This thread got more replies than the who are you thread. Holy cow :eek:

because Hunter, touch a live wire, it has an electric shock

Hey Hunter, i hope you didn't take offense to my assumption. I said I was gonna go out on a limb. I guess i fell off of it. Wouldn't be the first time.

I think your question has already been answered. people who want to be seen as cool do it to win the admiration of their friends, members of the opposite sex, and the public at large.

Other people just do what they want to do. Maybe what they do or wear is seen as cool maybe it isn't, but if they're being true to themselves, well, that's truely cool.

No offense taken. Very good answer thank you. I am glad to see we agree on your points.

What Hunter and others resent, and others strive for, is the elitist, arrogant, atitude projected by some(most?) of the riders he describes.

Yes mwmw more along those lines but not quite as harsh.

Hey Pete, the device is called a GPS(global positioning system) and they are the coolest!!!! If I had the money I would definetly get one.

Wow! The never ending thread - my thoughts on this subject (which wouldn't even buy you a hot Tecate in Mexico)


First, the only way I'd be decked out looking like the Vegas Strip would only happen if I had a sponsor paying me to be his/her billboard.

Other than that I wear the stuff that"ll keep me pumping air in my lungs for another day. Bright gear on the commute so the bozos won't have an excuse in court for not seeing me.

And for tours, whatever it takes to make the ride tolerable - for the most part, I look homeless on the road which makes dining at the soup kitchens a little easier (just kidding on this one). But touring can require a different mix of clothing just to stay alive out there....no one in their right mind would want to be looking cool while dropping off of Wolf Creek pass, or Carson when it's snowing and the temps are dropping. Royal blue is not a neat skin color!

I guess overall, the worst thing about looking cool is that it cost a lot of money that could be better spent for something really cool, a long road trip on the bike.

Deep down I own certain things just to say to the world, "I'm better than you are! Nah nah na boo boo!" Jusk kidding!

Good Question. To be honest, I don't really know why I wear cycling specific billboard jerseys. Maybe I'm just "trying" to be cool. Nah, let's see:

Jersey's: One solid blue Fox jersey, made of cool wicking fabric, - Function One Pedro's Racing Jersey - Grassroots Sponsor - ****ion (Coolwick Fabric) & Form (Adverstising for Sponsor) One Rock Shox Jersey - on sale 1/2 price = same price as solid color Function & Form & Budget (all equal). One long sleeved Answer Products Red Jersey, Function Definately for cooler days.

Shorts: Basic Black lycra shorts - 3 pair, function all the way! (Road Rides) Dark Grey Baggies - 2 pair, form - I ride w/ baggies b/c I usually keep my wallet and key in my short pockets, not in my jersey!

Shoes: NorthWave - Blue and Orange - Form at first, I loved the way they looked and they were Gator Colors, Then Function - most comfy pair of shoes I've ever worn. Specialized Comps - Black w/Red - Function. First pair of cycling specific shoes I used, comfy and necessary for clipless. Answer Flat Shoes - Form & Function - Solid black and good w/ Platforms Vans - Same as Answers!

I guess I'm more Function oriented, but I do like to "look" the part. I don't buy things to be "cool", I buy things because they work. Looking good is a Bonus!

Now as far as my bikes! I buy them for the way they ride first and foremost. But, they've got to be nice looking as well. I won't compromise the ride for the sake of good looks, but if I've narrowed down my choice to two (of whatever) I definately buy the one that I think is better looking. Why? Because I like it!

I also work at a shop, and to me, a shop employee should be riding the best and look the part! You've got to ride what the shop sells and wear what the shop has in stock. Yeah, I get a break on cost, but still as a shop employee I'm into backing the product the shop sells. For example, I've got disc brakes on one of my bikes. Do I need them! NO! but they're the best and I want people to know I believe in the product I'm selling. You want that $3000 bike? Yeah, that's the one I'm riding! Yeah, my wife also rides, yep, she's got that top of the line bike over there. Rides like a dream! If you want the best, that's the one to get! This is definately where I own things for the "coolness" factor. This allows me to sell more of that product. So, really it's still function over form.

When I ride for me and me alone! What I ride and wear needs to represent the shop where I work. I don't really care if others think I'm a dork or a stud. My first choice if function, but form has a lot to do with it. I have a responsibility to the owner.

With that said, Economy is a big factor for me. If I can get a "billboard" jersey that I like for the same price as a solid color, I'm getting it! I won't however pay full price, unless there are extenuating circumstances, (i.e. Shop Jersey or Sponsor's Jersey or Special Event)

Is there room for one more?

My personal opinion, and of course that's all it is, is that the wearing of the 'whole package' (colour co-ordinated clothing with factory logos and what have you) makes the rider feel like a serious rider and that his or her peers will see them in that light.

What "I" see, however, is someone endeavouring to "Look Like" a serious rider, someone who is TRYING to look cool. I find this embarassing, because TRYING to look cool doesn't work. But I do see them as being serious riders. I figure that if someone is willing (and able) to buy the threads and wear them, they are likely very serious about their endeavour. Image. I guess it's all self-image.

Like some others here, I feel somewhat intimidated by this faction. I feel that because I don't dress as they do, they will feel that I don't belong (yeah, me being judgemental) and this makes me uncomfortable. But of course the truth is...I DON'T belong with them, at least on a social level! I don't mean that there social level is higher, merely different and that's okay. My values are different. Aren't everyones? My views of motorists and motor vehicles, for example, differ in a big way from most of the people on this list (judging from the thousands of posts I've read here) but I don't dress in any particular fashion to make a statement when I'm riding, I dress for comfort and visibility. This means my riding shorts, which are sometimes hidden under other shorts or sweats and a bright T or sweatshirt.

I am happy out there dressed in whatever. Do I care what I look like? Sure I do. I don't want to look like a dork anymore than anyone else. So I wear comfortable, clean clothes in good repair. Works for me!

If someone gave me a complete outfit, made of all the 'cool' materials in all the 'cool' styles, I likely wouldn't wear it (at least not all together) because I would feel that I looked like a dork.

Other than my shorts, my helmet is my only 'biking garb'. It's all I need. My wife and kids think I'm cool...but what do they know? :)

As far as bikes go...well...I'm just as happy riding my homebuilt bents as anything else, but I gotta admit...my Vision R-44 is pretty damned cool! I'm very proud of it and I'm very much wanting to keep it in good repair, so I keep it clean, as I do my homebuilts.

feet first and forward!

When it gets cold on my commute, I wear loose pants tucked into my socks.

That looked cool about 100 years ago! :D A funny thing happened one day: I walked into a convenience store dressed like this, and someone thought I belonged to a club.

:roflmao:

I almost always look cool to little kids, tho. ;)

LOL.:D

I tend to wear whatever is comfortable, and would struggle to look cool in anything.

Excuse my ignorance but - what is a tosser? and
Where did the name come from?

hey i'm a poser and i admit it!

i wear what i think looks good, ie racey and professional. my club colours are yellow, blue and white. i had my frame sprayed in the club colours, even my carnac ellipse shoes are yellow and blue! i wear oakley pro m frame glasses and if wore a helmet regularly i'd have the latest giro one. i like the latest gear of everything.

i like modern, racey, aerodynamic looking things, be it a cycle, car, motorbike..clothing...whatever..

i just think all things look good when they match up, for me it's about style....this is in everyday life not just cycling. i like to look good period. i don't do it to impress anybody or to arouse comment, i do it cos i like it....it's me! i just don't do scruffyness!


cabledonut.

Hey! I have just ordered myself a new roadbike!!

It has a LOOK KG Frameset.

And now i must purchase matching LOOK jersey and cycle shorts to look (excuse the pun) the part :rolleyes:

Hey, the stuff that's COMFORTABLE to wear, happens to fit in the "cool" niche. Comfy tends to be popular and popular tends to be regarded as "Cool", ( and the bright colors are EASIER TO SEE)

Keeping you bike clean is important for mechanical and maintenance reasons; you can see potential problems easier and sooner, your hands don't get so damn dirty when you work on it, you'l tend to work on it more, if a mechanic is working on it he'll tend to do a better job on a clean bike, charge you less and handle the bike with more respect.

And, there is an old saying: A CLEAN BIKE IS A FAST BIKE!

Ride the Three "Cs" ( Clean, Comfy and Cool)
Pat

English colloquialism. One who tosses, is one who masturbates, chokes the chicken, etc.

I don't look good in those bike outfits, a good pair of shoes and shorts are the basics that i need. I am one of the many riders that they thumb there noses at! Guess what, I still get there.

yea, there seems to be folks out there that think, "I'm a real biker and you are not" because they have all this bright, annoying garb on. Usually I just pass those guys.

I remember my first MTB race. I showed up in a beat up pair of Vans, regular old pedals, a beat up bike, an cotton T-Shirt, and frazzled cotton shorts. Needless to say, I didn't fit in in the lineup, but when I finished 9th out of 60, folks suddenly look at you differently.

I love proving people wrong.

Be comfortable.

Hell, ride naked! :D

Manderax

I ride. I fall down. I get up.
Meanwhile, I keep dancing.

I am thinking I did this response once, but I don't like the lycra, I look like I might burst throuh it! he he!
I notice you are from Missoula, ever made the ride around Flathead?

C'mon guys, just ride your bike wearing whatever reflects your own outlook. Why on earth spend time wondering why other riders wear what they do? Pondering the raison d'etre of personal fashions adds nothing to the enjoyment of my rides.

Geez mareez, we gotta see an old Hunter post again. I remember that tool called me vain. Oi.

well said, it's the miles that matter, the hill up ahead, and the wind at your back. Darn, I am ready for this winter stuff to be gone! I could be using a little spring ride.:beer:

I am from Missoula, and have done some riding in the Flathead Valley and around the Lake, and on up to glacier, etc... although lately, I have been staying pretty local.

manderax