Originally Posted by
RubeRad
BUT, how many of us bikers (a) think more people should ride bikes more often, to more places, and (b) think it is worth removing obstacles that prevent them from doing so?
Sure, spandex isn't keeping you off of a bike, but the article is dead on that there are tons of poor cagers who are intimidated away from biking because all they see is a small crowd of intense cyclists that wear a lot of spandex. Or not much of it, depending on your perspective.
It's the second part that I question is really true. Let's say you were to hand out a survey out to people who lived within 10 miles of work and asked them to rank the reasons why they don't commute by bike, my guess is that spandex would be pretty low on the list if it shows up at all. Here's what I think you are more likely to see:
It would take too long
I often have to travel to other locations while at work
I wouldn't feel safe
What if it rains/snows, etc?
It's dark when I go into or come home from work
I have to drop the kids off at daycare/school or run other errands
I need to look good and there's no shower facilities
It's too much work
As far as spandex goes, I think most people are smart enough to realize that it's optional. It's not like we put our kids in bike shorts and jerseys before we let them get on a bike. Most adults have ridden in regular clothes plenty of times.