Reinofratch

So today, like most cold days, I wore jeans to school. My commute is only 5 miles so I dont bother changing clothes or wearing bike shorts. I just roll the right leg of my pants up to keep it out of the chainring, throw on a tshirt and hoodie, grab my windbreaker and hit the road.

I used to feel awkward having one pants leg rolled up and would unroll it the moment I arrived anywhere. I felt like it looked dumb, especially with long socks. Recently I embraced it. I roll it up one time in the morning, with three perfect rolls, and it stays that way till it hits the laundry hamper that night.

Today was weird though. I had three people approach me and say some puzzling things.
First girl said, "Yo I dig the style, keepin' it oldschool!" Then tried to invite me to a poetry jam.
I shrugged it off. I had no idea what was oldschool about my typical, jeans and a hoodie, outfit.
The next guy asked, "what chu want?"
I had no idea what he was talking about because I hadn't even made eye contact with him before he said it. I guess he saw the puzzled look on my face because he just turned and walked away.
The last guy said something about LL cool J but I ignored him because I was doing homework.

After a while I figured out it had to be about the pants leg. That was the only thing setting me and any other student apart. So, I google "one pants leg rolled up" and get lots of stuff talking about hip hop fashion, drug buying/selling, and gang affiliation.

Its so weird because I don't remember this fad. Maybe I'm just too white, but the three people who noticed didn't act like it was weird for me to be doing. I have always associated pants leg rolling with trying not to damage your pants... Roll'em up if they're too long, on a bike, walking barfoot in the surf on the beach...

Either way, I think im going to own it. Maybe the trend will catch on, and with it the cycling bug. After all, more cyclist begets more awearness begets safer streets for riding!
Just be careful if you roll'em up in a sketchy neighborhood. You might get mistaken for a gangbanger and get shot at!

Enjoy the spring weather and remember rule#9 everyone!
--Richard 'Ratchet' Boatwright

turky lurkey

When it's cold I wear long wool socks and I just tuck my jeans into the socks, looks weird but it works and keeps the draft out. As for leaving it like that all day. I wouldn't, nor would I leave one pant leg rolled up.

agmetal

I roll up both legs, because the asymmetry bothers me if I only do one.

wipekitty

Yeah, I remember that trend. It was quite popular at my urban, culturally diverse high school in the mid 90s.

There's obviously pragmatic reasons to roll up your pant leg while riding a bike. Without the bike, I, too, would probably conclude somebody doing this was a fan of oldschool hip hop (hence LL Cool J and an invitation to bust a rhyme).

Please just don't start riding in Hammerpants.

J.C. Koto

If you roll up both cuffs everything might come up Milhouse!

Jim from Boston

Velcro ankle strap or pant clip = dorky

mgw4jc

+1. Also, I don't like the flapping around of the pants.

rodentcloister

I don't care if it's dorky. It works.

LesterOfPuppets

So you didn't hook up w/ poetry jam girl?

* Doing it wrong.

RaleighSport

I must thank you OP for the laugh this thread was good. I gotta say though no one was too white to remember that fad...

spivonious

Yeah, I remember hearing back in the 90s that rolling up the right leg meant you were buying, left leg selling. I didn't think it was still around though.

JReade

Amen

locolobo13 

I roll up my right leg too. Usually roll it back down sometime during the day. If I remember. Never knew it was a fad. The clips & velcro strips would fall off. Or I couldn't find 'em. Used dirty bandanas for a while but the chain & sprockets would chew holes in them. Rolling it up is the easiest, cheapest solution. Don't care if it looks dorky or not.

MattFoley

Say what you will about skinny jeans, but this is one area where they are superior....no rolling or ankle straps necessary.

Jim from Boston

Some subscribers think rearview mirrors are dorky, but I wear two eyeglass-mounted mirrors, both right and left.

RaleighSport

But you might need a cup to protect you from said jeans.

PatrickGSR94

I prefer being barefoot, but if I must wear shoes (at work or on the bike) I prefer ankle or no-show socks. So if I hop on the bike to run an errand during lunch, lately I've been doing this.



If I would get rid of my blasted wide-leg jeans that I used to always wear back in the day, I wouldn't have this problem. I don't have to do this on my slimmer-fitting jeans.

Booger1

I remember when rolled pant legs were cool Daddy-O...


Along with Jack boots,Triumph motorcycles,wimp haircuts,Edsels and Poodle skirts......Ect. ect......I'm guessing he DIDN'T shave his legs though....

Rudz

I roll my pant leg up and only roll it down when I'm done riding. The spd shoes are a dead giveaway as to why my right pant leg is rolled up though Lmfao

gregjones

Well.....I guess that makes me too old. I gotta be too something, I never heard of it. I thought rolled up pant legs went the way of cig packs in tee shirt sleeves.

RaleighSport

Too old or too young is probably the explanation for most of the people who don't know it. In my personal experience, LL Cool J pretty much started it in the early 90's, I think it was a style before that but not exactly mainstream, became huge with the "B Boys" and pretty much any wannabe thug from that era, apparently it's still a style and also a drug signal system.. glad I was a skater back then.

lostarchitect 

How old are you, man? They were making fun of you.

teddywookie

Like you said, it felt dorky until I got used to it. I was aware of this one leg rolled up code, though not what it meant, but I figured the rest of my whitebread appearance would cancel that out. Also, are people still doing this? My experience with it was NYC in the mid-nineties.

It was fun messing with people at my office who asked about it when I started commuting by bike. Told one that I had an ankle infection I needed to air out, and another that my shin was easily overheated. Both nodded and said something about knowing how that was.

P.S. My profile block on the left says I'm a senior member. Didn't I join a month ago?

teddywookie

Why would you say this? Bicyclists in Hammer pants is the best idea I've heard all week.

Trakhak

Not to be confused with a Firesign Theatre skit: "Roll up your arm and bend over. Do you want regular or premium?"