General Cycling Discussion - Out of curiosity,

What type of clothes do you wear for casual cycling, just an easy lazy day ride?

I dont do easy lazy day rides. My minimum mileage is 20, and I wear full cycling gear when doing that. When I go to work, I just wear work clothes and tie a velcro on my right leg.

I don't wear cycling specific cloths all the time. During the racing season I make it a point to go out in shorts and a tee shirt to do recovery rides, it's less intensive that way and thats the way it should be.

I don't ever wear cycling specific clothes. I use a leg band on my pants to keep them out of the gears. A tee shirt works fine for me. I'll ride in shirt and tie for downtown trips during the work day.

Padded bike undies under whatever (usually shorts and a T, sometimes street pants w/bike jersey). Same when on the trainer. I avoid jeans as I find them stiff and uncomfortable for riding. Otherwise, on club rides etc. it's full Lycra -- generic, not any pro team kit.

Hmm, never actually did an "easy ride"

It's either to the grocery store (3 blocks away), which I will wear whatever I was wearing at that time.

Or my regular 15-20 miles ride.

I've always worn the same thing- synth t-shirt and normal shorts when dry and warm. Whether it's a short casual ride, or a long touring ride.

I wear my usual full cycling kit for 99% of my rides.

The reason I am asking is because my friend who is just getting to cycling, wants to start riding on a regular basis. She wants to lose weight for she is over 300 lbs. I took her out once and we went at a slow joggers pace and she wore a full warm up suit (after I had advised her not too) and she quickly overheated and we had to stop after about 15 mins of slow easy riding. We ended up walking back but next time around, I think she may reconsider her riding attire. She doesn't want to spend any money, for she isn't sure riding is for her. Any suggestions? She is ashamed of showing off her legs (won't do shorts!) :o

The reason I am asking is because my friend who is just getting to cycling, wants to start riding on a regular basis. She wants to lose weight for she is over 300 lbs. I took her out once and we went at a slow joggers pace and she wore a full warm up suit (after I had advised her not too) and she quickly overheated and we had to stop after about 15 mins of slow easy riding. We ended up walking back but next time around, I think she may reconsider her riding attire. She doesn't want to spend any money, for she isn't sure riding is for her. Any suggestions? She is ashamed of showing off her legs (won't do shorts!) :o

Track pants, especially something in a coolmax or poly-blend material, and something that narrows at the ankle should do for the bottoms.

A T-shirt should be fine for on top at this point. If it is cool a jacket in a poly-blend material, and especially something that breathes or with venting, would work.

Think layers!

For my first 5 years or so of cycling I just wore T-shirts ... they aren't ideal in cold conditions or on ultra-long rides, but for shorter rides around the neighborhood, they work just fine.

cept for shoes I dont own any "cycling" clothing and I ride well over 10k miles a year

if she insists on wearing long pants, try to find some lightweight synthetic jogging pants I guess and wait till its a bit cooler outside, once its cold enough long pants are no problem, im wearing jeans today and its like 40F with lots of wind

If she's that out of shape she will overheat no matter what anyway, one of the first benefits of even small amounts of fitness is the body's ability to regulate its temp better and just better power output period which makes riding easier. Heavy out of shape people can hit their cardio limits very quickly, been there done that.

It has to be said - RIDE NEKKID!!

The reason I am asking is because my friend who is just getting to cycling, wants to start riding on a regular basis. She wants to lose weight for she is over 300 lbs. I took her out once and we went at a slow joggers pace and she wore a full warm up suit (after I had advised her not too) and she quickly overheated and we had to stop after about 15 mins of slow easy riding. We ended up walking back but next time around, I think she may reconsider her riding attire. She doesn't want to spend any money, for she isn't sure riding is for her. Any suggestions? She is ashamed of showing off her legs (won't do shorts!)


T-shirt and tapered sweat pants should be fine. Ideally with cycling shorts underneath. http://www.junonia.com sells exercise attire for the big girls among us. They have sizes 1-6....1-6x that is.

Make sure she limits the duration of her first few weeks of rides. It is easy to get discouraged in the beginning when everything is so hard. Do a flat course under 5 miles at a really slow pace and incorporate frequent stops before she is out of breath. At that weight you don't need to do much for a full workout. No sense in overdoing it.

Tell her to wear shorts, and commit to making her legs into something she would be proud to show off.

I know it is a tough hurdle to get over, but if someone cares what she looks like, it is their problem, and if anyone doesn't want to look... that is their option too.

Let her know that in addition to getting the legs into shape, they will get some color instead of looking pasty white... so when she is ready to show them off, they'll look very nice!

Tell her to wear shorts, and commit to making her legs into something she would be proud to show off.

I know it is a tough hurdle to get over, but if someone cares what she looks like, it is their problem, and if anyone doesn't want to look... that is their option too.

Let her know that in addition to getting the legs into shape, they will get some color instead of looking pasty white... so when she is ready to show them off, they'll look very nice!


Good point!

Someone told me once that if you want to lose weight, start wearing "uncomfortable" clothing .... wear structured clothing (i.e. dress pants) rather than comfy sweats, and wear clothes that are just a teensy bit on the tight side rather than loose stuff. That way, you'll might be less inclined to have a large lunch which will make those clothes even more uncomfortable!

So, while wearing shorts might feel a bit embarrassing, that may be a great incentive to lose the weight!

Thanks everyone for the suggetions and the tips for getting her started. Our first time out, we did indeed take about 4 breaks in between and I made sure she drank her water. I felt real bad for her and I kept asking if it was enough. She wanted to go on! :)

But after 15 mins I knew it was too much for her because her face was turning red. I suggested we take up walking instead (just to get her used to being out and about) but then she told me she has problems with the arches of her feet, which is why she wanted to try cycling.

In the next couple of weeks we will be able to go out again, and the weather will be considerably cooler. I will let her know of your advice for the taper leg thin pants and the t-shirts.

Thank you so much! :)

Not to be harsh, but if she is over 300 pounds, people will not instinctively look at her legs. They will look straight at her gut. I do understand that she wants to look nice, but there really is no better option than padded spandex shorts if you ask me. The 30 dollar trek kind work quite well for me.

Having cycling-specific clothes is absolutely not a prerequisite for cycling, especially casual, leisurely cycling. Casual everyday clothes do it just fine for me. I dress same as for walking except I pretend it's about 10 degrees Celsius warmer out (cause I know I'll generate lots of heat). The pants don't even have to taper out at the bottom: roll them up, or use a velcro strap or an office binder clip... it doesn't have to be fancy!

And like somebody else said, don't start out too hard! The beauty of cycling is that it can be as relaxed or demanding as you want it to be! You can push yourself to the limit - or you can take a leisurely spin that's easier than walking! Have her bike really slowly at first, short distances on flat ground. If she keeps it up, she'll notice improvements soon enough!

P.S. Machka - I love the biking smiley in your signature! http://user.chollian.net/~boonstra/gif/fiets853.gif

I wear regular clothes for 99% of my rides. I'm the exact opposite of machka. Her rides are multiple centuries and mine are multiple blocks. The only bike specific clothing I wear are SPDs.

The only reason I suggest cycling specific clothing is that I have a friend who was over 300lbs and we rode together. It seemed that for her every ache and pain was amplified by being so heavy. She is not the complaining type, so if she said it hurt, I know it did.

She was able to find cycling shorts that fit her and the difference in comfort was dramatic. She has since lost 40 lbs. and the cycling is much easier, but she is still much much slower than me, and I am really slow.

At that weight everything is so much harder. Aches and pains are easy to come by as well. Having decent cycling clothing can really make the difference between a pleasurable day out and misery.

i wear mtn bike shorts and a plain jersey. i wouldn't mind wearing a regular t-shirt once in a while but i just find the pockets on the jersey so damn useful for keys and cell phone.

I don't think it matters as long as you continue with style !!

Like my bike helmet...I think of it as a crown and I am King Dorko :)

i sweat like crazy so tshirts are only good for very short rides, i don't like riding in jeans but i do it a lot, i have a reflective velcro thingy to hold the pant leg and laces back. my dad says they aren't worth the $4 and tucks his pant leg into his sock. my wife is a fan of the tapered thin pants thing, but as they are not skin tight they get caught by the chainring sometimes, not often though. she doesn't like showing a lot of leg so on longer or warmer rides she wears really long girls boardshorts, or capri pants, her capri's are cut about 8" above the ankle, so they're still pants but not near the chainring. or she'll wear running sweats and a velcro thingy. as far as shirts she usually wears a T shirt or longsleeve cotton shirt, she doesn't sweat much so it's not a big deal for her. if we're going on a serious ride where she'll sweat a lot (well a lot for her is nothing for me lol!) she has a nike dri-fit shirt that keeps her pretty cool/dry

I always wear my bike shoes. Riding is much more enjoyable with the clipless.

The reason I am asking is because my friend who is just getting to cycling, wants to start riding on a regular basis. She wants to lose weight for she is over 300 lbs. I took her out once and we went at a slow joggers pace and she wore a full warm up suit (after I had advised her not too) and she quickly overheated and we had to stop after about 15 mins of slow easy riding. We ended up walking back but next time around, I think she may reconsider her riding attire. She doesn't want to spend any money, for she isn't sure riding is for her. Any suggestions? She is ashamed of showing off her legs (won't do shorts!) :o

Her desire to not spend some money is a problem so I'm wondering if she can sew. I wear capri pants that are made of cotton with about 5% spandex. :)

I wear baggy bike shorts and an atheletic wicking t-shirt usually. most casual riding i do is commuting to work.

Wow a lot of great ideas for her! Actually I will let her see this thread and maybe she might not feel so bad about riding. Maybe she will even feel encouraged by all of this! Thanks! :)

Whatever I am wearing that day. Usually baggy shorts and a t-shirt.

The only cycling specific items I will put on for those rides are my clipless shoes, helmet, and gloves.

It has to be said - RIDE NEKKID!!

That works well when it's -20 out.

What type of clothes do you wear for casual cycling, just an easy lazy day ride?

How long is an easy lazy day ride?

For around the neighborhood, to the bar/coffeeshop/friend's house, I'll wear whatever. For any ride longer than, say, 10mi or so I'll wear appropriate cycling clothing. I will bust out mtn bike baggies for the longer "screw around" rides....