Michel Gagnon

"TSL", I wonder why you seem to insist on bike shorts. If you have found the perfect saddle to ride with your current clothes, then what's wrong with that?

I tend to believe in "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

So I don't have anything against bike shorts, but that's not for me. I ride on my Brooks B-17 saddle, wearing normal long trousers... or sometimes bermuda shorts if it's above 30°C.

bkaapcke

They are great for prancing around the boudoir. I have no idea what else they can be used for. bk

tsl

I'm not insisting on anything. I have no plans to wear bike clothes for commuting and shopping excursions. I'm considering the advice that they may improve comfort on other rides. Until I've tried them, I don't know.

Plus, I'm looking for a better answer to the inevitable "Why don't you wear bike clothes?" question. The current favorites, "Why don't you mind your own business?" or "Are we here to ride bikes to discuss couture?" or "Why are you so interested in what's in my pants?" are somewhat less than satisfying for both parties.

Nycycle

I have only used ASSOS, it works, I'm spoiled(Use very sparingly) I have no reason to try anything else

dauphin

I couldn't agree more...I've worn Voler and other brands...nothing compares to the comfort of the pearl izumi attack shorts that I own.

Tom Bombadil

Athletic compression underwear is easy to find in any large department store. Sells for about $10-$12 from Wal-Mart & Target. No pad, but some support and less friction between them and your pants/shorts.

For lightweight pants that allow for better movement than jeans, you can also find stuff at department stores. Target carries Champion's C9 line of pants & jerseys. The C9 cargo pants look a lot like regular pants, but are thinner and more flexible. They still have lots of pockets & belt loops. They also have mesh pants which are very thin and tie up with a drawstring. These are probably too thin for winter, but are nice up to when you want to start wearing shorts. The regular price for the cargo pants is $25, for the mesh pants is around $12-$15. The mesh jerseys are $10-$15.

Here's a thread from a runner's forum, where most people seem to like the C9 stuff:
https://forums.runnersworld.com/eve/f...8/m/5201069702

Foldable Two

These are my shorts, too. Work great and look more mainstream off the bike. Wife says they look very good.

Wife and I both have a pair of REI (Novara) "wind pants" (long legs with zipper at ankle). We wear padded underwear with these. They also work well and are excellent in colder weather.

Road Fan

Red Ryder: In case you didn't know, so do women's!!

Road Fan

trackhub

Well, I'm convinced. Now go tell it to Football players, as they also wear lycra.


Back on the topic,,

Indeed.

Two summers ago, on one of my warm summer evening rides, I came up behind a delightful young woman who was wearing shorts that must have come from Victoria's Secret. I mean they were somewhat shorter than standard, and really, really translucent. Yikes!

This was going up Beacon street in Newton, MA. One of the few times I've ever noticed cars actually staying well within the speed limit.

Alas, she started talking about her boyfriend. Oh well.

BluesDawg

I think...

Red Rider

Ooooh, a compliment! I'll take, with thanks!

OTOH, I don't spend much time looking at women's derrières, whether in Lycra or not. I'll leave that to the men.

Mash Master

I've never tried bibs, how does the fit differ? What is the advantage. I've never had much complaint with shorts.

stonecrd

Shorts have elastic at the waist which bothers some people and sometimes when you are riding in the drops and your shirt creeps up and shorts creep down you can get the plumber effect. Bibs have straps over the shoulders so no elastic and come in with either no back or a webed back. In the front the bibs also have a webed front that comes up over your belly. This makes for a comfortable fit. As stated using the bathroom can be a bit more complicated with bibs. I think if you do a poll you will probably find more people ride in bibs than shorts and say that once they tried them they got rid of all of their old shorts.

DnvrFox

For those of us who don't have that about 155 pound narrow-hipped 30-32 inch waist on an about 5' 9" frame (or other similar proportions), bibs can be great. They can be great for those who DO, but they are especially great for thos who don't.

If you happen to have a bit of the "pear shape" that males seem to get, they are almost indispensable, for the reasons stonecrd mentioned above - that "plumber look" - shorts creeping down, jersey creeping up. And, they are really just more comfortable.

For the times that I wear Lycra, I love them. For shorter rides I usually don't, but I generally do for longer rides.

As far as the "gay" bit goes, I think it is regional. Around here, we must have 10's of thousands of folks wearing bright Lycra on any decent riding day. It is considered normal and does not make one look like they are "gay" - it makes one look like a bicycle rider. We also have a lot of skiers, who wear appropriate "ski clothing" and many other sports with specific clothing. I could imagine in certain parts of the country that the Lycra would be viewed from a different perspective by a certain type of individual, but that wouldn't bother me.

Tom Bombadil

My house sits along a rural road that is very popular with cyclists. Hundreds of riders go past on weekend days in the summer. 99% of them wearing lycra, with maybe 90% of those in bright colors. If one wanted to look weird and stick out of the crowd, that's easy, wear a t-shirt & cut-off jeans. I saw this happen last summer. About 2 miles from me there is a popular stop for cyclists, a little ice-cream shop in a very small town. There were about 40-50 bikers there, all in their lycra, when up rides a guy on a nice road bike wearing cut-off jeans and a t-shirt. They were all staring at him. Pretty funny scene.

Terex

Wear what you like and feel comfortable riding in. That's it. I only feel comfortable going really, really fast these days, so I wear go-fast clothes. When I was in my teens, I didn't care about going fast - I just enjoyed the ride.

"Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you." Satchel Paige

https://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016396.html