Bike Commute Clothes
 

I have been bike commuting for more than 2 years now. I have been wearing my normal clothes: khaki pants and long sleeve pullover shirt. To my logic, covering my skin in case of fall is important.

But if I search for cycling clothes. It's shorts. So am I the minority wearing pants and long sleeve shirt? Will I get much faster with the usual cycling clothes?

How far do you commute, and what's the weather like where you are?

I wear baggy cycling specific shorts, which have a padded inner lining and a poly outer shell and just look like maybe loose swim trunks, plus a long sleeve alertshirt.

I wouldn't wear cotton intentionally if I was going to sweat. Cotton is miserable when it's wet and takes forever to dry.

Khakis won't prevent many (any?) scrapes, though they will get ripped and bloody. Heavy work pants like dickies might help a bit but generally, my skin scrapes if it contacts concrete, clothed or not. I imagine it's the same for most people.

Considering bike clothing only for the aero benefit doesn't really make sense to most casual commuters, as that slight benefit doesn't outweigh the time and effort it takes to pack clothes and change at work.

...do you feel held back by or uncomfortable in your normal clothes?

Seems like it would depend on length of commute and climate in your area. You might be fine biking to work in those clothes if the weather is 50 degrees or under and your ride is less than 5 min with no climbs.

Right now it is high 80s, low 90s every day with high humidity in my area, and it would take about 1 hr. 30 min. to bike to work. I could ride in my business casual pants and long sleeve shirt, but they would be drenched in sweat by the time I arrived at the office, and my coworkers would soon complain about the smell. It seems like everybody who has to ride 20 min. or more to work here brings a change of clothes.

It's about 8 miles. In San Francisco. It takes me about 40 minutes. I would like to get faster. I wonder if clothes choice will make a difference.

I fell down 2 times. I would say pants and any clothes covering the skin helps. My pants were torn, and I had a little bit of blood. But if I wore shorts, it would be much worse. For that reason, I wear gloves too.

I am fine with my casual clothes. I am just wondering if wearing the usual cycling clothes will give me significant speed advantage...

I take a shower when I get to the office...

I think it depends on the road conditions.

If you can't reach a very high top speed (i.e. you ride around in the city, up hills etc.) then I don't think it would make a big difference.

If you have long stretches where you can hit 18-20mph, then I think it does; this is just based on personal experience.

I have a short commute, but I wear what are essentially swim-shorts (non-baggy, stretchy polyester material that dries fast) and a compression shirt that feels like a similar material. I have two sets that I alternate between and just hand-wash the shirt and line-dry when I get home each night.

If you're already capable of riding in the drops on a road bike, or in a semi-aero tuck, and can maintain a comfortable 18-20 mph pace on level ground, then maybe drag from your clothing matters.

If you're riding a hybrid or MTB, or as you've said, riding ~12 mph in a somewhat hilly way to work, the aerodynamic drag of your clothing isn't a factor. Want to get faster?

Don't worry about clothing, worry about the motor and posture on the bike. But, mostly the motor.

Yes. there are stretches that I can hit that speed. But also, it seems like I am one of the very few concerning covering the skin on a bike. Is that the right?

Sweat pants (black track warmup suit) Jersey knit not woven..

I dont have to go far these days.. mostly Retired , no dress code , in the ****docks.



faster? Meh.. :50:

Agree to disagree on the clothing-as-protection, it sounds like it works for you where it hasn't worked for me.

~12pmh avg is on the slower side unless your commute is a lot of stop-and-go or uphill. At least, it's slow in the reference frame of lycra-clad cyclists. Aero matters more the faster you go. If you're really concerned with speed... well, you know where that's going. Something about an engine.

(EDIT: I see Phil made this point above already... I'm a slow typer)

Since you're showering at work anyway and want to have less drag, go for it. Sorry I can't suggest any specific pants but it's easy to find fully sleeved upper layers- doesn't need to be bike specific, any of that moisture wicking base layer type shirt will work.

That's what I'd do too, except I would also change out of "biking clothes" to office clothes because of the sweat on the biking clothes. For me, "biking clothes" would just be a moisture wicking shirt (doesn't have to be a "cycling jersey", although I just found out about cycling jerseys that don't looks so obviously sporty) and shorts.

8 miles cycling in San Francisco would definitely cause me to sweat buckets, even if its under 50 degrees. Climbing really makes me sweat.

I would guess that the best way to improve your commute time is to improve your climbing speed. I don't think wind resistance is much of a factor in climbing, and reducing wind resistance (on flat ground) is the reason people put on sporty cycling clothes. You'll of course go fast on descents (unless you're riding a fixie - no experience on those myself, just heard you can't coast on them) but you might be restricted by traffic stops and the like.

Part of my slow speed is due to red lights and city traffic condition. Bike commute is my only exercise nowadays... I can't seem to get faster... And when I get home, I am usually very tired :)

I am a beginner with less than 2 months experience riding a bike, so I worry about bruising myself further sometimes. But the cuts and bruises I've suffered so far were because of bad decision-making on my part, causing the wipeouts/falls. In motorcycle class they make you wear a leather jacket, which presumably was why "motorcycle jackets" were invented. But motorcyclists travel at far greater speeds...

You aren't limited to cycle shorts - you can wear tights if you want to keep your legs covered. I have bib tights that I would happily wear every day if it wasn't for the queues in the changing rooms at work - very comfortable, and won't scare passers by if you combine them with some baggy overshorts.

According to this article, nobody climbs fast enough for clothes to make a difference in speed (wind resistance), so you can indeed save the money you would have spent on racer's attire:
Secrets to Cycling Faster Up Hills - Be Self Propelled

According to the Map My Ride app, I currently climb at 3mph on a 7% grade hill. According to this thread, the elite racers can climb at 14 mph on 7.7% average grade inclines! I think a 10 mph improvement in your climbing speed will make a huge difference in your commute time. ;)

http://www.bikeforums.net/profession...ing-speed.html

I don't think the clothes matter. Wear what makes you feel comfortable. If you're comfortable you'll be more confident on the roads and in my limited humble opinion that's what matters most.

Just my two cents now:
I ride roughly the same distance in roughly the same time wearing roughly the same clothes. At first browsing around here with many Herculean tales of epic commute distances in half my time in the worst rain/snow/hurricane/heat since records were kept made me feel pretty substandard.

But here's the deal: I ride through 5 stop signs and 18 stop lights. My flat-bar road bike is heavy even before I put me and my stuff on it. The sitting position is very upright, and I enjoy that, so I can look around and hopefully avoid death.

So if you want to ride faster perhaps get a different bike or ride fast on the weekends following a route that makes that possible?

all the best.

I just wear my regular clothes. I absolutely hate the idea of having to go to the bathroom and change clothes and everything when I arrive at wherever I'm commuting to. Its just too much of a hassle. Rather meet up all sweaty or ride slower than have to do that every day. Maybe it would be different if I had my own private bathroom, but I woudn't like to change clothes in a public bathroom kind of enviroment.

No, cycling clothing won't make you faster...It's all about the rider not the clothes, the stronger the rider the faster they will go...
Also road conditions (hills, rough road, traffic ) and weather conditions ( wind ) have a much greater effect on speed then clothing.

I had this issue too, but started wearing shorts and a dress shirt on my uphill 5k commute to work and changing into pants I carry with at work. It made a world of difference. Yes, for 5 seconds I am in my socks in the washroom putting on pants, but it easily gets incorporated into routine, and its not all that bad.

I wear cycling clothes which are more comfortable. Living close to work I wear the same shorts and jersey I'll wear on my training ride before work the next day.

You can get tights, bib tights, leg warmers, knee warmers, and UV leg protectors if you want.

No (a couple minutes an hour isn't "much faster") but you'll sweat less in your work clothes, be less likely to damage your pant legs, and won't end up with a saddle shaped stain in your favorite khakis.

If it's warm, far, or you exert yourself enough you'll be more comfortable too.

I guess I am also asking: are cycling clothes safe? They expose too much skin, right?

I don't think cycling clothes are generally designed for protection. If you're really worried about it, thick canvas, denim, or leather are probably best for resisting abrasion but I ride a bike to avoid having to wear all that bulky stuff, especially in this hot weather.

I commute to work in some sports shorts and a t-shirt.