Southern California - About to exit my dorm for the first time in all my cycling stuff

...and with my bike over my shoulder. This should be fun. I'll give you a report when I get back-well if people even care. It should be fun if I have to take the elevator with somebody down all seven floors.

How goofy a person looks in cycling gear is directly proporational to your distance from your bike. Since you will be carrying and riding your bike, you're OK.

I care. :) I'd love to hear, and if you can get someone to take a pic, please do and post. Oh, and be safe and have fun. :beer:

I would give you a funny look since I usually roll my bike when I'm not riding it rather than carrying the thing. (Except when the elevators are down and I have to take the stairs.) :p

Anyway, have fun, and let us know how it goes.

Are you worried about getting complaints of making the floor muddy?

For me I roll my bike partially in early mornings by lifting the rear wheel off the ground. I've bumped into a few cyclists and non-cyclists in the elevators of my rental apt with my bike and they all seem fine. :)

I don't think you'll get too many strange looks. I go out with the works (gloves, helmet, underarmor shirt, and bike shorts [under gym shorts]) and I don't get any weird looks. I'm too busy navigating traffic, anyway, to notice if anyone is making fun of me :P

Just don't wipe out in front of a crowd while on your way to office hours to keep an appointment with a student who's having trouble writing his first paper. You get really funny looks wandering the halls of academia covered in blood. I mean, that was my experience.....

lol dude why do you worry? stop being a wuss

I hope the elevator is crowded and you have to bike across the campus to get where you're going. Good luck!

p.s. Be safe, they will be lOOking at you!

They're not going to care, but they're going to check out the package.

I know! offthepace is training for cyclocross hence the holding the bike over the shoulders. Now all that needs to be in place are obstacles to hop over.

They're not going to care, but they're going to check out the package.

HUh? What? Did I hear...package? :D

Freshman year in college, about twenty years ago, my neighbors in the next dorm room brought in matching purple Bianchi road bikes on moving in day. I didn't ride at the time and thought they were gay. First impressions were wrong. We all ended up becoming good friends.

i was kinda nervous the first time i went into public wearing my spandex riding pants. however, i realized that junior high was over 16 years ago and i need to grow up, lol.

You'll get a few looks, but I doubt you'll be judged. Most people in college accept the fact that people are different. I barely even got any looks when I walked from my car to class in a kilt for a presentation on Celtic folk music. Then again, all I had to do was walk through the parking lot and the drama building.

LCI Brian, are you saying that you would not have been their friends if they turned out to be gay?

LCI Brian, are you saying that you would not have been their friends if they turned out to be gay?
Oh, no, I didn't mean to imply that. I just meant that as a non-cyclist seeing the matching bikes, and later with them in full matching kit, gave me a certain impression which turned out not to be true. Later I found out that they were both locals, but lived in the dorms anyway, and they rode with the same club.

Well it was definitely funny. The reason I carry my bike over my shoulder? Wel ltoday is vacuuming day and seeing as they had just vacuumed my floor, I felt guilty, and I'm glad I did. They finished up vacuumin just as I left the room and the maid (I can't believe we have a maid)vwas still there.
Nothing special. When I was walking got a bunch of strange looks, then again, a lot of people were still getting up. I was up at 6. Once I was on my bike, I got a ton of "stupid cyclist" looks. So nothing but the usual. Luckily my campus is extremely bike friendly so everybody has a beach cruiser. And what's with dining commons not opening for breakfast until 7:15? I have two classes at 8 kind of off campus, and they don't have a great supply of bike racks so I'm not sure I'm going to ride my beater bike there (Apparently they're not fond of people locking bikes to poles). And all the cereal they have is frosted or super sugarized. At least they have non and low fat milk. I get attached to bikes quickly I guess. Plus it has a saddle I used to use on it...

As for the ride--Santa Barbara is awesome. And I only had time for a 20 mile cruise because I had a department meeting to attend. Oh yeah, I'm loving my single. A few days in i'm already hearing "I like my roomate, he's cool and all, but...so I want a single" Off to some activitie. Sorry for the uninteresting post but nothing interesting happened except forf thinking fo a split second that my beater bike was stolen.

Oh, no, I didn't mean to imply that. I just meant that as a non-cyclist seeing the matching bikes, and later with them in full matching kit, gave me a certain impression which turned out not to be true. Later I found out that they were both locals, but lived in the dorms anyway, and they rode with the same club.

Cool, but you know I was pulling your chain right?

A folding bike is an option. I even rode my folding bike instead of my fullsized bike today

dont listen to these wussies, everyone will think you're gay for wearing spandex...All the hot chics will come and try to "convert" you.

This sh****T is a good deal, wear it more often. Trust me this isn't high school

dont listen to these wussies, everyone will think you're gay for wearing spandex...All the hot chics will come and try to "convert" you.

This sh****T is a good deal, wear it more often. Trust me this isn't high school
He's right. Do you know how many women strike up a conversation with me when I'm wearing this shirt?
https://feminist.org/store/images/t32_lg.jpg
If only I knew that little trick when I was single. :D
It would be a little hypocritical to use that shirt to get laid, though.

what school, offthepace?

dont listen to these wussies, everyone will think you're gay for wearing spandex...All the hot chics will come and try to "convert" you.

This sh****T is a good deal, wear it more often. Trust me this isn't high school

Only if they like the package

As for the ride--Santa Barbara is awesome. And I only had time for a 20 mile cruise because I had a department meeting to attend. Oh yeah, I'm loving my single. A few days in i'm already hearing "I like my roomate, he's cool and all, but...so I want a single" Off to some activitie. Sorry for the uninteresting post but nothing interesting happened except forf thinking fo a split second that my beater bike was stolen.

Knock that off! :rolleyes: No need to apologize, just post away if you want and we'll decide if it's interesting or not. Good job! And the more you ride, the less looks you'll get because you won't even notice if you get any. ;)

dont listen to these wussies, everyone will think you're gay for wearing spandex...All the hot chics will come and try to "convert" you.

This sh****T is a good deal, wear it more often. Trust me this isn't high school

:rolleyes: Oh, brother. Let me guess, you wear your spandex to class? You must be getting laid between subjects. :p

Only if they like the package

No...only if they can see the package. Big difference...:)

No...only if they can see the package. Big difference...:)
In that case, I suggest offthepace wears white cycling shorts.

In that case, I suggest offthepace wears white cycling shorts.

I've long been a proponent of ALL men wearing white shorts, but so far this has not been implemented...and much to my dismay. :p

I've long been a proponent of ALL men wearing white shorts, but so far this has not been implemented...and much to my dismay. :p

gross

gross

To each HER own...:p

I've long been a proponent of ALL men wearing white shorts, but so far this has not been implemented...and much to my dismay. :p

Hello...its after Labor Day!!:rolleyes:

I've long been a proponent of ALL men wearing white shorts, but so far this has not been implemented...and much to my dismay. :p

Didn't you also say you'd buy the white shorts? Where's my free shorts? :D

Hello...its after Labor Day!!:rolleyes:

:roflmao:

How goofy a person looks in cycling gear is directly proporational to your distance from your bike. Since you will be carrying and riding your bike, you're OK.

Yes! You're absolutely correct! I never thought of it that way, but it's totally true. :)

college is fun

beer are good.

I am going to UCSB. It was pretty funny actually on my second ride today. The first ride was the first ride of the year/intro ride so it was short. Second ride was with a guy who wanted to go out ride some more so it was about 40 miles thesecond ride with a fair amount of hill climbing but mainly just a social ride. Riding in SB and the SB area is supremely awesome. Anyhow, on my way to the ride start and on the ride finish the second time, I wan in the UCSB team jersey and I don't know if it was because of that or what but people were getgting out of my way on the college bike paths evedn if I was not going faster than they were. Some guy on my way back up to my dorm room gave me this absolutely 'disgusted' type stare. I've pretty much accepted that I'll get these stares and that I won't even worry about them. Therer are two gay guys on my floor so if they fit in on the floor (and they do as they are pretty cool people) I think I will in spandex.
On a slightly humorous nut non-cycling related note, I went to the undergrad political science department meeting with the head academic advisor on the main floor of the political science set of floors in this massive building. I expected it to be in this massive room or something. I get in to the room as the first person. The room was set up for about twenty people. 9 students show up. Now, maybe it's just me, but wouldn't you want to take advantage of these meetings. I mean it's on a floor where you may run into past, present or future professors who may write you a letter of rec. some day. Don't you want your professors to at least see that you are concerned with your academics. And you beter believe I took advantage of the academic adviser's presence, I mean, it's stupid not to ask him questions about classes especially when he's very willing to help you and answer your questions. Sorry, just my little rant. And sorry for my typing, grammar and syntax and any other misdeeds I have performed on the English language. I'm starving but I said I would go to dinner with a friend wo is still not ready. I'm having a powerbar.

Oh yeah, I have an ocean view from my dorm room.

Cool, but you know I was pulling your chain right?

Well, um, now I know! :D I guess I'm too used to the uptight nature of other forums, where such a question would be serious!

UCSB....ahhh the memories. What dorm are you in ? My freshman year I lived in Anacapa.

I've long been a proponent of ALL men wearing white shorts, but so far this has not been implemented...and much to my dismay. :p
You must not have noticed how hairy I am, and my hair is getting darker every year. I can only imagine what that would look like with white shorts. I'll stick with dark colors and leave the white shorts to your single friends.

UCSB....ahhh the memories. What dorm are you in ? My freshman year I lived in Anacapa.

That's pretty cool. I livein San miguel. On our first night the fire alarm in the building went off a little after 1 Am so we had to evacuate, so that was fun. I live in Torrance (well, I guess not anymore) by the way. How was your freshman year? Actually, for that matter, how was your UCSB college experience? Any advice? I learned a new lesson today. The dining commons open for breakfast late and close for dinner at 8PM. So, when I get back from a ride at 7:50 PM I'm not in the greatest shape for on campus dining and I think I might let a few weeks pass before I use the bike paths for going from class to class. There are a lot of people, apparently, who have not ridden their bikes in a really long time. It's chaos.

at least youre not stuck in ft.

Of the male UCSB graduates I have surveyed (4 in total) all have stated in so many words when asked if they would send their children to UCSB, they would send thier son(s) but not their daughter(s). Most had stories that would make any father scared. Offthepace, whatever your gender....good luck!

To the topic at hand, or at least so it seems to have evolved. I love the post post by deanp "How goofy a person looks in cycling gear is directly proporational to your distance from your bike..." So, so true. Though I love what I do and I love being who I am. People look at you weird sometime but what the he!! this is LA, people are allowed to look weird. I must admit I have not walked through the office in lycra and tight cycling jersey yet. Something about having co-workers know I save my legs is opening up too big a can of worms for me.

On our first night the fire alarm in the building went off a little after 1 Am so we had to evacuate, so that was fun.
It almost seems like that's standard protocol at any college or university dorm. I don't know it's meant to be a drill for newcomers or a hazing ritual, but everyone I know reports a fire drill the first week of school every Fall.

I'm male. It's interesting with FT. I have a few friends that absolutely love it. I have a few friends who want out of it. Strange. Thanks MTBmaven for the well wishes. AS for the shaved leg thing, a person told me that he made sure he had his legs shaved when ever he met new coworkers or a new job or even new people just so they think his legs are naturally hairless. I somehow don't think that would work.

Well, when I was in high school an Asian guy on our cross country team had shaved legs because he was also on the swimming or diving team (can't remember which). When someone asked him if he shaved his legs, he said "No, Asians just don't grow leg hair". The guy actually believed him!

AS for the shaved leg thing, a person told me that he made sure he had his legs shaved when ever he met new coworkers or a new job or even new people just so they think his legs are naturally hairless. I somehow don't think that would work.

A contributing factor to my moving to Pasadena was about 10 minutes into the supershuttle ride from LAX to Pasadena when I came out here to interview, when the guy who had gotten on last (with a bike in a travel case) asked "Do you shave your legs or are they naturally hairless?" (I was wearing shorts). He proceeded to tell me how great the riding was for the remainder of the trip, and turned out to be one of hte principals from a small local bike part maker. Even stranger is that later when I bought a house, it turned out my realtor was good friends with him.

santa barbara is a sweet place. i spent many a hungover saturday morning at la cantina when my brother went to ucsb.

santa barbara is a sweet place. i spent many a hungover saturday morning at la cantina when my brother went to ucsb.

I have great memories of their breakfast burritos. They're perfect.

That's pretty cool. I livein San miguel. On our first night the fire alarm in the building went off a little after 1 Am so we had to evacuate, so that was fun.

You may think fire alarms are fun now, but wait until finals week comes along. Then you'll hate the person who either pulled the alarm or accidentally set the alarm off.