Commuter clothing?
 

I just read an interesting article on cycling clothing (or lack of it) by Rivendell Cycle at http://www.rivbike.com/article/cloth...hes_for_riding. One point he makes is that most serious long distance cyclists tend to get away from "cycling clothes". Now I am wondering what you all think and do... I commute through a rough part of town so I have always tended to play down the cycling clothing thing to blend in more. I tend towards loose cargo shots and T shirts (but I do wear a high visibilty yellow cycling jacket a lot). My "cycling" gloves are old style grey wool knit gloves (10 bucks at MEC), and I have never done the spandex shorts thing, but I seem to be a minority. What I am really thinking about is investing in a Murino wool sweater that doesn't look like its a cycling jersey, as I read that it doesn't stink like synthetic stuff and is the best wicking etc etc... I am very Interested to hear your thoughts/experiences.

If your commute is relatively short, I'd not bother with bike clothes. if its long, you have a problem because your rear end will ache without proper gear. If it were a long commute bike clothes will cause you problems the local crowd. I'd probably try to find some mtn bike shorts that are not too flashy.

My favorite biking shirt now is a bamboo shirt. It's a regular t-shirt made of bamboo and cotton. It wicks really quite well without looking like anything other than a cotton t-shirt.

I've yet to meet any of these people. Everyone I saw crossing the finish line in 1 day at STP was wearing cycling gear. Most of the randonneurs I've ridden with or talked to all swear by their favourite brand of padded shorts or bibs for anything over 200km. It's rare I see anyone riding a century in something other than bike shorts/bibs.

Now, I will agree about the Merino wool, though. As an avid hiker and camper, I own quite a few Merino wool garments. They're warm in all weather and they don't tend to get as stanky as synthetics if you wear 'em for a few days in a row without washing.

Agreed....he is out of touch on some subjects. I did the STP in one day this year and did not see a single person in anything but cycling clothes.

It all depends on what you're comfortable in and where you are going. I just bought a pair of knickers (not fancy ones but modified military cargo pants) for my commute, which I'll use with a pair of padded cycling undershorts.

Why not just wear regualr cycling shorts, you ask?

I work in a corporate environment with no locker room. That means I have to parade around in my tight spandex to get to the bathroom to change. I'd prefer to be in something a bit more subdued for that type of trip or for a run to the supermarket.

+1. Cargo and wicking T's for me. I just replied in another thread that I don't even like parading around in one of my sleeveless wicks that's a tad bit too tight and somewhat see thru.

But more than that, roadie specific clothing isn't one of those items I think the money is worth the performance for me for the type of riding do. Padded mtb shorts will probably be my next purchase though.

Doesn't stink -- absolutely.

Best wicking? I own a lot of Merino jerseys, and while I really like them, they tend to hold moisture and do not dry out nearly as quickly as synthetic jerseys. You will stay warm in them while they're wet, but if you stop for a while, then start up again, you can get a chill pretty easily until you start generating a lot of heat again. Same thing can happen with synthetic jerseys, but they do dry out a lot faster.

Ibex is having a sale on its winter wool items that will last for another day or two. Still kind of pricey even at sale prices, but it's high quality stuff that will keep you warm on your bike and look great off it.

MTB Shorts with a chamois are the answer to your problem.

I usually wear the bicyclist costume but for purely functional reasons. I'm not trying to shave a few seconds off my commute time. It's a comfort issue. I do parade through the office in my biking jersey, but I wear gym shorts over the spandex to keep from putting myself on display in inappropriate ways.

Earlier this week all of my cycling clothes were dirty and both of my regular bikes were missing their rear derailleur cables, so I rode to work (11 miles) in blue jean shorts and a cotton T-shirt on an old comfort bike. The cotton T-shirt was soaked by the time I got there, but the shorts worked OK. If I wear the same shorts on either of the bikes that I use regularly (a Kona Jake and a Marin Muirwoods 29er), the family jewels feel like they've been through a meat grinder.

So, I suppose it depends on what kind of bike you're riding and how far you're going, but I'm not about to retire my jerseys.

I would like to meet those people. As others have mentioned, for long distances "cycling clothes" work.

I have started buying cargo type bathing trunks in black or blue with mesh liner and wearing poly boxerbriefs under. A wicking Hi Vis yellow tee shirt completes the ensamble so to speak...don't look too silly since more and more people are seen in Hi Vis Yellow tee shirts as construction crews, etc. are wearing them now...

I subscribe to the Riv Reader because it's fun reading. But most of the stuff Grant says you have to take with a grain of salt. He is the pardigmatic Retro Grouch. As others have said, the riders putting in huge miles (RAAMers, hardcore tourers, radonneurers) pretty much wear bibs, jerseys, and clipless shoes.

If you have a relatively short, flat commute and the weather is dry, just wear your work clothes. If you go long, have to climb, live in a humid or rainy place, or combine your commute with training, then wear what works best: proper bike clothes.

First of all I ignore anyone telling me what I should or should not wear. I'm an adult and can figure it out for myself. I pretty much can't stand Grant and his yammering on about this and that.
I wear bibs and jerseys. Occasionally, in winter I wear jeans for short commutes but I have a whole closet full of lycra that begs to be worn. I do have this weird issue with wearing lycra on mountain bikes. A short circuit in my head says this is wrong. After riding in an area with mountain bike racers that are generally clad exclusively in lycra and jerseys I think that may be at an end.

We may be adults but most people see what other people are wearing and what their lbs is selling and that's what they thing they should be wearing. Just because you are an adult doesn't mean there isn't something that maybe you should try. Heck, you might even like it.

Every sport has it's "uniform" but I kind of look at it like this... If I'm going to the park to play a game of touch football, I'm gonna wear a t-shirt and athletic short and sneakers and I'm sure as hell not going to wear full pro football gear. So for cycling, if I was going to go out on a long club ride or race I'll wear my lycra. But for commuting, it's all about the baggy mtn bike shorts and wool shirts and teva sandals.

SmartWool brand or any merino wool is very soft and comfortable and IT DOES NOT STINK! It's so awesome. I come home, lay my shirt out to dry for an hour or two and then throw it back in the drawer. I do this a few times before washing and it still doesn't stink. The only reason i wash it is because I can see it starting to stain and you know there is bacteria on it regardless of if it smells or not. And it actually seems to dry quicker than my synthetic "sweat wicking" shirts making it better for commuting and having to wear it again later that day. Not stinking means I won't offend co-workers or the crowds in starbucks. Wear the darker colors and people won't even know you just got off a bike. I just got one of the bicycle jersey's from SmartWool on ebay for only $42. It's great. I've also done what Grant suggests and wear a short sleeve wool T or tank and a long sleeve seersucker over it. This works great in the hot Houston sun... it's almost like riding in the shade and as long as you are moving the air blows through it and over the sweat on your skin keeping you cool. It's not hotter with the seersucker on, and when standing in the sun it keeps the sun off your skin so it feels cooler.

I know one long distance rider that wears regular shorts. A lot of them wear Assos bibs.

They may. I have tried just about everything including merino wool. I ride what works for me. Also consider the fact that most of my commutes are long. Plus, I ride alone 95% of the time so who am I trying to fit in with? Now if I can ever manage to purchase my clubs kit...

I have this awesome winter weight wool jersey from a brewery. With one other layer and a jacket it has gotten me down to 5F. However, it still makes me itch.
Anyhow, I fully intend to pick up a smartwool jersey for winter after trying the socks. Now if I can find the socks for cheaper.
As for Grant, not a fan. Lets leave it at that.

Today I had a short 10-15 minute, mile or so commute to the pool I work at. Wore my work shirt and swim suit there with jeans bungeed to the top tube. By close, it had cooled off enough to throw the jeans on.

I usually wear I pair of loose synthetic athletic shorts and a wicking tee from wal-mart for the longer rides to the other job.

When I ditch the car in another month, I'll start looking at things like smart wool and the like that give me normalcy and performance.

Can't say that I know a long distance biker.

I will say that I lived next to one of the bike messenger outfits in Chicago. Not a single one of them was wearing bike shorts or jerseys.

I'm skeptical of Grant's claims about serious long distance riders but what really matters is your commute, not what somebody else may or may not wear on a century or while touring.

Here's what I know. I don't own a jersey but typically wear spandex shorts on my commute unless I'm taking the train which cuts down my ride to under 2 miles. I can tell the difference between cycling shorts, tri-shorts (smaller pad), and my year old tri-shorts (smaller worn out pad). Now last weekend I saw a guy complete a triathlon in a speedo so it's not like padded spandex is an absolute requirement for everybody, but it can help some folks and it does help me.

In your situation where you feel that spandex shorts might make you a target, well, that's certainly a consideration. Baggy MTB shorts might be your best bet.

+1 for cargo shorts and wicking tees here too.

shortage of shorts
 

As some of you know I am a fan of Grant Peterson and I have purchased Rivendell's MUSA riding shorts and I use them for rides up to 50 miles in hot weather. They are way more comfortable than my Bibs or my racing shorts. I just use cotton unders when commuting since it is only 17.5 RT but on long rides I use my wicking unders beneath the MUSA shorts. I ride in Grants favorite Teva sandals but didn't believe they would be as comfortable as they are, until I tried using them. I don't get numb toes any more and I don't get hot spots or sore feet either like I have with my SPD MTB shoes, my Lake SPD sandals or my old school, slotted cleat, leather cycling shoes. I finally was able to afford the wool shirts and tights and I use the short T in hot weather and the zip T and tights in the cooler season. Yes I ride with wool socks too and those funky water sandals but hey......they work and are comfortable. I actually have been wearing Teva sandals exclusively for over a year now, for everyday, non cycling wear too.
To be fair to Grant, his comment was actually about touring cyclists who might travel in other countries where tight spandex might not be practical, appropriate or versatile. These folks regularly do probably more like 70 miles a day. Although, as a young man we didn't have real cycling clothing in our neck of the woods and we used what we had for our P.E. class. Sweats or cotton shorts and T shirts. We didn't worry about sweating and we didn't seem to get sore behinds either. Maybe it was those good old Brooks leather saddles we used back then and still do now. A well formed leather saddle breathes and therefore does not need to be used in conjunction with padded shorts.:50:

Where the heck did you find a seersucker shirt!? I haven't seen seersucker for sale in almost 40 years..I would love to get some!

<-- wonders why you felt the necessity to bold the word am. :p

I agree. When grant mentions long distance, he's thinking multi-day tourists, not randonneurs or racers - and having done long tours, I agree with him. I love my bibs and do commute in them most of the year (either by themselves or under pants/shorts/knickers), but on a long tour they don't hold up. A pair of wool undies, shorts/knickers/pants with a gusseted crotch and a nice comfy B17 is the ticket.

Padding isn't the issue for me on any bike (with a Brooks anyway)...friction, compression and moisture management are the issues.