Originally Posted by tjspiel

I don't share the view but I've seen it expressed enough that I think I can explain the reasoning in a fair manner.

The anti-spandex view falls into two basic camps (with some overlap).

The first is that wearing spandex to your work place doesn't show the proper degree of modesty. I believe women are given a more leeway when it comes to this than men are.

The second is that in the U.S. cycling as a sport has had a detrimental influence on cycling as transportation. Basically it would be better if people wore normal work clothes. If weather doesn't allow for that, then at least one should wear clothing they would wear while just out and about. That would make bicycle commuting seem more accessible to those who are turned off by the thought of wearing spandex.

Again, I don't share the viewpoint, but there it is.

This discussion comes up now and then in the commuting the forum. In the road forum the discussion is whether or not to shave your legs (for men). There's a group in that forum that believe that wearing cycling shorts with unshaven legs is just wrong. This is another group that believes that men shouldn't be shaving their legs period.

My take is that no matter what you wear or whether you shave or not, somebody will look down on you for it. So just do what works for you.