Riding in long pants
 

I ride year around so much of the time I have to wear long pants over my cycling shorts. I wear a pair of running stretch type pants from Mizuno that work well. In the dead of winter I even wear a base layer tight under these. However, being that it has been a bit colder this spring I have worn them more. Now I actually think it might be wiser to wear them most of the time. I know is sounds crazy but I am go early and I am generally always a bit cold. I also think that the pants at least offer some protection if you happen to go down. I have a few times over the years and getting older I am thinking maybe pants all the time are ok. Anyone here in that camp?

I too wear long pants all year round including summer time. Never liked wearing shorts, just not my style. I prefer slim fitting cargo pants with a lot of pockets and made from fabric that has some stretch to it. In winter I layer with thermal tights or long johns.

In daily street wear, I transition to shorts in April, back to jeans in October. I am good to about 60F on the bike, below that and to about 45 it’s in leg warmers, then in winter and down to 20 or so it’s my PI thermal bib tights, which are remarkably warm and I didn’t need to use polypro underneath last winter,

I’ve been more in the habit of wearing my long running tights over my cycling shorts this year. If it’s middle 60s or below, I tend to put up with the possibility that my legs might occasionally feel warm. I figure better slightly warm than cold. Plus I’m riding on our MUP trails and there is always stuff like small sticks and rocks getting kicked up into my legs, so I get fewer scrapes. It’s also been a cooler than normal spring with a lot of super windy days, so I’ve worn the long tights and felt quite comfortable with the temperature.

Otto

I have a winter cycling suit for cold weather with padded pants. But the last time I used a bike to commute (which was nearly 50 years ago), I wore a coat and tie, with long pants, to work. It was a short commute of about three miles--a bit long to walk but just as fast on a bike as it would have been in a car. I had a "ten speed" with a rack on the back to carry my briefcase. And I wore long pants to go with my coat and tie.

I wear touring style cycling shorts (cargo shorts over cycling shorts liners) year-round in a mild climate, but I do wear full-length leg warmers in colder weather.

I wear long trousers roughly half the time I ride, usually light, loose nylon hiking pants. I often ride to a trailhead to hike or work on a trail crew. I like the protection from sun as much as anything--less sunscreen needed. I've met some touring cyclists who wear trousers all the time mainly for that reason. I never thought about fall protection, because I don't like to think about falling.

I wear thin, windproof pants from Costco over my cycling shorts if the temp is below 60F, maybe I'll push it a bit lower before switching. When temps get down to around 40F I switch to fleece-lined windproof pants (also Costco). These are good down to the low 20's, colder than that I don't ride (feet and hands get too cold).

But I hate wearing these pants, and all spring I'm looking forward to weather warm enough that I can start wearing shorts again.

Mark

Most cyclists I know wear some form of tights over their cycling shorts or what I call knee length tights which can be easily removed when you get hot and stuffed in your back pocket.

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I’m a bit of an outlier - so I’m in the opposite camp

I can wear shorts year round ; I’ve shoveled snow in shorts and even snowmobiled in shorts (warmer late winter days)

then again - I’m short so long shorts are at my knees :)

I’ve biked in the 40’s in shorts - including the shot below Feb 11 2024 41 degrees - but most times I will wear tights when the temps are below 50

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One of the women in the group I ride with easily sunburns, so she always wears lightweight long sleeve tops and tights to protect her skin.

I got a pair of KETL outdoor pants and wore them over cycling undershorts last winter. The aim was to appear more 'normal' than I do in cycling tights. I think it makes a difference in how I am perceived by some drivers, some times. The Shenanigan pant in the slim style works well for cycling imo, but they are rather expensive at $100.

Plain old sweatpants are a cheaper option.

define "cold"

define “relative”

I wear long pants in the winter for warmth and mesh stretch pants in the summer for sun protection. They are set up as Stirrup Pants and narrow at the calf to ankle in order to stay out of the chain. I also wear loose long sleeves and a cravat around my helmet for sun protection. Its a cancer thing. Being in remission from Malignant Melanoma means no sun for me. My evening rides here in Central Texas are usually bright and sunny and in the 90sF at a minimum. And thats 4 months out of the year. Also, who wants to see a 250# Geezer in a tight spandex kit? Not even me.

We do what we have to do to ride...


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Aliexpress.us

Your avatar finally clicked from the French animated movie of the kidnapped cyclists conscripted into performing for audiences in arenas. What a bizarre flick.
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Its a great movie "The Triplets of Belleville". But I really scrubbed the avatar from the net. It was a political cartoon and I liked it. Here is a link to the whole movie. No Ads under firefox with Ublock Origin active...

https://cineb-official.best/movie/96...elleville.html

I wear knickers or knee warmer/sun-shields when riding in hot/warm weather, long pants of some kind, usually bibs, when cool/cold. I have Gore light weight C7 knickers that work very well for me in hot weather, some protection from the sun, and dissipate moisture very well. They are also quite warm when used with leg warmers in cold weather. I also wear some kind of long sleeve for my arms year round.

I say cycle how you want to cycle. Wear what you want to wear. And I will say that I have been seeing more and more people wearing street clothes while cycling. Normally, when they’re on a mountain bike, fat bike, or a beach cruiser I don’t take much notice of it. I figure it’s just someone, perhaps an infrequent/non-cyclist, using that bike as a commuter. But I’m also seeing it more and more lately by people riding road bikes. And I wonder if it’s just a matter of the rider being somehow “incorrectly bicycled” or if it’s just a rider who has opted for street clothes as their choice for cycling wear. And again…I’m not judging. It’s just that these days I’d think someone on a CF road bike is a little more of a serious cyclist (and thereby more likely to be in traditional cycling garb). — Dan

I don’t like wearing long “pants”. Lycra tights or, better yet, leg warmers.

We didn't have much choice in England in 1957
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Too each their own - ride what's comfortable.

I switch from tights to shorts at around 50 °F. I'm much happier when I can ride in shorts. The extra tugging to stretch the tights back and forth *feels* like it slows me down some. I'm sure the total watts required to stretch and unstretch the tights at each revolution is tiny and that it's just my perception. But don't tell me it doesn't make a difference. And don't tell me that the tights are probably more aero than my hairy legs. It's my perception that I FEEL slower in tights. Reality is besides the point.

I did see the whole feature about three years ago. I was mesmerized. Thanks for sharing.

I'm usually in long pants, only wearing shorts when it's very hot. Mostly because I have a thin build and live in KY. With my legs, gotta watch out for associates of Col. Sanders!!

That was worth a laugh, thanks. Lycra is not my friend, either.