SlowAndSlower

So true. It takes about 20-25 years for the effects to be really noticed. Twice a year, for several years now, I have had bits and pieces of my face and arms nicked off because of sun damage. Now the skin on my arms is so damaged that a mere bump causes a bruise or tearing of the skin. So at 77 I can attest to what Machla is saying.

Wanderer

FB, I never said it bothered me - just my opinion about their choice.

That was the original question, I thought.

Buffalo Buff

How about someone who rides shirtless with a bluetooth speaker?

Either way I like your attitude. Don't like what you see? Look somewhere else. If we aren't sitting in an office together for 8 hours a day who cares.

FBinNY 

I agreed that it was crass, for whatever that was worth, and didn't imply that it bothered you or anybody else, just that it didn't bother me. But since you referenced the original question, it wasn't whether it was cool or not, but about whether you cared or not.

wolfchild

If you have a good looking fit body then riding shirtless in not all that bad... Nothing looks worse then some skinny anorexic twink wearing tri bibs in public.

Stucky

Ah, but the beauty of it is: the face is a relatively small area from a distance. If the rest of their ugliness is covered up, it's easy to look elsewhere and not have to look at the face. If 9/10ths of their body is exposed, you can be forced to look at it till it vanishes over the horizon- and never get rid the latent images which were burned into your eyes, no matter how much bleach you use.

Haha! That's pretty much 90% of my rides! UI fail to undestand how the wind can be coming from all directions at once....and yet never from the back!

LesterOfPuppets

Short shorts, no shirt and clogs 24/7. IDGAF

CharlyAlfaRomeo

If that's where you're looking in a paceline I have no desire to be near you.

Yan 

Furthermore, without a shirt in a peloton, I'd be looking at the rider's back and ass hair. These would be right in my face. Who'd want that?

Wilfred Laurier

Sounds like a good psych-out strategy. Nobody will complain that you suck their wheel all day if they can't bear to ride behind you.

Wanderer

I suppose I would have to say I do care. I care that it would offend others, like women and children, especially. All fellow users of the same roads/trails I use.

At the local VFW it never bothers me at the language that is sometimes used there, up until a woman or child is present. At that point, I do step in. (Yeah, I do remember what it was like in a combat zone, where it is pretty universally accepted.)

To me, it fits in the same groove........... it's just crass! MHO

p.s. why should it bother anyone if a twink, fatty, smelly, or Russian bear is shirtless, if others are accepted - some are hanging onto a double standard.

BikeSpds

I can't believe the negativity here. I thought cycling was about the freedom, the fun, the psychological lift achieved during a ride. One Danish writer even said that the cyclist may reach eudaimonia. Not if he came here first! I think it's time to sign off this forum for good; and when the weather permits, I'll be back on my bike riding joyfully in a t-shirt (yes, I do wear a shirt), and a Speedo (which I'm sure to you people is much more heinous than simply being shirtless. But that feeling is what makes me want to get on a bike.

CharlyAlfaRomeo

You and your 20 posts in 6 years will be greatly missed!!!

Farmer Dave

Gosh, maybe I'm that guy… I'm 21, it is hot out, I take off my shirt. End of story. Anyone who's got a problem with that can SMD.

bikecrate

MBS!! Just sayin'...

Actually, in FL the dress code bar is pretty low already so who really cares.

El Gato27

I used to run and ride shirtless when I was younger. Was mainly out alone in quiet country roads. Enjoyed it that way.
As I go older and started to realize the skin cancer risk I started to cover up. Now I'll wear a shirt whenever I ride and
add sunscreen if I'll be out over an hour.

So to answer the question, I don't mind that you are riding shirtless and exposing skin. Understand the feeling.
I do wonder what long term effects you are inducing. Hopefully none.


BTW, a very small percentage of us(men & woment) look "good" shirtless. I'm not one of them.

Little Darwin

It bothers me for a couple of reasons, but the most significant one is that a woman would not be able to do the same thing without being harassed (legally, or by testosterone driven idiots) in most cases.

A minor point is that I think a sense of modesty/decorum is missing from so much in life in general. I don't leave the house without a shirt. For full disclosure, I am fat, but I felt the same way when I weighed half of what I do now, and was 1/3 the age. Although I did make exceptions a few times if no ladies were around. I have never even felt too comfortable swimming topless.

Gothic Sunshine

I live in California, and good airflow is a must on a hot day. Nothing provides better airflow and more efficient heat dissipation than bare skin. Also far cheaper to ride shirtless than buy specialized bicycle clothing. I don't begrudge guys who leave skin bare for that reason, and I wish there was a practical way for us gals to do it without getting in trouble.

Murray Missile 

As long as he's not riding my bike I don't care.

RoadTire 

Actually, I do care if he​ is wearing a bib jersey / no shirt ... that would look sooooo awful.

FBinNY 

Here's where things can get interesting. I wonder how many people that would object to a topless man, would likewise object to a woman wearing a skimpy bikini top.

So while it's not practical for a woman to go topless, she can get very close with little stigma.

jon c. 

Cyclists are no different from everyone else. A lot of folks are big on the notion of freedom and bridle at any restrictions on their own, but when it comes to others it's never hard to find a justification as to why they really shouldn't have the freedom to do as they please. The 'harm' that comes from the exercise of freedom to which they object often consists of little more than an offense to a sense of propriety.

Stucky

Freedom to do something is one thing. I don't think anyone here is advocating laws against shirtlessness; least of all, libertarians like myself. But there is a goode reason WHY we have lost so many of the freedoms we once had, and that is often because of people's inability to behave responsibly and appropriately. I would love to live in a truly libertarian society; but one in which people exercised self-restraint and consideration- for only a society masde up of people who practice such ideals could ever be free; and not one in which people just desire "freedom" to deo whatever they want, with the attitude of "Screw what everyone else thinks"[when you are in public]

FBinNY 

It's bike riding without a shirt. Not exactly something warranting a soul search about freedom and responsibility.

If it bothers you, you're far too sensitive. OTOH if you ride shirtless and someone says something, take it graciously and move away without making something more out of it.

Stucky

How would you feel about it, if instead of having to see hairy backs and man-boobs on riders, you had to look at schlongs hanging out?