cormacf

Legit, non-troll question (seriously):

If my skill will never be at a point where the drag of my clothing is one of the top 5 issues slowing me down, is there any reason to favor road shorts over MTB baggies? There's a bit more swishing when I'm pedaling fast, but other than that, I kinda dig the fact that I can get off my bike mid-ride and blend a bit better if I decide to grab some lunch. Plus, zippered pockets! It's been working so far, but I figure I might be missing something. For example, do road shorts tend to have better/different padding designed for longer rides?

Note: I'll never be racing. Organized rides for me are centuries, and maybe a few brevets this year.

Thx.

12strings

In my small-town bike club, I can say it would bother nobody if you wore baggy shorts.

Beyond that, The lack of flapping is definitely a big plus in my opinion, both for speed and for annoyance.

Seattle Forrest

Do you have too much money and want to fix that?

SpeshulEd 

Wear what you want, if people judge you for wearing the "wrong thing" they have too much time on their hands.

TimothyH

I'll play devil's advocate.

Loose clothing can cause problems with chafing. That's the number one reason to wear road shorts.

Lots of road jerseys have zippered pockets. I won't buy one without and I can't see how putting things in pants pocket can be comfortable as the legs articulate during riding. A plastic credit card certainly wouldn't feel good in pants pocket while pedaling although maybe in a cargo pocket would be OK.

All things being equal, baggy clothing is objectively less aerodynamic and more wind resistance means that it takes more work to move everything down the road. I feel it makes a difference which can be felt on very long rides. OP mentions centuries and brevets.

Many feel that compression shorts aid blood flow, recovery, comfort, performance, etc. I believe the science is sound and feel better when I run in compression shorts under regular running shorts. OP could always try a pair of compression shorts under baggies for the best of both worlds.

Having said that, wear whatever makes you happy, but I feel there are definite advantages apart from looks and racing.


-Tim-

San Pedro

I notice the flapping, especially in summer when I wear something baggy, and it bothers me, but if it doesn't bother you than ride one.

Where I live, I see people riding their road bikes in jeans and suits on their way to work. One guy on a steel Gios seems pretty quick in his suit with a hug back pack on his back.

howheels

Tight fitting lycra, like clipless pedals and shaving your legs, is optional to enjoy riding a road bike. Do whatever works for you.

NYMXer

I can only speak for myself, and aside from any nonsense type of fashion questions and comments, it boils down to function.
For me, the slightly padded, tight fitting shorts that don't chafe me as I ride are worth their weight in gold!

TimothyH

I feel this way too.

It isn't about racing or looking a certain way or shaving one's legs. It's about comfort and mostly about hygiene.

I have no desire to have painful chafing 40 miles away from home. Nothing is worse than that dry burn setting in knowing that you have to pedal another two or three hours.


-Tim-

lsberrios1 

For anything shorter than 10 miles i am ok in jeans. That's my limit. I spend 12-15hrs a wk on the bike and my saddle sores/callus can't take more than 30-40min without a shammy. Ride whatever u want, baggy clothing only makes a difference if it's not comfy while riding, the extra drag should not matter.

woodcraft

BITD, I wore shorts that I had made from pants, & sewn in Chamois leather.

The generous airflow kept things dry & happy for many Ks of miles, including cross country.

cormacf

Thanks, all. I hadn't taken back jersey pockets into account!

superdex

are they real mtb baggies with a liner and pad? (like a set of road shorts built-in kinda thing)...

Senrab62 

Yes, and some have the liners that are removable. I, too, prefer these to my compression shorts on shorter rides. I especially like the fact that I can wear them with a looser wool jersey and not look like a Lycra goon.

Anything more than 30 or so miles, unless a leisurely ride, and I go with padded compression shorts.

It's all preference though. I have done many a pub crawl with jeans and been just fine! As long as you are comfy and riding your bike.

floridamtb

As long as you wave no one cares what YOU wear

indyfabz

This thread sounds like something you'd find in General.

caloso

I've had difficulty/annoyance with baggy shorts that get caught on the nose of the saddle when sitting back down.

RPK79

I also have issues with them catching on the bottle and or cage on the seat tube.

msu2001la

I often wear road kits when MTB-ing, just to keep the world in balance.

Dan333SP

You sound like the kinda guy who'd wear a purple helmet or something.

RoadieDropper

I wear just a t shirt & shorts on group rides. The rest of the group wears their spandex costumes with their 2000$ bikes & cant keep up on breaks aways.

velociraptor

growlerdinky

...the horror

datlas 

Are you suggesting it be moved??

Back on topic, wear whatever works for you. As an example, one of my club-mates is allergic to lycra and he comes to club rides wearing sweatpants. He looks like a total fred, but he is a strong rider and overall good guy so it's a non issue.

NABodie

Wait purple helmets aren't cool either?