Well, heck, I'm doin' my part to expose the average Californian to the rigors of standing in line with a guy wearing road cycling kit. It's a utilitarian uniform, and I don't see the problem with being out in the public in it.

Picture this: a normal US pizza parlor, in one corner a group of girls just in from playing in a youth soccer league, in another corner a boy's softball team. Do we, in our goal of banishing utilitarian sports gear from venues other than the actual spot of exertion, go over and tell the girls to change out of their silly striped socks, and then remind the boys that since they are indoors and no longer playing they should have left their baseball caps in the car? Obviously not. So why should cycling clothes be any different? The current configuration for road cyclists is the result of over 100 years of evolution. The tight fit, the material, and the like are there for very good reasons, not some accomodation for poser stylistic points. And it don't mean squat if the person wearing the gear is heavier than the whippet-like pros--the advantage of the gear is weight-blind.

Of course, I am often in public wearing a kilt, so of the two styles of dress, bicycle gear is certainly less remarkable!