im not a fan of tight fitting clothes and in my current weight i doubt it would be too enjoyable for anyone too see me in lycra. anyway the bicycle is hurting my backside and my bits and pieces when i go any distance. what are my options here?

:bike2:

Get MTB shorts. Lycra on the inside, shorts on the outside. I'm 300 and my comfort comes over what people think of me in lycra. I'll be damn if I'm going to give them up cause someone thinks I fat. I know I'm fat, but I'm 75 lbs less fat in my lycra. :lol:

Buy mountain bike shorts. Or buy lycra shorts and then wear a pair of normal shorts over them. Both can work. The only thing I'll caution is that if you wear a pair of light-weight nylon shorts over lycra, you may find distinctly saddle-shaped abrasions on the butt when you're done with your ride. DAMHIKT! A heavier-duty short seems to work better for riding...

When I started cycling I was anti-lycra as well. I would also like to add that now avoiding lycra was the dumbest thing I ever did. There is not much subsitute to a good pair of cycling shorts. Your butt will thank you A LOT.....

I think it depends on exactly how the seat is hurting your backside- a more comfortable seat may be what you need rather than lycra.

You'll be much happier riding in lycra. Just remember the further you get from your bike the dumber you'll look in lycra.

Get MTB shorts. Lycra on the inside, shorts on the outside. I'm 300 and my comfort comes over what people think of me in lycra. I'll be damn if I'm going to give them up cause someone thinks I fat. I know I'm fat, but I'm 75 lbs less fat in my lycra. :lol:

Well said! :beer:

When I started cycling I was anti-lycra as well. I would also like to add that now avoiding lycra was the dumbest thing I ever did. There is not much subsitute to a good pair of cycling shorts. Your butt will thank you A LOT.....

+1

I too was anti-lycra until just a week ago. I used MTB shorts and they do a good job, but when you get out to 30 miles, you will eventually need a good pair of Lycra shorts. The way I got over my hatred of Lycra is one, i went to a charity ride that drew a lot of local club members. In fact, I was the only adult with a hybrid, and just 90& of the riders had lycra. You soon feel out of place like that. The second was on my second charity ride of 33.4 miles and I got some chafing from my MTB shorts.

I've done about 30 miles this week with my new lycra shorts and I absolutely love them.

Also, if you new to cylcing, you will need to give your butt about a month to adjust to sitting on a saddle. My butt hurt for several weeks when I first starting ridign this year.

Also, you might need to invest in a good saddle.

Saddle: Specialized Avatar
Lycra: Pearl Izumi Slice Ultrasensor

I use my bib shorts under light gym shorts...it works really well,like touring(MTB) shorts.

+1 on bibs under athletic shorts.

Things I found out quickly when I started.

1) Bibs and a good wicking shirt are your friend. Do not worry about other people's opinion, your comfort comes first.

2) Go clipless. Falling a couple of times is worth it for the extra power and comfort you get.

3) Buy the bike you like not the one suggested by friends/family/"experts." The one you will ride is the best one to own.

4) Up until a point price buys quality. Figure a decent bike will cost $800+ . You start to get fairly good around $1200. A $200 bike from Wally World will end up sitting in the garage. A $4000 bike with all the bells and whistles is a waste unless you are a top athlete. Those figures are for new. You can get much more bike for the money off Craig's List, but make sure you get one that fits instead of just one that is a great sale.

5) To reduce the weight you are hauling up a hill just keep riding. Quit spending hundreds of dollars to save a few ozs when you are 50 lbs overweight. Riding your bike without the carbon fiber do'dad will not kill you. If you keep riding you will cut off a lot more weight than you could even hope to cut off by spending money.

Some of these things I caught before I purchased. Some I learned the hard way. Learn from my research and hard knocks. And most of all get out on the road and enjoy yourself. Riding can be a sport, but most of us do it just for the enjoyment factor.

I do wear a lycra top, but it's BLACK, LONG-SLEEVED lycra that I got from a sporting goods place, I believe as an underlayer for skiiers and hikers. Black minimizes and diverts the eyes. Over that I wear an ANSI II reflective vest. No 'fat guy in horrifically revealing clothes' effect! Still working on pants, but since my usual ride is a 'bent, this isn't nearly as big of a deal.

I wear either mtb shorts or bibs, depending on the ride. At 320, I find that a loose t-shirt hides a multitude of sins.

By the way, I've done a couple of 60 mile+ rides now on my cruiser with shorts & t-shirt- no chafing or anything so far, even when drenched in sweat.

Wear lycra shorts and put gym shorts over it. When you feel more comfortable then you can go with just the lycra.

Just remember the further you get from your bike the dumber you'll look in lycra.

:roflmao:

So true though...

+1 Get over the fear and go ahead with lycra. Bibs are best.

What Blindrage said. Well spoken.

Bike shorts will help tremendously, you'll like the way your posterior feels. In fact, I'll admit this one. Yesterday at the Double Creek for the first time ever I rode outside in nothing but my lycra. To my surprise only two people were not in lycra, one was a fellow riding a fully loaded Big Ugly, the other was a fellow riding a GF Tarpon. Both rode all 62 miles. Up until that point I would always ride with a pair of gym shorts over them. Not sure why, just never did.

The other thing to keep in mind is that you don't need to wear them every day. I usually don't wear mine unless I am planning a ride over 30 miles. You can also look into a professional fitting. It would probably do wonders for your riding comfort.

What Blindrage said. Well spoken.

Bike shorts will help tremendously, you'll like the way your posterior feels. In fact, I'll admit this one. Yesterday at the Double Creek for the first time ever I rode outside in nothing but my lycra. To my surprise only two people were not in lycra, one was a fellow riding a fully loaded Big Ugly, the other was a fellow riding a GF Tarpon. Both rode all 62 miles. Up until that point I would always ride with a pair of gym shorts over them. Not sure why, just never did.

The other thing to keep in mind is that you don't need to wear them every day. I usually don't wear mine unless I am planning a ride over 30 miles. You can also look into a professional fitting. It would probably do wonders for your riding comfort.

A professional fitting of your bike shorts?!? Wow, Harrisburg is at the cutting edge of cycling performance! :thumb:

A professional fitting of your bike shorts?!? Wow, Harrisburg is at the cutting edge of cycling performance! :thumb:

:lol:

Yes and it's all done by the local sorority girls, the pretty ones who don't talk much.

What I meant was for the bike to be fitted. Some sadle adjustments might make a world of difference. And to correct my post it was a Big Dummy not a Big Ugly.

Just remember the further you get from your bike the dumber you'll look in lycra.

Ya know, this is sig line material if I ever saw it.

I was talking to an older friend today, and mentioned I'd been riding bicycles. He asked, "Do you have one of those little helmets?" I said I did. Then he said, "And do you have one of the slicky suits?" So there's a new name for that stuff- the slicky suit.

he may be referring to Triathlon suits... think lycra meets very thin wetsuit

im not a fan of tight fitting clothes and in my current weight i doubt it would be too enjoyable for anyone too see me in lycra. anyway the bicycle is hurting my backside and my bits and pieces when i go any distance. what are my options here?

:bike2:


If they quit making Lycra, I will sell my bicycles. My body parts won't let me go more than 2 miles without chaffing.

I can wear my Izumi's under other clothes but thats weird.

:lol:

Yes and it's all done by the local sorority girls, the pretty ones who don't talk much.

What I meant was for the bike to be fitted. Some sadle adjustments might make a world of difference. And to correct my post it was a Big Dummy not a Big Ugly.

Sorry to give you a hard time, but I had just returned from purchasing a suit, and had a tailor cover it with chalk marks as a preliminary to an attempt to make me look "normal." If only that could be done with bike clothing....

Just remember the further you get from your bike the dumber you'll look in lycra.
My usual ride is around a local lake. Bout halfway around there is a 7-11 that I will stop in and get a refill on ice/water and sometimes a banana. I ALWAYS feel self-conscious as I am walking around in there. I feel like I need to tell everyone: "That's my bike right outside the door. That's why I am dressed in this ridiculous get-up! Really!"
It helps on weekends when that place is hoping with riders. Not unusual to see 10 bikes leaned against the building with various sizes/shapes of lycra clad riders taking a break.
My big thing is my legs. Because of diabetes I have reddish brown discoloration on the lower half of my shins. It's pretty gross looking. So, I have been wearing long black socks that come up over my calves with my lycra, my silly looking shoes that click on the cement and my bright cycling jersey. I'm quite the sight!
Just in the last couple of weeks the wife has persuaded me to start wearing proper, short socks. I have done it a couple of times but I still am not comfortable with that.
I guess we all have our little battles to win.

Wool, baby -- old school:)

Take note of my lower legs....if it grosses people out, then that's their issue, not mine. ;) Edemic tattooing and scar tissue from skin grafts as a result of a history of nonhealing wounds on my legs due to diabetes when it was out of control.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o260/TomStormcrowe/Spring%20Break%202008/SpringBreak_2008043.jpg

My usual ride is around a local lake. Bout halfway around there is a 7-11 that I will stop in and get a refill on ice/water and sometimes a banana. I ALWAYS feel self-conscious as I am walking around in there. I feel like I need to tell everyone: "That's my bike right outside the door. That's why I am dressed in this ridiculous get-up! Really!"
It helps on weekends when that place is hoping with riders. Not unusual to see 10 bikes leaned against the building with various sizes/shapes of lycra clad riders taking a break.
My big thing is my legs. Because of diabetes I have reddish brown discoloration on the lower half of my shins. It's pretty gross looking. So, I have been wearing long black socks that come up over my calves with my lycra, my silly looking shoes that click on the cement and my bright cycling jersey. I'm quite the sight!
Just in the last couple of weeks the wife has persuaded me to start wearing proper, short socks. I have done it a couple of times but I still am not comfortable with that.
I guess we all have our little battles to win.

Actually, Tom, you are my inspiration for going with the "proper" socks. You sent me a PM once and told me to not worry about others opinions. I am trying but I still feel really self-conscious.
I still wear the long stockings from our apartment to the park. When we get there I change while the wife unloads the bikes.
This Saturday we have a big charity ride, the Tour d'Italia (http://www.lonestarcyclists.org/tour/tour.html), just south of Dallas. I am planning on wearing the shorty socks for it.

(We are doing the 33 mile route with the possibility of changing to the 42 depending on the logistics of that and how adventurous we feel. So if you are a N Texas Clyde and riding this one look for us. She will be on a silver Trek 7.3 hybrid and I will be on my new (new to me '05) Trek 1200 official road bike!)

Meh, it's a process.....;) As time goes on you find you worry less about what or how others see you because your abilities are a known factor to you and you find out also that they have insecurities as well and those are threatened by you outperforming them ;) Thus, they have to tear your self image down to keep theirs intact. They have never learned that self image isn't a zero sum game, and that life and self image can be win:win. ;)

Actually, Tom, you are my inspiration for going with the "proper" socks. You sent me a PM once and told me to not worry about others opinions. I am trying but I still feel really self-conscious.
I still wear the long stockings from our apartment to the park. When we get there I change while the wife unloads the bikes.
This Saturday we have a big charity ride, the Tour d'Italia (http://www.lonestarcyclists.org/tour/tour.html), just south of Dallas. I am planning on wearing the shorty socks for it.

(We are doing the 33 mile route with the possibility of changing to the 42 depending on the logistics of that and how adventurous we feel. So if you are a N Texas Clyde and riding this one look for us. She will be on a silver Trek 7.3 hybrid and I will be on my new (new to me '05) Trek 1200 official road bike!)

+ 1 Wear what is comfortable for you ride your ride. Your out there doing it = You win

My usual ride is around a local lake. Bout halfway around there is a 7-11 that I will stop in and get a refill on ice/water and sometimes a banana. I ALWAYS feel self-conscious as I am walking around in there. I feel like I need to tell everyone: "That's my bike right outside the door. That's why I am dressed in this ridiculous get-up! Really!"
It helps on weekends when that place is hoping with riders. Not unusual to see 10 bikes leaned against the building with various sizes/shapes of lycra clad riders taking a break.
My big thing is my legs. Because of diabetes I have reddish brown discoloration on the lower half of my shins. It's pretty gross looking. So, I have been wearing long black socks that come up over my calves with my lycra, my silly looking shoes that click on the cement and my bright cycling jersey. I'm quite the sight!
Just in the last couple of weeks the wife has persuaded me to start wearing proper, short socks. I have done it a couple of times but I still am not comfortable with that.
I guess we all have our little battles to win.

My right leg has enormous knock in it, and my foot is turned out at an angle. The left knee is knocked too. They are horrible-looking - ask Neil F., he's seen them. If someone has a problem with my legs, that's their concern. That they work and turn the pedals is all that matters to me.

Still, I know what you mean about being self-conscious. I sometimes get that feeling. But then I remember folks like Tom and "Rollerdave", the big guy in MN on his trike. Or myself, when I waddled into my gym at 385 pounds a couple of years ago. I borrow a little courage from them, and I find myself feeling OK.

Regarding original post a couple of ideas.

First, while MTN bike shorts work they are usually made with a nylon shell which does not stretch much. For mountain riding where you might get caught in a cold storm this is a benefit as it offers some wind protection for the thigh. For road riding I recommend Lycra biking shorts with a lightweight stretch polyester gym short over the top. Unlined if possible to stay cooler.

Next, if your bottom is hurting it is likely that the saddle is about 70-80 percent of the problem. Look at getting your saddle dialed in right first. You may need wider or narrower anatomical saddle.

This Saturday we have a big charity ride, the Tour d'Italia (http://www.lonestarcyclists.org/tour/tour.html), just south of Dallas. I am planning on wearing the shorty socks for it.

(We are doing the 33 mile route with the possibility of changing to the 42 depending on the logistics of that and how adventurous we feel. So if you are a N Texas Clyde and riding this one look for us. She will be on a silver Trek 7.3 hybrid and I will be on my new (new to me '05) Trek 1200 official road bike!)

I'm not a N Texas Clyde, but my wife and I are coming up from San Antonio for this one (there aren't any more charity rides in Central Texas until September). We signed up for the 60, but will most likely do the 42 or 50 due to a lack of training. Look for the sandal wearing clyde on the olive green Surly LHT. If we don't see you, have a good ride.