mwalsh5757

Some, including British legend Sir Chris Hoy, say "NO!"

Do cyclists have to be slim to wear Lycra? - BBC News

dr_lha

Nice fat shaming there.

It's not really about looks is it? It's about comfort.

I understand that I don't look great in Lycra. Honestly, I don't think Chris Hoy looks great in Lycra either.

mwalsh5757

I say do what you want. I'm personally not a lycra person and probably wouldn't be even if I were skinny, though I do wear compression shorts under my regular shorts to stop chaffing.

ill.clyde

I'm happy to be a Mamil ... the alternative is buying larger and larger clothing while I sit on the couch and die a little more each day.

Screw this guy

cyccommute 

To aptly quote the British, Sir Chris Hoy can piss off!

I don't wear it because I look good in it. I wear it for function. I also happen to have earned the right to wear it. I've endured wool shorts and leather...real dead animal leather...chamois. I don't just ride around and around in circles like Sir Chris Hoy nor do I have an entourage that follows me around when I go for a ride. I don't have someone cart my gear when I go out touring for weeks on end.

If I happen to offend someone who is sitting in a car on a cold winter's morning by the way I look or I happen to offend someone who is lucky enough to have excellent genetics or I happen to offend someone in an RV while I'm self propelling all I need to exist, then I say the same thing to them as I do to Sir Hoy...

Piss off!

MRT2

Hoy has already apologized for the nasty tone of the article. Now, just because you wear lycra doesn't mean you need to wear matching Team Sky kit. There is plenty of perfectly functional cycling gear that looks OK.

sdmc530

hell yeah its all about comfert. i dont care that i dont look great but i can roll out 30-40 miles in no pain that is a win! screw em!

Stormsedge

Yes to Lycra. I have a lot of "sail area" (a mariner term for shipboard areas susceptible to being pushed or affected by the wind)...being a MAMIL eliminates sail area (ok, not all of it, but I'm telling this) and by telling people first that I am a MAMIL, then asking them if they've ridden their bike 100 miles this week I find the conversation often turns to other topics. BUT, only black shorts!

bigbiker1

You guys are being awfully nice about it....

I don't know about other places, but around here the vast majority of bikers are 50+ and have a body to match. Almost everybody wears lycra no matter what they look like in it, its normal. I would much rather look like a whale in lycra then suffocate and rip my tender parts apart wearing jeans and a cotton shirt.

squirtdad

yep... form follows function. full bike gear (padded shorts, jersey with long tail, pockets in the back) is really practical

I basically have 3 different levels of riding apparel all forms follow function and neeed

If I jump on my utlity/errand bike typically under 4 miles round trip I wear what I have on.... unless it is flipflops then i put shoes on

My commute to work is 5 miles (8 on the way back as i extend) I wear bright wicking athletic shirt, compresssion shorts and atheltic shorts (which also do double duty for gym work at lunch)

Any thing over 10 miles, i put bike specific gear on.

shelbyfv

Old and fat and I look ridiculous in cycling clothes. To me they are necessary for rides of any significant distance. I might stop in a country store and give Bubba a laugh, but I don't run errands in my lycra. Stating the obvious, even young and slim folks in cycling gear look silly to the non cycling public. We are not alone. I see plenty of yoga pants in the grocery that would spoil your lunch.

Aahzz

I look like a weeble in my cycling shorts and wicking shirts. I don't wear it for looks, I wear it for function. If Hoy finds it stomach turning, he can look away, or bite me.

pdlamb

Sir Chris looks like he could put on a few pounds...


Lycra means I don't have to worry about thighs chafing, shorts catching on saddles, shirts acting as sails in the wind. It's functional. It supports aerobic activity that keeps me alive. Sensitive people should look me in the face, and should be especially careful not to look at Gov. Christie's vacation pictures.

mwalsh5757

Sir Chris Hoy did indeed apologize:

Sir Chris Hoy apologises for Lycra criticism - BBC News

TrojanHorse

Why not?

Wear it if you want to wear it - it's no different from a fan of any other sport wearing a jersey of his favorite team.

Aahzz

Well said, sir!

MRT2

I didn't say you couldn't. Only that wearing Lycra encompasses a lot of looks, from a plain jersey that, but for back pockets and front zipper, is indistinguishable from a technical shirt you can get at any sporting goods store, along with loose shorts with a built in chamois all the way up to matching pro team replica kit. And, everything in between. I used to be self conscious wearing cycling jerseys and shorts. My attitude changed over time. I started with tight shorts under loose gym shorts. Then tight shorts with loose cotton T shirt. Then tight shorts with technical T shirt. Then tight shorts with loose fitting jersey. Now I am fine with semi fitted, as long as it allows me to breath, though I still don't do pro replica jerseys.

My sense is, the more most people ride, the more comfortable they get with tighter fitting gear.

Yendor72

I want to know who looks good in padded lycra shorts? Chris Froome? It's all about function.

TrojanHorse

Probably, or they just don't care what other people think.

Or stated less cynically, they realize the benefits are greater than the occasional inaudible yelled comment from a passing white pickup truck.

dabac

Well....
I've never understood the interest in team outfits.
But whatever rocks your boat.
Lycra pants makes sense on any rider.
Still, I have to admit to reacting a bit when I saw a seriously overweight guy in a VERY tight Jersey.
Every separate roll and fold of flesh displayed, like a Bibendum in red.
If he'd used a slightly loose fit, something that didn't hug every available contour, I probably wouldn't have reacted.
If tights and Jersey had actually met in the middle, that'd have helped too.

dr_lha

One of the reasons I advocate bibs!

pdlamb

Sir, are you disagreeing with "Aaahhh ooorrgga aihyeee?"


(Actually, I think that was from a red Cherokee.)

tunavic

So much angst about nothing of importance.

And by the way, who's Chris Hoyt and why does his opinion matter so much?

Yes, I know who he is now AFTER reading about him. But before, I had no idea.

TrojanHorse

The stupidest thing is that he said you should be lighter than 49kg, which is a whopping 110 lbs. That would exclude the entire professional peloton on the men side, and probably most of the women too.

So yeah, he's a moron.

Shadowx

For me yes and no. I don't really care what other people think, I do what works for me. I don't have a problem with a snug shirt, i like the stretch under armor (not compresstion) for better sweat wicking. I wear cycling shorts for the compression and shami. I wear light nylon cargo shorts over my cycling shorts. I could deal with just the cycling shorts, however I need my front pockets for carrying stuff, pepper spray (dogs and peoples) and a few other odds and ends. Basically do what works for you.