Do cycling clubs look down on you for wearing jeans and other casual clothing?
03-14-15, 06:06 PM
#151
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03-14-15, 06:19 PM
#152
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I think that's a little far in the other direction. It's one thing to say that someone not wearing appropriate (for the sport) clothing can't ride their bike, and it is another to question whether said person can ride safely in a group where it is easy to potentially harm several people.
03-15-15, 08:18 AM
#153
Portland Fred
Really its because I don't care to keep company with those who obsess over conformity and image, rather than accepting how others may find enjoyment in doing things their own way.
Its also a bit condescending how some imply that if one doesn't ape the dress and behaviors of a competitive cyclist, they must be a bumbling clod incapable of riding more than a few miles at a walking pace.
Its also a bit condescending how some imply that if one doesn't ape the dress and behaviors of a competitive cyclist, they must be a bumbling clod incapable of riding more than a few miles at a walking pace.
Jeans are an incredibly poor choice except for a very narrow range of riding. They'll interfere with movement no matter what you do. When they're wet, they'll get heavy and mess your skin up if you have to go far. You'll overheat at modest temperatures. And you're setting yourself up for hypothermia if it's cold and wet. As goofy as it looks to noncyclist eyes, quality cycling clothing is functional. It's designed to support the type of movement that cyclists make, thermal properties are excellent, and you have pockets that allow you to carry things without need for racks or large bags.
Over the years, I've seen people with all kinds of configurations, but one thing I haven't seen yet is someone doing reasonable distances at a decent pace in jeans. There's probably a reason for that, so I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that someone attempting that probably hasn't been around enough to have discovered through direct experience that jeans are simply crummy sports attire.
03-15-15, 08:30 AM
#154
Portland Fred
BTW, regardless of what you wear don't be surprised if people treat you with caution at first. Riding in close proximity to people is dangerous if people don't know what they're doing, so it's a good idea to cut people space until you've seen them ride a bit. Handling and group skills come with experience and everyone needs to take their own limitations into account as well as those of the people they're with.
03-15-15, 10:26 AM
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03-15-15, 10:47 AM
#156
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I couldn't care less about the state of your legs, but I find your careless assemblage of words amusing.
03-15-15, 11:09 AM
#157
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It has nothing to do with image -- I ride 'bents which definitely doesn't earn you points with the fashionistas. When I started cycling distances in the early 80's, I lived in the midwest so wearing skin tight clothing was like begging people to harass you. I totally get why people avoid the cycling look (and I did for many years). And there's a wide variety of clothing that will work better than many people will admit.
Jeans are an incredibly poor choice except for a very narrow range of riding. They'll interfere with movement no matter what you do. When they're wet, they'll get heavy and mess your skin up if you have to go far. You'll overheat at modest temperatures. And you're setting yourself up for hypothermia if it's cold and wet. As goofy as it looks to noncyclist eyes, quality cycling clothing is functional. It's designed to support the type of movement that cyclists make, thermal properties are excellent, and you have pockets that allow you to carry things without need for racks or large bags.
Over the years, I've seen people with all kinds of configurations, but one thing I haven't seen yet is someone doing reasonable distances at a decent pace in jeans. There's probably a reason for that, so I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that someone attempting that probably hasn't been around enough to have discovered through direct experience that jeans are simply crummy sports attire.
Jeans are an incredibly poor choice except for a very narrow range of riding. They'll interfere with movement no matter what you do. When they're wet, they'll get heavy and mess your skin up if you have to go far. You'll overheat at modest temperatures. And you're setting yourself up for hypothermia if it's cold and wet. As goofy as it looks to noncyclist eyes, quality cycling clothing is functional. It's designed to support the type of movement that cyclists make, thermal properties are excellent, and you have pockets that allow you to carry things without need for racks or large bags.
Over the years, I've seen people with all kinds of configurations, but one thing I haven't seen yet is someone doing reasonable distances at a decent pace in jeans. There's probably a reason for that, so I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that someone attempting that probably hasn't been around enough to have discovered through direct experience that jeans are simply crummy sports attire.
Last month I did the Cascade bicycle clubs Chilly Hilly ride, a 33 mile ride that's described by its name. I took the ferry before the 3 official ferries to avoid the massive crowds. On the trip over, an obviously hardcore road rider decided to strike a conversation that quickly turned questioning my decision to do the ride due to my attire and bike even though I had already ridden 26 miles to the ferry terminal. I mean seriously, I've been cycling for over 40 years, I was wearing "appropriate cycling gear" on a road bike....and moved on to more practical options....before he was even born.
I rode 86 miles that day, most of my weekend rides are 40 to 60 miles, often wearing jeans, and I average 80 miles a week commuting wearing work pants until its warm enough for hiking or work shorts without having issues with movement, chafing, overheating, hypothermia, or other supposed hardships.
I'm not trying to claim street cloths are appropriate for fast peloton club rides, I agree its not the correct tool for the job, but they are perfectly suitable for the other 99% of cycling, including a lot of club rides I encounter, when appropriate for the weather without limiting one to a few miles at a snails pace.
Last edited by kickstart; 03-15-15 at 11:14 AM.
03-15-15, 02:48 PM
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Wear what you like but people will think your a new rider and will be afraid that you are inexperienced. Bottomline is everyone is a little afraid that the new guy will cause an accident due to the learning curve of riding in a group. Usually we start with a low end bike and fall and scratch our bikes. Then we progress and maybe invest in a nicer bike which we appreciate and try very hard to not get in to an accident to ruin it or ourselves haha. It's like our 2 wheeled Corvette. If you see a guy in cycling short you might think he knows how to ride since he wears tights and a jersey and he might not. It just happens. Don't worry, do your thing and let everyone work around you. Enjoy the ride brother. Don't worry about anybody. Once you start talking all this crap will get thrown out the window.
03-15-15, 06:42 PM
#160
Portland Fred
This is exactly the condescending attitude I'm referring to.
Last month I did the Cascade bicycle clubs Chilly Hilly ride, a 33 mile ride that's described by its name. I took the ferry before the 3 official ferries to avoid the massive crowds. On the trip over, an obviously hardcore road rider decided to strike a conversation that quickly turned questioning my decision to do the ride due to my attire and bike even though I had already ridden 26 miles to the ferry terminal. I mean seriously, I've been cycling for over 40 years, I was wearing "appropriate cycling gear" on a road bike....and moved on to more practical options....before he was even born.
I rode 86 miles that day, most of my weekend rides are 40 to 60 miles, often wearing jeans, and I average 80 miles a week commuting wearing work pants until its warm enough for hiking or work shorts without having issues with movement, chafing, overheating, hypothermia, or other supposed hardships.
I'm not trying to claim street cloths are appropriate for fast peloton club rides, I agree its not the correct tool for the job, but they are perfectly suitable for the other 99% of cycling, including a lot of club rides I encounter, when appropriate for the weather without limiting one to a few miles at a snails pace.
Last month I did the Cascade bicycle clubs Chilly Hilly ride, a 33 mile ride that's described by its name. I took the ferry before the 3 official ferries to avoid the massive crowds. On the trip over, an obviously hardcore road rider decided to strike a conversation that quickly turned questioning my decision to do the ride due to my attire and bike even though I had already ridden 26 miles to the ferry terminal. I mean seriously, I've been cycling for over 40 years, I was wearing "appropriate cycling gear" on a road bike....and moved on to more practical options....before he was even born.
I rode 86 miles that day, most of my weekend rides are 40 to 60 miles, often wearing jeans, and I average 80 miles a week commuting wearing work pants until its warm enough for hiking or work shorts without having issues with movement, chafing, overheating, hypothermia, or other supposed hardships.
I'm not trying to claim street cloths are appropriate for fast peloton club rides, I agree its not the correct tool for the job, but they are perfectly suitable for the other 99% of cycling, including a lot of club rides I encounter, when appropriate for the weather without limiting one to a few miles at a snails pace.
If I go to a flatter group ride that has 1,000 people in it,I'd expect to see some people on hybrids, on MTB's, wearing athletic attire for other sports, and you'll see regular shorts that people use for hiking. But I'd expect to see zero in jeans. And there's a reason for that.
80 miles a week for commuting works out to 8 miles each way and in all honesty, I wouldn't kit up for that either. I don't kit up for my own commute even though it has over 1,000 feet of climbing. I just wear convertible pants with a button down shirt and zip the legs on when I arrive. If it's wet, I have really light rain gear. I hold the pace down and keep everything really open in the summer so I don't sweat too much.
One thing I would ask is why on earth you'd ride 40 to 60 miles in jeans and what kind of cadence do you maintain? How high do you take your HR? You get plenty of rain in the 40's and 50's up there which would totally suck in jeans. Your physiology may be different from others, but most people will get into trouble if they wear cotton in the cold and to not encourage the OP to wear appropriate attire sets him up for trouble and people will think he has no clue as to what he's doing.
03-15-15, 08:01 PM
#161
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So you're saying you rode the Chilly Hilly in jeans?
If I go to a flatter group ride that has 1,000 people in it,I'd expect to see some people on hybrids, on MTB's, wearing athletic attire for other sports, and you'll see regular shorts that people use for hiking. But I'd expect to see zero in jeans. And there's a reason for that.
80 miles a week for commuting works out to 8 miles each way and in all honesty, I wouldn't kit up for that either. I don't kit up for my own commute even though it has over 1,000 feet of climbing. I just wear convertible pants with a button down shirt and zip the legs on when I arrive. If it's wet, I have really light rain gear. I hold the pace down and keep everything really open in the summer so I don't sweat too much.
One thing I would ask is why on earth you'd ride 40 to 60 miles in jeans and what kind of cadence do you maintain? How high do you take your HR? You get plenty of rain in the 40's and 50's up there which would totally suck in jeans. Your physiology may be different from others, but most people will get into trouble if they wear cotton in the cold and to not encourage the OP to wear appropriate attire sets him up for trouble and people will think he has no clue as to what he's doing.
If I go to a flatter group ride that has 1,000 people in it,I'd expect to see some people on hybrids, on MTB's, wearing athletic attire for other sports, and you'll see regular shorts that people use for hiking. But I'd expect to see zero in jeans. And there's a reason for that.
80 miles a week for commuting works out to 8 miles each way and in all honesty, I wouldn't kit up for that either. I don't kit up for my own commute even though it has over 1,000 feet of climbing. I just wear convertible pants with a button down shirt and zip the legs on when I arrive. If it's wet, I have really light rain gear. I hold the pace down and keep everything really open in the summer so I don't sweat too much.
One thing I would ask is why on earth you'd ride 40 to 60 miles in jeans and what kind of cadence do you maintain? How high do you take your HR? You get plenty of rain in the 40's and 50's up there which would totally suck in jeans. Your physiology may be different from others, but most people will get into trouble if they wear cotton in the cold and to not encourage the OP to wear appropriate attire sets him up for trouble and people will think he has no clue as to what he's doing.
BTW, I did it in 2.25, so no, I don't ride that fast, and have no desire to do so.
I commute wearing my work uniform, cycling outerwear as needed, Shimano CT80 shoes when its dry, LL Bean main hunting shoes when its wet or cold.
Commuting or recreational, I'm comfortable wearing normal clothes, and feel no need to search for my jerseys or cycling shorts that have probably shrunk some since I last wore them 20-25 years ago.
As I said, I agree one should have the appropriate kit if they wish to participate in a fast peloton club ride. I'm just saying that its absolutely ludicrous to imply its necessary otherwise, unless that it happens to be ones personal preference. You now give the impression of being more pragmatic in what you wear than your previous posts imply, it seems you simply hate jeans/cotton for riding, and that's cool, we all have our comfort limitations. Mine is tight clothing.
03-16-15, 04:14 AM
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03-16-15, 07:43 AM
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I don't think a cycling club should look down on another member just because of the attire he chooses to wear. Although, there's nothing wrong with making suggestions and then explaining the benefits from wearing clothes that are designed to make riding a bike more comfortable.
I ride casual. Gym shorts with a tank top. I could honestly care less what other riders think about the attire that I choose to wear.
I ride casual. Gym shorts with a tank top. I could honestly care less what other riders think about the attire that I choose to wear.
03-16-15, 12:07 PM
#164
Portland Fred
I don't think a cycling club should look down on another member just because of the attire he chooses to wear. Although, there's nothing wrong with making suggestions and then explaining the benefits from wearing clothes that are designed to make riding a bike more comfortable.
But before joining a club ride, it's essential to see what the club is like so you know if it's likely to be a good match. A couple questions about what the ride is going to be like should clear that up quickly.
03-16-15, 01:27 PM
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I've ridden around people in all types of clothing. I'm just glad you're out on the bike.
That said if you show up in jeans or doc martens or similar I'm giving you wide berth unless I know you.
That said if you show up in jeans or doc martens or similar I'm giving you wide berth unless I know you.
03-16-15, 02:07 PM
#166
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Do you ride in a speedo?
It was obviously a joke. Shave as much or as little as you like of whatever part of your body you like. There are many stock answers to why cyclist shave their legs, but none of them are really true. It is because people like to look at their own muscles rippling as they pedal without anything obscuring the view.
It was obviously a joke. Shave as much or as little as you like of whatever part of your body you like. There are many stock answers to why cyclist shave their legs, but none of them are really true. It is because people like to look at their own muscles rippling as they pedal without anything obscuring the view.
For people that don't want to watch the video, here's an article summarizing everything: Cyclists: Shaving Makes You Faster | The Edge | OutsideOnline.com
It's pretty interesting. I don't shave my legs either but I'm thinking about it as I get more fit.
03-16-15, 02:45 PM
#167
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According to Specialized wind tunnel tests, shaving your legs makes you a lot more aero: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZnr...&feature=share
For people that don't want to watch the video, here's an article summarizing everything: Cyclists: Shaving Makes You Faster | The Edge | OutsideOnline.com
It's pretty interesting. I don't shave my legs either but I'm thinking about it as I get more fit.
For people that don't want to watch the video, here's an article summarizing everything: Cyclists: Shaving Makes You Faster | The Edge | OutsideOnline.com
It's pretty interesting. I don't shave my legs either but I'm thinking about it as I get more fit.
If you are at the level that you are doing wind tunnel testing to get any further benefits, then I can imagine that shaving your legs could be a good idea. But for the remaining 99 - 100% of us, no.
03-16-15, 03:22 PM
#168
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Oh the HORROR! 
If I'm racing or going on a club ride, well, then I'll wear racing clothes, If I'm just out 'n about, whatever.
I'f I'm commuting to work, I wear work clothes.
If I'm racing or going on a club ride, well, then I'll wear racing clothes, If I'm just out 'n about, whatever.
I'f I'm commuting to work, I wear work clothes.
03-16-15, 03:58 PM
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I see Dutch people...
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03-16-15, 04:00 PM
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I don't think a cycling club should look down on another member just because of the attire he chooses to wear. Although, there's nothing wrong with making suggestions and then explaining the benefits from wearing clothes that are designed to make riding a bike more comfortable.
I ride casual. Gym shorts with a tank top. I could honestly care less what other riders think about the attire that I choose to wear.
I ride casual. Gym shorts with a tank top. I could honestly care less what other riders think about the attire that I choose to wear.
03-16-15, 05:18 PM
#172
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03-16-15, 05:46 PM
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