Spire

A couple months ago, I would have never imagined myself riding in temperatures around 30F (like today) but its perfectly fine, its all about layering. Tights are essential on the bottom (can even put shorts on top of them too). If you wish you can also get some anti-wind pants that go over them (make sure they have tapered legs so they don't get caught around the pedals). Upon visual inspection they most resemble a pair of track pants. With a wind breaker on top I can guarantee that you will no look like a fairy.

Prosody

Tights? Fairies? Cycling? If not for the wind resistance, you could strap a pair of wings on your shoulders. When else is it the least bit ok to dress like this. Enjoy the attention. Revel in being different.

nathank

well, what i do is wear lycra bike shorts and/or tights with baggie shorts over them. i have 6-7 pair of "board shorts" which are baggie-style surf swim shorts made of quick-drying material usually with one or 2 velcro pockets. i find the following advantages with only 2 disadvantages:
* keeps my tights/bike shorts dryer and cleaner (especially in rain/mud)
* saves my expensive shorts/tights if i crash (mostly mountain biking) b/c the thicker tougher overshorts fare better than lycra which damages with 1 crash
* looks much more "normal" --- in summer i just have shorts and in winter i have shorts over leggings/tights which are much less noticeable than just tights
disads:
1) slightly increased wind resitance - for commuting and most MTB doesn't matter --- for racing i usually go without the over-shorts
2) slightly increased chance of snagging the shorts on something on the bike - i personally have no trouble. last week i forgot my overshorts and my tights kept getting stuck on the seat (the over-shorts are more tough and less "sticky")

although i generally don't care a whole lot what others think, i have found the treatment and comments are greatly reduced by wearing baggies shorts -- particularly bike commuting in the office and then walking through the office building...

RiPHRaPH

did you get the: i like the way your legs go up and make an ass of themselves - comment yet?

uciflylow

Every time I go out of the house dressed to ride my wife says "Don't let anyone know you know me!". She thinks all the bike cloths look limp wristed and weird.
It don't stop me at all! I just go out and ride.
For the cooler weather I bought a pair of nylon paints with a mesh like linning on the inside to help with movement. I wear regular bike shorts under these and layer on upper garments. I don't know if I will be able to ride in very cold weather but I use to ride motor cycles in very cold weather at higher speeds.

ps Everyone in this part of the country cocks an eyebrow at anyone riding a bicycle. It doesn't matter what you wear!

RWTD

Just don't wear boots with the tights and you should be alright because everyone knows fairies wear boots.If you do decide to wear boots with your tights whatever you do don't start humming Ozzie Ozbourne tunes or people will think either your one of Santa's elves on a bad trip or a Satanic cultist on a mission to terriorize the country. Seriously when I wear tight bike clothing including tights I tend to get more attention from males as well as females so I guess you just have to take the bad with the good if your going to wear this type of clothing.

nathank

riding a bicycle in cold weather is much easier than a motorcycle b/c
1) you generate body heat
2) speeds are much lower so wind-chill is less
3) icy/snowy roads on a motorcycle are much harder to handle than on a bicycle where you can put your feet down and skid holding the bike (motorcycles, especially street bikes, weigh more so can be hard)

i used to ride a motorcycle in the winter (OK, Texas winter so temps in the 20s and 30s, rarely less than 18F or so) and my feet and hands were ALWAYS cold after a 20- to 30-minute+ ride. comparitively on a bicycle, i can ride in below freezing weather for a few hours w/o major problems down to 10F or so (haven't experienced colder than that often)

tchazzard

In really nasty weather I wear bright yellow rain gear. I scared the dickens off my the post office people when I plowed through the door, helmet with light on...they thought I was a fireman and that there was a fire in the building.

For normal days I wear Gore-tex pants or wool pants, which are quite fashionable and not uncomfortable.

I would not be caught dead in tights.

MikeR

I wear tights in the winter and although my teenage daughter is embarrassed by me, I have never been accused of being a ferry.

But I make sure that whenever I get off the bike, I walk like John Wayne and look mean.

Big Helmet

Bwaahaahaaahaaa!

I'm going to have that image stuck in my head the rest of the day.

tchazzard

I wll try to post a picture of this get up some time...this will likely give you nightmares.

uciflylow

nathank
what kind of cloths do you wear? The winters here are about the same as i Texas and I'm new to this.

I think I will like getting out in the winter to ride.

philosoraptor

Is it churlish of me to object to the apparent homophobia in the original posting?

You're terrified of looking.... what? Gay? Well, how many gay people, male OR female, wear cycling tights in their everyday, non-cycling lives? (A rhetorical question, whose answer is, from my experience, "few".) Afraid of looking effeminate? Well, how many women, gay OR straight, wear tights and nothing else on their lower half? (Another rhetorical question, whose answer is, from my experience, "very few".) And in either case, what's wrong with looking "gay" or "effeminate" in the first place?

If you're REALLY worried that random passersby might be confused about your particular sexual and/or romantic preferences, then perhaps you could paint some silhouettes of women's bodies onto your bike fenders, the back of your jersey, and the back of your helmet. They'd resemble the illustrations on the mud flaps that I see on so many of the eighteen-wheelers around here. No one doubts that they work very well, in the case of truckers, at symbolizing one-hundred-percent iron-fisted masculinity and heterosexuality. Maybe you'd find them equally symbolically powerful on your bicycle.

uciflylow

Churlish? Why no!

I agree wholy with you. I don't care what folks think of me, I know who I am!

I had two ladys stop and ask if I needed help when I was making a seat adjustment one day. They ask "are you from around here?". I replied that I lived in town, about 5 miles away and that I loved riding in the country since it is so beautiful. They replied "we are glad you enjoy riding out this way, but most bike riders are from far away from here". My point is, people around here think you "just ain't right" if you'r on a bicycle no matter how you'r dressed.

Now! Are the tights all there cracked up to be, how cold can you ride in them, should I use fleece of some kind to stay warm?

Balance

Maybe it's just Ottawa, but it's too cold to wear just tights in the winter. In the spring and fall I wear this----> padded shorts, then tights, then some beat up old baggy shorts over top. I need these for pockets, and because I thought the secretaries in the offices I dropped packages at might faint from such a wonder... uh, nevermind. Also, these shorts were great for not losing chunks of hip if I were to crash. They also add warmth to those very important parts. The knees!

But in the colder part of winter it's a different story. If I'm riding for awhile I'll put on padded shorts, then polypro longjohns, then whatever pants I plan on wearing where I'm headed, then shell pants over top. I found a pair for snowshoeing or something shells that aren't baggy at the ankles like cheap k-way plastiky ones are (and on sale!). With those I used to have to use a reflective strap to keep my right ankle from going in the chain. Now it's all luxury, baby! As you can see I can't stand cold legs. My knees aren't all that great (bursitis). On my top I wear less layers.

And did I mentioned small wheeled folders are the bomb in winter?

Balance

geofflowery

I'm with lotek on this one. I couldn't care at all about what I look like while I'm riding. All I think about is how everyone is riding in the car, by themselves wasting gas and I'm out enjoying the fresh air, no matter how cold it is, and getting in a good ride. As long as I'm warm, who cares!!

SallieW

I'm new here, but not new to commuting by bike in the winter, and this thread is just wierd! Guys who ride a lot look good in tights! Most cyclists around here wear all the cycling-specific clothing. The reason for the tight stuff is to reduce wind drag. I personally DON'T look so good in tights, but I wear them anyway! I actually have a pair from Road Runner sports (their "not tights") that are a little baggier than true cycling tights (helps prevent the horror of me in really tight tights). They are also lots cheaper. They're kind of light, but then I'm usually too warm on my bike. When it's really cold or wet I have cycling-specific rain pants to go over.

A.troll

Hey, Tinkerbell!

All my boyfriends wear cycling tights...

...or else they wear nothing at all.

Spire

I'm curious who people are afraid of looking like a fairy for. Motorists? They already probably think your nuts for cycling in a temperature that requires tights. Other cyclists? doubtful, since they are probably going to wear tights also. Perhaps people are afraid of running into somebody they know. Even then, it seems that the only reason that people would be uneasy is if they are not comfortable with their sexuality.

Airborne

but what do you think of men in tights (not the movie haha)... or men in tights with mt bike shorts over them at least? btw, you all can see how stupid i look in my profile. i think COLD PEOPLE look stupid. i dont get cold. i may get looks, but i get the job done well and warm.

caspurr

I agree with the who cares attitude ! If I am out there in 30-40 deg. temp . then I want to be as warm as the weather will allow me and still be comfortable. I use the tights,gloves, wind jacket . I have yet to go for the shoe covers but the feet do get frozen. My wife laughs at my outfit but it gets me outside where the real cycling occurs.I have been out when ice is on the road and after your body heat is generated from the workout the only problem are the feet,hands , and Pee pee now they get COLD.