WhyFi

Yeah, I've found that apparel doesn't matter much when I'm in the recliner, either.

livedarklions

I think I'd pay money to see a cycling peacock.

Nice childish name-calling, btw.

genejockey 

Unless my racing...what?

AdkMtnMonster

BF never, and I mean never EVER, disappoints. Who would buy/wear cycling-specific apparel whilst actually cycling? Who, on BF, actually rides? (Hint: it’s the same people.)

Who wears Homer Depose clothing, cotton pants, work gloves and workshop safety glasses with their flat pedals when they roll out for their thrice-monthly “ride” around the sidewalks? No hints needed.

There are reasons why cycling clothing exists, just as there are reasons for swimwear. Sure, you can jump off a rope swing in cutoff jeans, and you’ll still get wet. Not very many lap-swimmers in cutoff jeans, though. Yeah, you can throw a football in office attire. I wanna see you take a hit behind the line dressed like that. Et cetera, et tu, Brutus, and Peter Cetera.

livedarklions

I'm definitely in the non-lycra camp as far as my habits go, but as far as this thread, I agree with you. I want nothing to do with the anti-kit wearing insults.

Saves a lot of aggravation if we don't assume our rightful place in the world is to convince others of the errors of their ways. There's entirely too much of that on both sides of this completely trivial issue.

livedarklions

Oh, look everybody, Cycling Kit Karen is back. You never fail to disappoint by posting this same insipid "no true Scotsman" nonsense. I'm pretty sure I ride at least as much as you do and I'm pretty intense when I ride. This forum is chock full of people who ride a lot and don't wear cycling clothes. This upsets you for some reason, and you never get tired of making sure everyone knows you don't approve. Maybe give it a rest for a while? "Cycling clothes exist so you need to wear them or you're not really cycling" is a pretty lame thing to assert once let alone repeat in several threads.

rsbob 

Thanks for the tip. Just ordered 2 pairs of hiking shorts. Have one jersey on back order

genejockey 

Here's the thing - if you wear what my wife likes to refer to as "Bike Togs" because of what other people will think of you, or if you AVOID wearing them because of what other people will think of you, you're letting other people tell you what to do. Wear what works, as long as it's legal*, and assume others are doing the same.

*(because that's the one case where you should let people tell you what to do)

AdkMtnMonster

This forum is also chock full o’ nuts. Welcome. Try not to sound so wounded about imaginary people mocking you personally for wearing street clothes while “riding” your bike with intensity. No one in this post cares about what you wear, personally. It’s not about you. True talk, HTFU.

People can do whatever they want, and, well, they will. Good times…

livedarklions

So do you really have no short-term memory or do you really think anyone is stupid enough to miss the generalized insult of anyone who doesn't wear cycling kit in your first post?

BTW, people who are claiming the lycra snobbery doesn't exist on BF, this is your guy.

AdkMtnMonster

In your haste to slobber all over this thread, you failed to read my last sentence of the second post you quoted. I find your brand of comedy refreshing and inviting. Well done. You may now wear whatever you choose, whenever you choose, with my blessing. (That should validate your feelings since you’re so worried about my views.) First beer is my treat; after that you’re on your own. Cheers!

livedarklions

Wrongo buddy. My point was that the last sentence of your second post was a rather clumsy attempt on your part to distract away from the generalized (not just me) insults in the first post. I take it from your pathetic attempt to deny the clear meaning of your first post that even you know it was stupid.

And feel free to wear the beer on your head.

Branko D

Well, think of cycling clothing this way.

Instead of riding at 31 km/hr in casual street clothes you are going to go at 32 km/hr in race fit cycling clothes with no extra effort, and will almost certainly be overall more comfortable doing it on top. That's like the difference between a really expensive aero road bike with carbon fiber wheels and a generic budget road bike, and it costs a hundred or so dollars.

So, basically, you get a huge amount of value out of it, if you can just get over what will people think.

shelbyfv

If we are adults riding a bike in the US, we are well over that issue.

PeteHski

This thread went exactly as I thought it would. I don't even dare to suggest people should even try wearing "cycling" clothing any more. It's just like the other thread where someone asked what shoes to wear for cycling. Any suggestion of wearing actual cycling shoes was soon battered down by the usual suspects. Just because they choose to ride in pretty much anything else but cycling gear. Then back in real life you go to GF/Sportive events, club rides etc and nearly everyone is wearing some form of functional cycling kit.

Cotton FFS! People are even recommending cotton T-shirts for cycling. Do these people not have sweat glands or something?

downtube42

October 2019 I went JRA on my commuter, wearing jeans, cotton tee, and sandals. Crashed and broke my neck.

OTOH, I've ridden a bajillion miles in lycra, never broke my neck.

Cotton may not (always) kill, but it sure tried.

Save your neck, ride in lycra.

Maelochs

Not particularly eager to jump into the cesspool you are busily filling but ... This Thread Is About What People Wear While Riding.

Sorry, but nowhere in the thread does the OP say "I want to know what people wear while riding ... except I Don't want to hear from Livedarklions."

Seems to me the OP would Welcome hearing from people who wore clothing similar to his .... but hey .... go ahead and keep filling that cesspool.

70sSanO

This question comes up a lot. I wear different clothes depending on what I’m riding.

For 35 years I’ve worn lycra when I ride my road bike. It doesn’t matter the length of the ride, I’ve always worn it. But I’ve never worn team/logo jerseys.

The multicolor logo emblazon billboard jerseys just didn’t interest my getting out and riding. Plus I would never want to be that guy who wants to look pro but routinely gets passed. I’d typically wear bright yellow in traffic to be more visible, even if it is just wishful thinking. I am more particular with cycling shorts, as I like more compression. It is just what I’ve done for years and it is for my comfort.

I have padded underwear for mountain biking, but since more of my current rides are around an hour, I just wear nylon cargo shorts without any padding. I like polyester, non-jersey type, workout shirts in both short and long sleeve. They wick the sweat away pretty well.

For just easy riding on my flat bar, it is cargo shorts and a cotton T. Sometimes a poly T if it is hot.

I also wear cycling shoes road biking and hiking shoes mtb and casual.

People should just wear what is comfortable, unless there is a desire to promote a certain image. In that case, go for it; regardless of the image you want to reflect.

John

Edit Added: Correction… I do wear an ADR reproduction jersey the month of July each year.

caloso

Just to even things out, I wear a cycling jersey and bibs when I play rugby.

rumstove

Here are some things I've found I like that I already owned (didn't buy them specifically for biking):
- Wearing a plain ole' cotton t-shirt is a no go for me. I have some Nike Dri-Fit t-shirts that I like. I also found some Athletic Works shirts at Walmart for $6.88 that are 100% Polyester/Mini honeycomb mesh that work (they're also great for kayaking in warm weather).
- Any shorts that aren't baggy (like basketball shorts) but have decent lightweight material. My favorite is a pair of Simms SolarFlex which are a nylon spandex blend. They aren't too baggy and are a lightweight material. They probably aren't great for rides longer than mine though because the material is quite thin so there's no padding.
- In the TMI department I like to wear some breathable (poly/spandex blend) boxer briefs when riding. I normally wear regular boxers but those aren't good for riding...need to hold things in place.

My rides are short compared to probably 95% of the riders on the forum and I while I use Strava I don't go for PRs. I've been riding for years but I don't (yet) own any bike-specific clothing mainly because of the price and lack of selection locally (I prefer to try stuff on first). I mainly ride on roads and bike trails (both paved and gravel) with a little bit of single track thrown in when I want to ride my old Rockhopper.

OP mentioned just getting their first legit road bike. If that were me I'd probably give the bike-specific clothing a try again. While the shirts I wear are comfy for my riding I can only guess they'd be flapping in the breeze if I was really pushing on the drops of a road bike. I'd like to get some bike-specific clothing, mainly shorts. The pockets in jerseys would be useful as well I think. Hopefully next time I'm out of town I can stop at a couple bigger bike shops and find some things on the sale rack.

AdkMtnMonster

I was wearing some pretty expensive cycling gear while I read that post, and it had zero effect whatsoever. I’ll try again in cotton baggy shorts and some casual shoes and see how it goes.

You can wear whatever you want when you ride. As long as you get out there, who cares, right?

PeteHski

It is hard to talk about the benefits of cycling wear if you don't actually wear any. I thought the OP really wanted to hear about significant benefits, of which there are plenty. It doesn't mean you can't go biking in flip-flops and jorts, but there are benefits to cycling wear nonetheless. That's the primary reason cycling wear exists in the first place. If there were no benefits then there would be no such thing as cycling wear. Like there is no specific wear for playing chess.

caloso

To actually answer the OP’s question, the benefits include proper cut to fit without bunching or sagging while you are in the riding position ( as opposed to sitting up straight), a lack of seams in sensitive places, leg grippers to keep shorts in place, snug shorts that don’t snag the saddle nose when you sit down, jersey pockets to hold my stuff securely, reflective trim. Oh, and a chamois pad.

The longer and harder the ride, the more significant those benefits become. If you’re just riding to the cafe, probably not. If you’re doing a century or hitting the Tuesday Night Worlds, for sure.

genejockey 

Someone trying not to be a jerk might have said, "Because I ride a recumbent, the interface with the bike is different from an upright bike, so I don't find any advantage in standard cycling clothes for my riding."

livedarklions

I didn't recommend jack, and I certainly never said don't try something. All I said is I'm comfortable in cotton tshirts. I sweat, and the shirts wick the sweat and dry, cooling me off. That's how perspiring is supposed to work, right?!

You have a very creative account of what happened in the other threads that bears no relationship to reality.

This is General Cycling, btw, are you under the impression that GF/ sportive events and club rides are the standard type of riding?

Quit scolding people for saying they wear different stuff than you do.