven mile commute, I wear either cotton khakis, or polyester dress pants. The polyester
don't wrinkle as quickly as the khakis. There are some ugly polyester pants out there, but there are
some that are fairly nice looking. (I wouldn't trust my taste in this matter; I rely on my wife and
daughter instead!)

--
Frank Krygowski [email protected]
 
On 21 Jan 2003 02:13:05 -0800 in rec.bicycles.misc, [email protected] (Kári Harðarson) wrote:

> Does someone want to recommend a brand of pants (or make of cloth) that are comfortable for bike
> rides but look good enough to wear to work ?
>
the problem is defining "look good enough"!

i've found polartec fleece pants to to work well in winter weather. a number of companies make them
including patagonia (waaaay overpriced IMHO) and land's end (more reasonable, see www.landsend.com )
 
On 21 Jan 2003 19:26:52 GMT, [email protected] (wafflycathcsdirtycatlitter) wrote:

>Personally I wear my Lycra cycling shorts underneath my trousers so I have the benefit of a padded
>rear on the bike seat and still normal wear over the top.

Ah, well, I ride a bent so I don't need the special kit and can ride in normal clothes :)

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com (BT ADSL and
dynamic DNS permitting)
NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
work. Apologies.
 
Tue, 21 Jan 2003 22:11:23 -0500, <[email protected]>, Frank Krygowski
<[email protected]> wrote:

>For my seven mile commute, I wear either cotton khakis, or polyester dress pants. The polyester
>don't wrinkle as quickly as the khakis. There are some ugly polyester pants out there, but there
>are some that are fairly nice looking. (I wouldn't trust my taste in this matter; I rely on my wife
>and daughter instead!)

The cotton/polyester blend work pants with a pleated front are cut full for bending and don't
wrinkle easily since they're a "permanent press" fabric. Many of the brands fit 28" waists with
their standard sizing range.
--
zk
 
Luigi de Guzman wrote:
>
> My suggestion would be to wear a nice pair of woolen trousers; be sure to get a clip to keep the
> cuffs from getting caught in the chain.

The common name for the best "clip" is: "Safety pin."

--
Frank Krygowski [email protected]
 
I ride with pants on occasion as well, but I find that the problem is not in the pants but rather in
what to wear under the pants. Whenever I wear pants, my friends down there just don't get the
support they need, and consequently they get themselves into places that they don't belong, and then
they let me know about it. Any ideas/thoughts?

Michael

> > Does someone want to recommend a brand of pants (or make of cloth) that are comfortable for bike
> > rides but look good enough to wear to work ?
> >
> the problem is defining "look good enough"!
>
> i've found polartec fleece pants to to work well in winter weather. a number of companies make
> them including patagonia (waaaay overpriced IMHO) and land's end (more reasonable, see
> www.landsend.com )
 
Tue, 28 Jan 2003 19:46:01 -0800, <[email protected]>,
Michael James Anderson <[email protected]> wrote:

>I ride with pants on occasion as well, but I find that the problem is not in the pants but rather
>in what to wear under the pants.

I regularly wear cycling shorts under trousers.
--
zk
 
Michael James Anderson wrote:

> I ride with pants on occasion as well, but I find that the problem is not in the pants but rather
> in what to wear under the pants. Whenever I wear pants, my friends down there just don't get the
> support they need, and consequently they get themselves into places that they don't belong, and
> then they let me know about it. Any ideas/thoughts?
>
> Michael
>
> > > Does someone want to recommend a brand of pants (or make of cloth) that are comfortable for
> > > bike rides but look good enough to wear to work ?
> > >
> > the problem is defining "look good enough"!
> >
> > i've found polartec fleece pants to to work well in winter weather. a number of companies make
> > them including patagonia (waaaay overpriced IMHO) and land's end (more reasonable, see
> > www.landsend.com )
> >
> >
> >

try jockey shorts instead of boxers?
 
"Michael James Anderson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:p[email protected]...
>
> I ride with pants on occasion as well, but I find that the problem is not in the pants but rather
> in what to wear under the pants. Whenever I wear pants, my friends down there just don't get the
> support they need, and consequently they get themselves into places that they don't belong, and
> then they let me know about it. Any ideas/thoughts?

If I'm riding to do shopping, eating out, Dr.'s appt., or something like that, I typically wear a
pair of warm-ups over bike shorts. The ones I have are made from a thin stretch fleece (smooth on
the outside, fuzzy inside) and have thin zippers down the outside of each leg. I've tried the
underwear-with-pad sold in bike shops, but I didn't find it very comfortable. Regular briefs provide
enough support, but the seams chafe if I ride any distance. There are "boxer briefs" (or something
like that), underwear that look pretty much like bicycle shorts, I find they are better than
conventional briefs for cycling.
 
In article <[email protected]>, "Rich Clark"
<[email protected]> writes:
>
> "Michael James Anderson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:p[email protected]...
>>
>> I ride with pants on occasion as well, but I find that the problem is not in the pants but rather
>> in what to wear under the pants. Whenever I wear pants, my friends down there just don't get the
>> support they need, and consequently they get themselves into places that they don't belong, and
>> then they let me know about it. Any ideas/thoughts?
>
> Get new friends.
>
> But seriously, you can wear cycling shorts under regular pants

That's probably the best bet, I think.

Pants seem to get dirty faster if worn while riding, especially in more pleuvial winter weather. So
one ends up having to change (and launder) them more frequently. With all that changing ... might as
well change into shorts & tights for riding. Or maybe selecting routes with less traffic, and
thereby less road spray, would help. And wearing black-coloured pants.

I recall a previous discussion on how nice it is, to sometimes be able to just hop on 'n go, in
street clothes. And what a hassle it can be, to change into bikewear just for a short grocery run.
But at least in wetter climates, it can take very few such short rides to prematurely render a pair
of trousers ready for the outgoing laundry basket. At least bikewear is easier to launder, and often
quicker to dry.

If we had snow on the ground here, it would probably be grey -- from the same grime that gets on
yer pants.

Sometimes bikewear is also appropriate rainwear. The hassle isn't dressing to ride -- it's dressing
for the weather. But it's still less hassle than care and maintenance of a car <w>

cheers, Tom

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"Michael James Anderson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:p[email protected]...
>
> I ride with pants on occasion as well, but I find that the problem is not in the pants but rather
> in what to wear under the pants. Whenever I wear pants, my friends down there just don't get the
> support they need, and consequently they get themselves into places that they don't belong, and
> then they let me know about it. Any ideas/thoughts?

Get new friends.

But seriously, you can wear cycling shorts under regular pants, or you can buy padded underwear
("turn any shorts into cycling shorts!).

RichC
 
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...

>I ride with pants on occasion as well, but I find that the problem is not in the pants but rather
>in what to wear under the pants. Whenever I wear pants, my friends down there just don't get the
>support they need, and consequently they get themselves into places that they don't belong, and
>then they let me know about it. Any ideas/thoughts?

Wear underwear that provides the appropriate amount of support that you need. I believe a company
called Andiamo made some cycling briefs that might be what you are looking for.
-----------------
Alex __O _-\<,_ (_)/ (_)
 
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