Road Cycling - Will they all point and laugh???

I'm just a recreational rider. I don't race and probably never will. Most of my rides are by myself, or with my wife, and are normally less than 20 miles. It will be a while before I'm able to ride 30,40,50 miles at a time. I don't have cool "bike shorts" or a snazzy "bike jersey". Although my bike is pretty new, I still ride with toe-clips.

The thing is, I'd love to do some local club rides and benefit rides and stuff like that. I get tired of riding by myself(mostly). I'm just a little "skeered" that people will think I'm a total dork showing up in my "baggy" gym shorts and toe clips/sneakers. I'll get all that stuff eventually, but right now I just want to ride with what I have. So if I go to one of these rides, am I gonna be the only one without all the "cool" stuff? I would really hate to show up at a benefit race and be the only one out of 500 people wearing baggy shorts and a t-shirt. :o

Well, if they do, make sure you SMOKE'm! :)

Acutally, don't worry about it. I have found that the cycling community is mostly very accepting. There will always be "snobs" to deal with. Don't let them get in the way of you enjoying your bike. You wear baggies, thats your choice. Heck, I'm a fat guy in lycra. You don't think I get some looks. :)

Ride, enjoy, and don't sweat the small stuff.

Hi Dragracer,

Here's my experience: On club rides, almost everyone has the shorts/jersey/shoes/clips. For the organized/benefit rides, you will see a bit of everything. Everything from the team uniforms to people riding with jeans and sandals.

Jim

don't worry about it... i still wear jeans and a jacket sometimes when i ride. it feels great to pass someone completely decked out in expensive biking clothes.

all i can say is that we had a young guy start riding with our club last year wearing baggy soccer shorts, jogging shoes and toe clips. we liked having him along and, to be honest, he soon invested in some lycra shorts, cycling shoes and look pedals for the sake of efficiency and comfort, but no one pointed and laughed. he's been away for a few months, but when he comes back to town, i'm afraid he's gonna smoke us all.

it ain't the gear. it's the rider.

Hey Dragracer...... since you asked, as long as your socks are at or below your ankles, people won't care what you wear....... hairy legs, shaved legs, tights, baggies, gym shorts, T-shirts......whatever.....just ride and have fun! But the tube socks gotta go!

........it ain't the gear. it's the rider.

Yeah...... Maybe that's what I'm really afraid of, I dunno. :o I have no way to compare my ability to anyone elses, since I've never done one of these rides. My wife isn't much competition. :D I suppose this would be a good enough reason to go do one of these rides. So I'd have something to compare my "fitness" with. Then I could go from there.

Hey Dragracer...... since you asked, as long as your socks are at or below your ankles, people won't care what you wear....... hairy legs, shaved legs, tights, baggies, gym shorts, T-shirts......whatever.....just ride and have fun! But the tube socks gotta go!

OK how 'bout black calf high dress socks and flip flops? DOH!! :D

OK how 'bout black calf high dress socks and flip flops? DOH!! :DBelieve me, I've seen that too and one guy riding solo actually got wisked away by the fashion police.

Don't worry about it. On most group rides, people will be very friendly. Just get the "right" gear as you go along and can afford it.

I am a recent convert from MTB. I used to ride my MTB in with a group that contains some pretty elite riders (The Fixer included). They welcomed me in. I now have a road bike, but am still using MTB helmet, shoes/pedals, and a CamelBak.

Hey, if you get dropped, you have a built in excuse. :D "I'd be up front, if I just had the right shoes......" :eek:

Yeah...... Maybe that's what I'm really afraid of, I dunno. :o I have no way to compare my ability to anyone elses, since I've never done one of these rides. My wife isn't much competition. :D I suppose this would be a good enough reason to go do one of these rides. So I'd have something to compare my "fitness" with. Then I could go from there.

Hey Dragracer, this has been my reason for not joining a club; yet. The couple of clubs I've checked into have indicated what they consider to be the speeds for their different ride types. For example, one club I was interested in stated their "recreational ride" as 17-20mph. Well, being an overweight noob, I'm lucky if I can hit a top speed in that range. Therefore, I ruled that club out for now.

Just my 2 cents worth. :)

The key is to find a recreational club with a lot of members. If 25 people start out on a ride, it's guaranteed that they will split into at least 3, probably more, smaller groups based on ability after only a few miles. Start by keeping up with the leaders as best as possible then stick with them or drop back to the group you are most comfortable with. It's in these groups (where you are surrounded by people of similar skills) that you will find the most enjoyment. And don't worry about what you are wearing. Even Lance Armstrong looks like a dork in cycling garb.

55/Rad

Hey Dragracer...... since you asked, as long as your socks are at or below your ankles, people won't care what you wear....... hairy legs, shaved legs, tights, baggies, gym shorts, T-shirts......whatever.....just ride and have fun! But the tube socks gotta go!

I didn't know I was committing a fashion faux pas (sp) by wearing plain white socks above my ankle. No one mentioned this to be on my club rides. :mad: I usually wear two pair because my shoes are 42 cm and my feet are 41 1/2 cm.

How can I avoid the fashion police?

OK how 'bout black calf high dress socks and flip flops? DOH!! :D

Drop the flip flops and go with wingtips instead. Garters are optional, but madrass bermuda shorts and a striped oxford shirt are a great touch. Accessorize with a pocket protector.

Drop the flip flops and go with wingtips instead. Garters are optional, but madrass bermuda shorts and a striped oxford shirt are a great touch. Accessorize with a pocket protector.

Easy there, that is how i commute (minus the shorts, real men wear slacks).

Yup. I'm waiting for someone to come out with spd-compatible wingtips. That'd be the ultimate commuter shoe. It'd certainly eliminate the shoe pile underneath my desk.

Anyway, back on topic. Just ride in what you've got. Although, you'll find that the more you get into it, the more cool gear you accumulate. And then all of a sudden, you're the guy that the newbie thinks is going to look down on him for his shabby gear. :)

First, you are there to enjoy yourself so don't even worry about what they think.
Second, all sizes, shapes, ages and kinds of riders come out for charity rides and group rides. Just enjoy yourself riding with a group of other cycling enthusiasts.

Just get out and ride.

If we were all the same it would be a pretty boring world.

screw those guys... find some rides on a local board, or craigslist, or at a local shop. i agree biking (especially long distance or road in general) is 20x funner with a buddy or 2... but dont buy a 70$ jersey and 80$ shorts to fit in with the local beeks (bike geeks)

If you are worried about fitting in, Walmart has some dri-wick Starter sport shirts for like $9.98ea, which are pretty much a bargain. They run kinda huge which sucks for me since I am a really skinny guy, but I use them all the time for commuting and club rides since they are cheap and comfortable. Shorts are a different story though, its harder to skimp on them. Oh yeah, last year at Target I got a few dri-wick sport shirts for like $6 at the end of the season. They are normally sized, lightweight and dry really fast.

I think that riding with what you got is fine, I remember when I first started touring in fun rides my friend and I both rode with toe clips and tennis shoe with t-shirt and regular shorts. No one said anything to us in a negative way. But what they did say was when my friend and I were at the rest stops was did you see those guys with the tennis shoes and junkie road bike, we couldn't lose them. Back then him and I rode the oldest looking machine you can imagine, those were the good old days. Now 20 years later were both quite suited up in spd's and titanium bikes and still having fun. It's just that now we don't dare get out of shape if we are gonna ride the kind of bikes that we are riding. Keeping the pace baby.

I'm just a recreational rider. I don't race and probably never will. Most of my rides are by myself, or with my wife, and are normally less than 20 miles. It will be a while before I'm able to ride 30,40,50 miles at a time. I don't have cool "bike shorts" or a snazzy "bike jersey". Although my bike is pretty new, I still ride with toe-clips.

The thing is, I'd love to do some local club rides and benefit rides and stuff like that. I get tired of riding by myself(mostly). I'm just a little "skeered" that people will think I'm a total dork showing up in my "baggy" gym shorts and toe clips/sneakers. I'll get all that stuff eventually, but right now I just want to ride with what I have. So if I go to one of these rides, am I gonna be the only one without all the "cool" stuff? I would really hate to show up at a benefit race and be the only one out of 500 people wearing baggy shorts and a t-shirt. :o


screw them... There is a guy that rides in my club... I'm not lying.. his bike is ancient, 10 speed with downtubes, flat pedals, no clips, no straps, and he rides in an old pair of beater NEw Balance Running shoes... and ya know what.. I've ridden with him a few times... he's damn fast... I must admit when I first saw him, I thought to myself... is he really gonna ride with that,and expect to keep up (blame my newly acquired VeloSnob attitude :-)) but as soon as we got up on the road and cranked it up to 25mph heading down PCH, he earned my respect real quick...

be comfortable with what you wear... your riding is what is most important... not how you look

jeff

How do you deal with the rest of life? Any body ever called you ***? Unless its your past lover- WHO CARES!
Anybody so slight as to blow off another person for thing like dress or hair color is a small\ underdeveloped personality that fears encroachment on their xenophobic sheltered personality.

I leave these ones alone. I locate them by challenging THEIR norm.

You have to EARN the right by correct conduct to have me value your OPINIONS.
OPINIONS are not standards of conduct.
Who cares what someone you don't have any relationship with thinks of your sports dressing style?

Dress oriented riders keen spandex.
D o r k s.

I'm just a recreational rider. I don't race and probably never will. Most of my rides are by myself, or with my wife, and are normally less than 20 miles. It will be a while before I'm able to ride 30,40,50 miles at a time. I don't have cool "bike shorts" or a snazzy "bike jersey". Although my bike is pretty new, I still ride with toe-clips.

The thing is, I'd love to do some local club rides and benefit rides and stuff like that. I get tired of riding by myself(mostly). I'm just a little "skeered" that people will think I'm a total dork showing up in my "baggy" gym shorts and toe clips/sneakers. I'll get all that stuff eventually, but right now I just want to ride with what I have. So if I go to one of these rides, am I gonna be the only one without all the "cool" stuff? I would really hate to show up at a benefit race and be the only one out of 500 people wearing baggy shorts and a t-shirt. :o

Sometimes I think it would be cool to ride with someone else. Then all of the sudden my senses return and I have absolutely no desire to do so. Since I started riding in August I have logged over 2000 miles comletely by myself. (unless you count my volleyball, his name is Wilson) Seriously, I just really don't care to bring civilization into my ride at this point. I guess that is pretty much why i ride- to get away from everything and everyone.

If I was concerned about fitting in, I wouldn't go on a group ride. The reason you are concerned is because you know there will be some snob there who looks down at you. I have all the bike gear etc. but I still wouldn't ride with people that are snobs.

I didn't know I was committing a fashion faux pas (sp) by wearing plain white socks above my ankle. No one mentioned this to be on my club rides.

That's because they afraid to be seen talking to you. :D

Where I live, with the social ideals of the people my age, it is definetly NOT a cool idea to wear cycling clothes.
I ride with toe clips, half the time. The other half, I use platform pedals.
I wear cycling clothes when I can. They are cheap and I only have one pair. But they are less cool and more hardcore than me wearing regular clothes :)

Our mix of riders at our club rides range from amatuer racers to riders in jeans and tennis shoes. I welcome them all and wish they'd bring their friends. I try to make it a point to spend a least part of the ride chatting with newcomers and notice others doing the same.

Don't worry about it. On most group rides, people will be very friendly. Just get the "right" gear as you go along and can afford it.

I am a recent convert from MTB. I used to ride my MTB in with a group that contains some pretty elite riders (The Fixer included). They welcomed me in. I now have a road bike, but am still using MTB helmet, shoes/pedals, and a CamelBak.

Hey, if you get dropped, you have a built in excuse. :D "I'd be up front, if I just had the right shoes......" :eek:


Same here...I got into roadbikes as a way to become a better MtB'er...I have MTB clipless pedals and shoes...and I refuse to give up my huge (by comparison) CamelBak...fat guys need lots of water...

Hey Dragracer, here's what I have to say: SCREW THEM! Why do you care how you look? Don't get into the "look" scene and become another drugstore racer; just to get into biking "costume" can cost a bundle and it ain't worth the money! The only thing I would change and only on serious rides is the shoes, get some stiff cycling shoes because those will actually help your performance and not put a strain on your feet causing foot pain; but keep using tennis shoes when just dinkin around the neighborhood with family.

Look man, when I started racing back in the late 70's I bought a cheap $320 Japanese bike, and within a year was racing against people on their $1,500+ dollar Italin jobs (which was high end in those days) and was beating them! And the clothes I wore were just t-shirts and gym shorts but did have a pair of biking shoes. I got laughed at, snubbed, no one would bother to even talk to me before or after the race, it was like I was the invisible man. And you know what I learned? I learned not to worry about what others think because it can consume you. Besides on any given day, my piece of junk of a bike and my untech clothes could beat at least 95 percent of those jerks...and I loved seeing their faces when I did!

Even today I still don't buy into the race crowd scene and the drugstore racer look. I ride on a older steel lug framed road bike that uses friction shifting, I wear loose fitting mountain bike jerseys or Golf shirts or T-shirts depending on temperture with no printing and loose fitting mountain bike shorts because I don't like the tight fitting stuff (tried it-wasn't impressed). I still use clips, and my cycling shoes are 20 years old and one them has been stitched back together with fishing line!

I'm not against all new technology, some of the newer clothes especially for winter use is great, but in the summer I found the high tech road bike stuff to be not that great. Wool is actually better than the high tech stuff because it don't stink after one ride. And I also think the old school friction (especially the last few years of production) or even index stuff is far more reliable than the new school stuff. I also like the old clips as well because I can jump on the bike anytime I want with what ever shoes I have on for a ride with the family without having to change shoes or put on a plastic platform onto the pedals.

There are different strokes for different folks, and it doesn't make us wrong or right, it just makes us individuals.

I'm just a recreational rider. I don't race and probably never will. Most of my rides are by myself, or with my wife, and are normally less than 20 miles. It will be a while before I'm able to ride 30,40,50 miles at a time. I don't have cool "bike shorts" or a snazzy "bike jersey". Although my bike is pretty new, I still ride with toe-clips.

The thing is, I'd love to do some local club rides and benefit rides and stuff like that. I get tired of riding by myself(mostly). I'm just a little "skeered" that people will think I'm a total dork showing up in my "baggy" gym shorts and toe clips/sneakers. I'll get all that stuff eventually, but right now I just want to ride with what I have. So if I go to one of these rides, am I gonna be the only one without all the "cool" stuff? I would really hate to show up at a benefit race and be the only one out of 500 people wearing baggy shorts and a t-shirt. :o

The truth is that no matter what you do, some will skoff but most won't.

Larger (non-raceing) group rides attract a pretty mixed-bag of participants. They tend to get strung out on the road into little bunches of cyclists who ride together at about the same pace. Within those groups, I think that you will find people pretty accepting.

I'm just a recreational rider. I don't race and probably never will. Most of my rides are by myself, or with my wife, and are normally less than 20 miles. It will be a while before I'm able to ride 30,40,50 miles at a time. I don't have cool "bike shorts" or a snazzy "bike jersey". Although my bike is pretty new, I still ride with toe-clips.

The thing is, I'd love to do some local club rides and benefit rides and stuff like that. I get tired of riding by myself(mostly). I'm just a little "skeered" that people will think I'm a total dork showing up in my "baggy" gym shorts and toe clips/sneakers. I'll get all that stuff eventually, but right now I just want to ride with what I have. So if I go to one of these rides, am I gonna be the only one without all the "cool" stuff? I would really hate to show up at a benefit race and be the only one out of 500 people wearing baggy shorts and a t-shirt. :o

Dragracer, just enjoy your ride. However, if & when you get the urge to try "real" cycling gear, do it. I can honestly tell you you'll kick yourself for not getting a good pair of cycling shorts sooner. I understand your rides are fairly short now but the comfort difference with cycling shorts is incredible. Also don't think you have to get the skin tight cycling shorts. A lost of people ride in "baggy" mountain bike shorts that are padded with a "chamois" just like the the roadies wear. A while back someone started a thread about cycling jersey's & the need for them. When you take your riding to another level & increase the ride distance, jersey's are an absolute must for their function. The pockets on the back can carry all you need for a LONG time. Food, tubes, cell phone, just about anything you can imagine. There is always a sale going on somewhere. You can find plain, 1 color jerseys. They don't have to be "flashy".
http://www.performancebike.com, http://www.bikenashbar.com

I suspect as you get into cycling more you will understand and need the cycling amenities, that outsiders think weird. Wicking jerseys, shorts, etc..They do have a function which serious riders will grow to need, unless they want their arse to look like a baboons arse.Red and chaffed.
But, cycling clubs I have connected with, most have a beginners group. The established riders understand you are getting into the sport and will be supportive.
If not, then it is the wrong club...
Really wannbe pros might not be so supportive...I like to excuse them..They are just so seriously into their sport- they have no time for imperfection..Just avoid and ignore them..