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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

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Old 06-14-08, 11:26 AM
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misc questions

Hey guys. So I have been mountain biking for about 4 or so years (switching between that and bmx) but after my last accident I have finally decided that i want to change it up. I want to start riding a road bike, but every time i see one of you fitness gods ride by you look like you just came from the halls of Valhalla and I just kinda look the other way and keep pedaling my 04 specalized hardrock. So I guess my real question is. are there any other road cyclists that are uncomfortable wearing lycra? and shaving their legs? and if so what do you wear? could i wear baggies that i use for my free riding? Just thought I would ask. and also just as a little side question because I have never been able to find a review. does anyone know anything about the sette r3 road bike? because I was looking at that but i think im going to either ride/ drive over to my lbs the next time i have a day off. but anyways thanks for any help you could give me

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Old 06-14-08, 11:47 AM
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even MTB folks wear lycra.
you don't have to shave your legs
but padded shorts really work which is why a lot of riders wear them.
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Old 06-14-08, 11:53 AM
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you can wear your freeride shorts, if they have some padding, even better. After awhile or riding with some other people you may be uncomfortable NOT wearing lycra. I don't know where you ride, but not everyone on a road bike is in that great of shape. Wear your shorts, ride your bike, then decide.

Also, one of the collegiate (road) races this year we had a guy show up in board shorts.
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Old 06-14-08, 12:15 PM
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see thats what I was thinking. was wearing like some baggy shorts or something (almost like basketball shorts) its just i don't have the legs to show off in lycra and definitely not if i dont shave so im at a delema i guess i need to stop worrying about what other people think. the only reason I dont want to shave is because of what other people will think of me. but idk and its not really my style i suppose Ill figure it out. I gota save up the money for it first and then i gota talk my gf into it. she didnt sound really happy when i told her i wanted to buy another bike last night lol but anyways thanks for the replys guys keep em coming

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Old 06-14-08, 01:53 PM
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Welcome to the road Sean.

Lots of people start riding in baggies. Some even start in other, non-padded shorts. But if you get to riding more than 10 miles or so regularly, and if you're like 99% of riders, it won't take long for you to have serious issues "down there" if you don't wear some form of cycling short with a padded chamois insert.

It won't take long until you've moved on to the next questions though, "Shorts or Bibs?" and "Expensive or Cheap?".

BTW - I have never, and would never, shave my legs. There's lots of guys who do, and there's nothing wrong with it, but there's lots who don't too.

Oh yeah, most of us don't look like Adonis either :-)
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Old 06-14-08, 02:28 PM
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You might check roadbikereviews for specific bike information. The question might be, how much difference will riding a road bike make compared to a mountain bike on the road? If it's a good quality road bike it will be more fun to ride.

Don't shave your legs.

I started out MTBing and wearing baggy shorts. I still wear them if I'm gong to be in a situation where I don't want folks staring at seven pounds of anaconda meat, if you know what I'm saying.
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Old 06-14-08, 02:35 PM
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Congrats on making the transition. I'd echo all of the advice above -- the lycra shorts/bibs end up just working better when your spending any length of time in the saddle -- the chamois is an absolute life saver (don't forget to go commando). 'spose there's nothing wrong with wearing other shorts on top of them, just make sure you have proper cycling wear underneath.

I doubt I'll ever end up in a situation where I'm worrying about shaving. Lycra bibs and race cut jerseys though, I'm all for that.

PS -- don't know the road bike you mention. There's plenty of good threads here that discuss road bike options at different price points though.
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Old 06-14-08, 02:41 PM
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If you're concerned about roadie style, you need to do all that stuff. Otherwise, do whatever you feel like and don't worry about it. I've been to a number of the charity rides on my cruiser bike wearing baggy shorts. Nobody cares.
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Old 06-14-08, 03:25 PM
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to echo the above -- the leg shaving is mostly a way for racers to say they race to the other racers they run into on the road. When I was racing this spring I shaved. It was weird at first, then after a few weeks, it just didn't seem that strange, much like when I started wearing lycra. I haven't raced in awhile and now my legs are furry. I honestly feel like a poseur if I'm shaving and not racing.

I forgot to add -- I did my first 8 months of road biking in basketball shorts. I got some lycra shorts for christmas and they really weirded me out. After trying them and liking them I just got more and more used to it, and now don't think twice.
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Old 06-16-08, 08:31 AM
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Thanks so much guys for the advice. like I said im still really uncompfy wearing lycra but we shall see, i still gota buy the damn bike first. Right now I think im going to hold off until next year. (money is tight and they are cutting my hours like crazy at work) but I have an old Schwinn that belonged to my uncle and its okish nothing special wasn't really that great of a bike when it was made 20 years ago, and sure isnt now. but Im going to attempt to use that as my commuter bike to go to work but i just love the feeling of sailing through the corners on those big thin tires cant wait to get something nice.

THANKS AGAIN GUYS
Sean Scott
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Old 06-16-08, 10:12 AM
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Lycra may be too revealing for you, but basketball shorts may be so baggy that they act as parachutes, slowing you down considerably.

Speed isn't the only goal of course, you have to enjoy what you're doing out there. I don't usually ride in lycra shorts, but I do prefer riding in some MTB shorts I have. They're not quite as baggy as BBall shorts or board shorts, they have a little stretch to the fabric, they have lycra liners, and enough padding to enhance my comfort. I got mine at REI.

With regular board shorts or other baggies, I found that when I get up over about 16mph, I start to feel the drag.
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Old 06-16-08, 10:42 AM
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Here's what I've found to be an acceptable compromise, personally: shorts from zoic.com, or similar from Cannondale or other providers, which have the padding but look like normal shorts (and I often use them as such). For jerseys I like the zip and the back pockets but don't like lycra so I've been wearing some of the retro jerseys from boure.com.

Mike
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Old 06-16-08, 10:50 AM
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I've heard you can ride those mountain bikes on the road, and they won't explode or anything.

Ride lots now. Wear whatever you want. You'll figure it out eventually.
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