charles vail

I'm looking forward to my new merino wool undershorts coupled with baggy non-padded outers. No more of that skin tight look for me. Wicking sports shorts work the same as far as allowing moisture to evaporate but the merino wool is luxurious. I have been riding my commute lately with my plain cotton inners and outers and its not bad but on hot days, anything over about 10 miles its better to have something that wicks moisture. I have the black shorts and bibs but I don't like the padding and find it uncomfortable and unnecessary. On my commute the last few weeks, I see about 25% of the riders wearing Lycra shorts and jerseys. Part of my ride is on a bike path however and I rarely see these riders when it rains or the temperatures go down. I assume they are fair weather commuters or they simply use the path for exercise only. I am one of two people I have seen in the last three months who actually appear to commute with baggage, lights, racks etc. The other rider was on a Surly Big Dummy carrying a load of stuff. My clothing choices represent an attempt to appear less like a pro racing cyclist and more like a commuter cyclist since my clothing sometimes must be dual purpose. I don't think skin tight anything would go over at work. I have however worn my baggy shorts and loose fitting wool T at work. To me, skin tight stretchy pants and shirts aren't that necessary or versatile, but they are fun for some folks.

capolover

I think its more to do with you looking like a total gooner, not that people are ashamed.

There are lots of other types of clothing these days that don't soak up sweat and aren't skin tight super hero gear.

For instance:
https://www.chromebags.com/products/apparel/show/56/

capolover

I only see hardcore roadies wearing it. Maybe a few new commuters who got suckered into accessorizing at the bike shop. A lot of roadies don't commute. They jump on their bikes after work.

maddyfish

I wear bike shorts so that my bottom doesn't hurt. On longer riders chafin becomes as issue.

77midget

in relation to this, thought of something funny. I know a couple guys at work that went out and blew thousands of $$ on new road bikes, the best gear and clothes, etc, and yet only do a couple miles a week, and none of them commute, their argument being that work is too far and they have too much stuff to do. For them, it is all about looking like a super cyclist, but the rigs sit on hooks in garages, or on trainers in the basement. I paid maybe $400 for all of my gear, and I am on it every day.

Point is that it doesn't matter what you have, as long as you use it. With the increase in bicyclers, we will all see more of a mix.

Jarery

You obviously have problems with your image. Many of us dont. When i do any activity, if im serious about it, i wear what works best. Cycling for 2 hours a day, lycra works best.

Jarery

This about sums up what i see also. Although I only ever see a couple commuters wearing a cycling jersey, but almost every commuter using the road is wearing shorts.

CastIron

Don't know. I just don't pay that much attention. Personally, I wear what's appropriate for my purpose that day.

DataJunkie

Many do. Many don't. I have no clue about the percentages.
I would guess that on my commutes lately it is more weighted toward those that do wear spandex.

TeleJohn

I swore I would never wear lycra bike shorts...

Until my shorts blew up my legs on 40+MPH descents.
Until bees and other insects flew up the legs.

capolover

Huh?
I have an image problem because I don't want to wear a superhero outfit?


Yesterday I rode 25 miles to work, and 8 miles roundtrip to the bar and back later that night.

I wear breathable normal looking clothes and don't have a problem with sweat, and I don't look like a social outcast.

You probably just buy **** you don't need to fit in.

jefferee

Of the commuters I see, maybe 5% wear tights or lycra shorts.
Cycling-specific windbreakers (long back, reflective striping) are slightly more common than that in wet/cool weather.

charles vail

I like the term 'gooner' This is more where I am coming from on a personal level. I have Lycra shorts and I don't really care if someone sees me on the bike with them but off it, they look completely out of place. That look is so unnecessary when there are plenty of more normal, even hip looking things to wear that can be less weirdly specialized looking off the bike. I think the Dutch have it figured out when it comes to practical clothing for cycling. We will probably see quite few more alternatives to common thinking, when it comes to cycling attire as more and more people use bicycles for everyday getting around. Race cycling culture has done a lot to dissuade people from participating in an activity that is healthy, practical and economical. Change is coming, thank God.

spokenword

I don't race, and on some days I wear cycling shorts and jersey and other days I wear cargo shorts and a t-shirt or cinched up pants and a tank top. My clothing choice depends on my daily agenda and the forecast.

Unlike Mr. Capolover, I don't have the mutant superpower that prevents me from sweating on a 6.5 mile commute. My 'normal' clothes do get sticky and stinky from my ride and I always have to take a shower regardless of the kit that I used to ride in. I do tend to prefer the plastic jersey and shorts because it stays cool in warm temperatures and it dries quickly in wet conditions ( I never wear anything with cotton or denim if the forecast calls for rain ).

However, I'll wear street clothes if I have to do a lot of intermediate stops between home and work (ie. grocery, bar, movie, etc.); and I'd rather have the keys to my lock in a hip pocket rather than jersey pocket. Ironically, the peer pressure involved in not looking like a "gay superhero racer weenie" plays a bigger role in my decision to wear street clothes. I feel absolutely no pressure in the other direction. It just seems that everyone likes to make fun of the roadie outfit despite the fact that it really has some useful functionality.

As to the original question -- on my commutes through Cambridge, I normally see a ton of folks riding in street clothes and maybe only 10% of the riders have a cycling jersey and/or shorts. I see a rider in full team kit once every three days.

spokenword

oh, and just to add to Charles Vail's post ... I always look forward to autumn and winter, because at least then I can break out the wool -- which looks immensely more "normal" and appeases all of the commuting fashionistas out there who turn their noses up at most cycling specific clothing.

climbhoser

I wear lycra for one reason: to keep my junk out of the way of my pendulum-ing thighs. Lycra is mandatory, to me.

I could put shorts over it if I feel self conscious, but heck, that just adds more material to bunch and chafe, and heck again, I don't really give a rats dingle-nut what other people think.

I don't see many others commuting, but I do see TONS of people out riding and training. I would say 95% of people I see on a bike in a day are wearing full kit.

As for jerseys...well, they're fugging expensive. I get wicking shirts and yeah, I have a bunch of jerseys I found on sale.

I'm just trying to be comfy here!

josephjhaney

?? Social outcast? Since when should I care what some goon on the road thinks? I walk into my office everyday wearing spandex, and change to work clothes, then back to ride home. I also wear a helmet, and they make you look like a total outcast/goon/whatever. If you're that worried about what you look like, the only possible reason is that you're worried about what everyone will "think" of your look, hence the self image comments.

I think the people wearing large metal structures around them every morning look at lot sillier than I do. I can't for the life of me figure out why I ever put one of those on to go to work. But hey, since everyone does that, I guess it's ok.

Joe

lil brown bat

I've been on BF for over a year now, and I can't recall a single post where someone said that they wanted to commute but weren't going to do so because they felt they needed to wear spandex. I've never seen anything that even came close to suggesting such. Not to be a noodge, but maybe you can provide a cite or two. I also don't get why there's this assumption that people would get goofy at the thought of wearing a pair of bike shorts, but wouldn't think twice about a Fredalicious burn-your-retinas-out hi-vis jacket. OTOH, I guess it's less likely that people would post here if they were that easily intimidated.

I don't have a ton of really good data points for you -- when I'm commuting, I tend to be more focused on the dump truck easing up next to me than on what other cyclists are wearing. I would say that around here, people in full roadie kit are in the minority, but there are some. People in full-on business drag are probably about the same percentage. In between you get a mixed bag: today I saw cycling tights, cargo shorts, lotta mtb shorts, t-shirts, various kinds of workout shirts, bike jerseys, jeans, etc. I don't think that anywhere has this kind of uniform wearing-of-bike-kit that might conceivably produce this "Ohhh, I gotta wear THAT if I wanna ride a bike" reaction. Not even in Boulder, my standard for a place with a ton of roadies -- it's pretty obvious what they're doing and that it's not commuting, so I don't know why anyone would draw conclusions about what they had to wear for a bike commute by looking at them.

On the other hand, it's kind of normal and sensible for people engaging in a new activity to think about what would be functional clothing for that activity. Some people do constantly think about how they look, and so can't really address the problem from that functional angle...well, that's a personal issue, you know?

tjspiel

This is what I'm curious about. Maybe I misunderstood but I thought you said in another post that only about 25% of the riders you see are wearing spandex. Is that small a group really enough to dissuade anybody from participating in cycling?

Old Dirt Hill

These threads amaze me every time they resurface (what, once? twice per week?).

If you're comfortable in jeans - wear jeans.
If you're comfortable in cargo shorts - wear cargo shorts.
If you're comfortable in lycra - wear lycra.
If you're comfortable in full kit - wear full kit.

Personally, I'll wear any of the above (or any combination of the above) depending on what bike I'm riding and how far I'm going. It's the old, "use the right tool for the job" mantra.

spokenword

Selection bias. Most folks who are just considering taking up a bike to commute to work will not be posting on this forum quite yet. Ones who consider it but ultimately reject the idea have no reason to come here. Therefore you won't see them post.

At work, I do get a fair number of co-workers asking questions about bike commuting, and while none of them have specifically said that the lycra turns them away; they do indicate a reluctance based on the perceived need to invest in "a lot of cycling stuff." Like, you know, it's not just about picking up a $50 mountain bike on Craigslist, but getting a brand-new $400 retail urban hybrid, with locks and helmet and lights and a patch repair kit. Once they get to 'lights' they start thinking, "well, that's too much work, I'll stick with the status quo."

Based on that perception, if the prospective commuters just remembers seeing lycra clad cyclists then they might think that this is also another pre-requisite for the commuting lifestyle, and hence is another reason to forego riding. (it's irrelevant if 75% of the cyclists that they see on city streets wear normal clothes. If the lycra stands out, that's the only that they'll remember)

but, on the whole, I think that possibility is remote and the theory itself is generally specious. People who are inherently disinterested from cycle commuting will look for any reason to avoid it. Lycra may be a convenient excuse, but if it didn't exist, then they'd find something else; like a fear of flat tires and reluctance to learn how to fix one.

tjspiel

I've never seen anyone say they wouldn't commute because they didn't want to wear spandex either. What I have seen is a number of posts suggesting that these people do exists. You'll see at least one in the "Tasteful Lycra" thread.

The closest thing in this thread is Charles Vail's post:

"Race cycling culture has done a lot to dissuade people from participating in an activity that is healthy, practical and economical"

Now maybe he didn't mean lycra but I'm assuming that spandex is part of the "racing culture" he's talking about.

To be honest I'm skeptical that lycra is keeping anyone from cycling, but like I said, I've seen it mentioned more than once so I'm less skeptical than I once was.

James[OG13]

It's sad, and it shouldn't be this way, but people actually DO care what you wear/look like. The other day, a local AM talk radio host opened his show by saying how much he disliked seeing men cycling in spandex. He went on to basically bash the lot of us for everything from clothing choices to clipless pedals. It made me mad, because even though I'm new to cycling I quickly found that riding any distance in regular shorts was a bit painful to say the least. I got a pair of padded cycling shorts and I've never been more comfortable on a bike.

So don't let other people's opinions have an impact on what you want to do or wear or whatever! If you want to wear spandex, do it.

tjspiel

There are people that feel that way right here in the commuting forum.

ItsJustMe

Since getting the Brooks saddle, riding in cotton everyday street shorts is no problem. I still wear the bike shorts though because the cotton gets dripping wet with sweat on the way in, and it's still dripping wet and nasty and cold when it's time to go home at night.

I suppose I could start parking my bike outside and go hang my clothes on it to dry in the sun, but I don't think management would like the look of a bike-shaped clothesline outside the building.