Originally Posted by
pdlamb
I see people riding bikes fairly frequently wearing blue jeans, coats, waiter uniforms, etc.
On the other hand, I'm more comfortable wearing lycra, clipless pedals, etc. for my 19 mile round trip commute. There are about three weeks per year I could, perhaps, ride in work clothes and be comfortable, although I'd have to slow down even more to keep from sweating.
Brainwashed? I doubt it. Practical? I prefer to think that way.
As an aside, the spare spokes and tires at one of the two bike shops within a mile of my house are kept in the shop, off the main showroom floor. The other shop has lots of MTB tires on display, but the road tires and spokes are again kept in the shop. I have to ask to get them.
I have a 42 mile (roundtrip) commute and use it for both training and transportation; the ride would be 28 mi if I went door to door but I put in some extra miles to keep the legs honest. People often put things into categories before trying things out and seeing how it works for them and cycling is no different. I come across all different types of commuters and at the end of the day we're all on a bike getting somewhere. I wear cycling specific gear because otherwise my clothes would be a sweaty mess; just recently I moved to the corporate offices (I was sure my commuting days were over) but found out the building has bike storage and recently opened an employee wellness center with showers. Had that option not been available I would have paid for bike storage somewhere near by (cost was going to be about that same as the cost of public transportation).