Standalone 

Help! I'm becoming a LYCRA convert!!!

I bought some shorts for my upcoming century.

Yesterday, I rode 16 miles home in a good stiff plastic-bags-n-trash-a-flyin' quartering headwind last night, half with the kid on the back.

It was still a hike, but the wind wasn't as soul-killing as it otherwise would have been.

Some people are said to be a little too heavy to wear lycra. I may very well be too skinny.

hairnet

you're still too fat

xtrajack

The lycra helps how??
I don't understand.

Some times I'm not real quick.

atmdad

If you normally wear some sort of baggy sorts they will act like small parachutes on your thighs. Also the snug fit of the lycra reduces chaffing of your thighs if you are prone to that. The pad is particularly nice if your out for more than 10 miles on a ride.

edit: Oh, and the occasional hoot from a carload of young ladies is always a nice stroke to the ego for this 45 year old family man.

Sz10CFootprint

I wear it too, just not the bike type. As it happens I have a ton of stretchy workout stuff already and a few bike skirts too for the ride home on Friday's so I canlook decent if I stop somewhere. I can throw it in hot water, it doesn't take up a lot of room in my bag. It has advantages and it's not all skin tight.

DataJunkie

I wear just about anything depending on the ride.
Swim trunks, regular clothes, mec knickers, jeans, shorts, full kit, lycra, jerseys, etc.
Wear what works for you.

chipcom 

tjspiel

It's not flapping in the breeze. Can't say how much difference it really makes. Normally I wear a loose fitting shirt made from some technical fabric or another. On a hot day I don't mind the extra airflow the flapping seems to bring. If it's really windy the flapping can be a little annoying but mostly I don't notice it.

I usually wear cycling shorts and I have picked up a couple of jerseys from ebay that I wear on group rides. I like some of the ones from Primal Wear but they're expensive to get through normal retail channels. The designs are interesting and they're not splattered with logos aside from the big "Primal" ones up the sides. Having the pockets in the back is handy as is the front zipper to control air flow.

sci_femme

I am a light Athena and I inflict my Lycra bottom on innocent bystanders and coworkers alike. Top that!

SF

gerv 

I used to wear cycling shorts for every ride. Lately however I've moved to very lightweight underwear and nylon cargo pants.

I feel more comfortable in them. When I get off the bike, I can usually just blend in with the rest of the world.

With bike shorts and jerseys, the slightest hint of a paunch is exaggerated to make the wearer look awful.

RT

Truth. I do this when I want to punish myself on a windy commute to get a better workout.

cradduck

I guess I am a semi convert...I'll wear the stuff, the benefits are obvious to me on longer rides....but I am wearing board shorts or dickies over it. Especially since the lower half of my body looks like I am wearing Chewbacca pants.

PS...ladies should never stop wearing lycra.

DataJunkie

That is an amusing look when one sweats profusely and wears cotton over lycra.

tjspiel

They make jerseys in different cuts. There are plenty that aren't skin tight around the waist. I have to say though that wearing loose clothing to hide a paunch works about as well as my kids trying to hide under a blanket. Anyone who cares can see that they're there, even if the exact contours are a little blurred.

It doesn't matter though. There are very few people with perfect bodies in this world and eventually their stuff is gonna sag too.

Nigal

Sometimes when you wear it on your ride to work and you walk into the office even the people in the back corners smell your funk. Without lycra those people would not get to enjoy your funk.

Oh, and you get to know the joys of "pee-pee rub".

I-Like-To-Bike

Far out, Jack! You be Da Man! More or less.

devianb

I think a lot of people make fun of Lycra because a lot of it is so flamboyant and attention getting. I rarely ever see people wearing solid colored plain Lycra, but if it is more comfortable and you like it by all means wear it.

RT

I bumped into a couple of pals who ride Harleys on my latest ride, and they had never seen me in lycra. One politely said "I have to ask - are you guys required to wear that"? I told him we are cited and issued points against our OCP status if caught in public sans lycra. I then asked him if he was required to wear that vest that looks like it has never been washed, you know, the one with all the patches on it.

He got it.

tjspiel

Like Optic Yellow shirts or reflective vests?

fredgarvin7

I wonder if ArtJersey has "The Scream" by Munch.

wxduff

Whats wrong with being seen, especially on a rush hour commute?

My LBS has something like this:


I'm thinking about making it my reward jersey for getting down to 190.

tjspiel

The basic problem with spandex cycling clothes is that for men at least, regular clothes tend to be loose fitting with subdued colors and patterns.

Men often wear jerseys from other sports (basketball, baseball, football, etc) when out and about and while the patterns and colors may be bold, the jerseys themselves are often oversized.

Colorful and form fitting cycling clothes represent quite a departure from what men normally wear and to me that's what the ant-spandex viewpoint boils down to. That it's a sensible choice for certain types of cycling is beside the point.

kegoguinness

As Al Bundy once said: "It's not the clothes that make a person look fat; it's the fat that makes a person look fat". I am becoming a wool/wool blend bike jersey fan. I bought some used stuff on geartrade.com and highly recommend this route. I saved 50+% over retail (so it cost more what it actually should) and the stuff is in perfect condition.

electrik

(Drop the)Hammer time.

Standalone 

In the end, the thing that will keep me from riding in lycra every day is the cost of buying a week's worth of it.