wolfchild

Halloween costumes, clown costumes and flamboyant rock star costumes are also a work of art. Very functional at attracting attention.

cobrabyte

so are snarky posts

DosWheelsBtr

Lol, so many shaky handlebars...

PatrickGSR94

Oh yeah I forgot about that. I used to always wear baggy/wide-leg or boot cut jeans with wide openings at the bottom. Since I started cycling I have given those up almost entirely for slim/straight leg jeans (not skinny, can't do those haha) simply because they're easier to deal with on a bike.

I don't care what people say about gas prices, filling up my car with premium 93 octane for less than 20 bucks freakin' ROCKS! And the fact that I only have to do it 2x a month due to cycle commuting makes it even better!

Andy_K 

I take offense at that remark.

Motolegs

I dunno about clown costumes as art. Anyway they are cut way too loose.

TxSpeedster

What else?

Sullalto

I commute in gym shorts and a tshirt. ~12 miles one way, if I don't tack on miles. Usually I do, and it's 15-20 miles. Platform pedals and running shoes. With a rack trunk bag, and a rattling u-lock bolted to the top tube. On a road bike, averaging 17-18mph for my commute. Some of the looks from my spandex clad brethren are a bit

I then shower and change before going to work. Though honestly, that's a choice. I've been running late and come in without changing to no effect, numerous times. People in workout clothes are pretty common at my workplace.

I don't particularly care what people think of me while I'm riding, nor have I ever noticed. I get appreciative looks when I slow down to pass pedestrians(chunk of my commute is on a MUP), but that's about it. I've had a couple people yell at me from cars, but not so often that I'm concerned.

"I've found that most Americans think of bikes in three ways: children's toys, exotic toys for fitness fanatics and transportation of last resort for the impoverished and disadvantaged. It's socially acceptable for an adult to dress up like a circus acrobat with friends once a week, run around in circles as quickly as possible with no other purpose or destination, but to ride a bike somewhere for a purpose implies some sort of need and is looked upon as an act of desperation."

I submit hipsters have brought cycling closer to mainstream. Ironically enough.

Bike shares are making a difference too, I think. Locally, the emergence of MUPs(They're barely 2-3 years old) has been a boom of cycling, as well. I've read it's inversely related to gas prices too.



What's your opinion on the Soma? I kinda want to build one up as a fancy commuter/every day/errand bike.

spare_wheel

I just do my own thing...and it's a thing that has changed markedly over the years.

My current commuter clothing style: Black lycra tights/shorts, black/dark moisture-wicking t or jersey, black cycling jacket with reflective features and black bag with reflective features.

My current commuter bike style: Nude black frame with chopped flat bar, XT hydraulics, well-tuned high-end road DT, 25c most of the time, 28c occasionally, and 37c very rarely.

I don't need to look like I own the place because, in Portland, I do own the place. And nothing gives me more commuting pleasure than demonstrating the transportation superiority of cycling to a big hot mess of jammed cages.

grolby

Well, how I dress on the bike depends on how far I'm going and what I'm doing. Currently my commute is pretty short. So I pretty much dress like I usually do. I try to look relatively clean and fashion-conscious, albeit far from cutting-edge, in my day-to-day life. So I look basically the same way on my commuter bike right now. I despise "high-viz" gear and will not wear it on a bike, partially for fashion reasons I suppose, but mostly for philosophical ones.

When I'm going to be spending more time on the bike, I dress in cycling clothing. I do race bikes, so I simply ride in my usual training and racing gear. There's no need to wear something different for a long commute. So I guess I'll look like a bike racer, or at least a roadie, when my commute gets long again. But whatever.

Pretty poor. I can be in either of these modes depending upon why I'm riding. So am I rich and successful, or poor and an alcoholic? For the record, spandex, clipless pedals, drop bars and racing bikes do not require great wealth to obtain. Happily for me.

You really have a hair across your ass about cycling spandex, don't you? May I ask why?

kickstart

That's my objection to most cycling specific clothing, its cut, colors and graphics are heavily biased on racing or performance cycling. I don't like tight fitting clothing in general, its not really designed for my style of riding or bikes, and it looks absolutely ridiculous off a bike.

playback2004

I'm more into parts and tools than gear. I'm getting my first shoes after 5 months in the sport. I still wear gym shirts. I haven't even clipped in yet but to answer your question I want to look like I want to be on the bike. And no I don't own a car or have a job

playback2004

Bro, do you know where I can get that shirt?

Rcrxjlb

Blue jeans
T shirt
Old Raleigh
No helmet
No problem...

spare_wheel

Bingo. I used to be one of those "I'll never wear lycra/spandex while commuting types" but I got sick of discarding worn out pants/trousers. Likewise, I used to scoff at people who commuted in jerseys until I started climbing ~1000+ feet on the way to work in the summer. (My previous commutes were flattish or had significant climbs on the way home.)

katsrevenge

Enjoy it while it lasts. LOL

TransitBiker

100% function over fashion.

- Andy

tjspiel

The most awesome thing about cycling jerseys is that they are not constrained by the limits of good taste.

alan s 

I think what you wear has more to do with your weight, than anything else. If you are fat, tight lycra looks really bad and accentuates your hideous body. OTOH, if you are in great shape, lycra makes you look hot for the ladies.

Leebo

I stopped caring what others thought about me in 6th grade. Wealthy on a crosscheck? Not. I dress for function, warmth and safety. Lots of lights, hi-viz etc. Use what works for you. I chide my suburban neighbors for driving to the gym, they don't seem to get it. Winter sees tights and mt bike shorts, wool sweaters and such. Summer sees mt bike shorts, keen sandals and a bright shirt. YRMV.

grolby

*shrug* Okay, so the stuff I wear is not for you. NBD. Though the off the bike look isn't really relevant to me, I'm not doing my job in lycra after all. I do change first. FWIW there are increasingly available lines of cycling-specific clothing available designed to look more "normal" off the bike. The one everyone is talking about is Giro's New Road line, which the cycling press has been going crazy over. And REI has quite a lot of commuting-oriented cycling clothing that looks closer to normal street clothes than racing clothes.

grolby

I wouldn't be caught dead in any of those. I disagree, there's room for taste in cycling kit, though of course taste means something a little different when it comes to tight-fitting cycling clothing. It does stand out a bit less these days than it used, since the current style is for everything we wear to be somewhat tighter-fitting, and the current trend in cycling clothing is toward more subtle colors and patterns.

cobrabyte

lol there's nothing masculine about spandex (call it lycra if it makes you feel better). It's a good, functional material for cycling clothing, and has it's benefits...but even if you look good, you look bad. And let's face it, a cyclists body isn't really the standard for men; frail upper body, disproportionality large thighs, shaved legs.

kickstart

And thats the attitude of the average LBS too,
I don't care what others wear, but unfortunately it seems the cycling enthusast community is more fashion and image conscious than most want to admit, and those of us who don't care for whats ment to conform to the popular image find little choice or accommodation when shopping brick and mortar.

grolby

Did you miss the part where I mentioned that there are in fact alternatives that look more like normal street clothes, that they are getting rave reviews and they are increasingly available?

I don't really see how it's much of a criticism to say that the cycling enthusiast community is fashion conscious; every niche has it's own notion of style. Thing is, you're not necessarily going to find much outside the norm in an LBS because they can only really afford to stock things they know will sell. And standard cycling clothing sells pretty reliably. Maybe the Giro stuff would, too, I don't know. I would recommend hitting up your local REI or shopping online if you want cycling clothes that look less like cycling clothes.