wilfried

Pretty much has me pegged, right down to the Brompton, but without the ankle straps. And beard. And I'm Asian, so sometimes I get taken for a delivery guy.

FoldingBikeLove

Haha I love this illusion. Personally I don't commute that often to work, but when I do I wear a helmet and that's it.

JoeyBike

Thankfully I live in a city where everybody looks like a commuter in the city grid. You would have to look a long time to find someone wearing a race kit commuting here. We just put on our work clothes and go to work in our cars, buses, trolleys, or on our bikes or skateboards. Most people don't wear helmets but more and more are using bright lights front and rear.

cobrabyte

this is what I look like going to work

Commute Panda by (cobrabyte), on Flickr

sometimes a I wear a jersey on recreational rides but I don't notice any difference in how others react to that

lost_in_endicot

I'm a 6'2", 260 lb. clyde, so I dress for sweat management and visibility. Wicking t-shirts in bright colors work best for me. I think the only cycling specific clothing I wear are jackets. Shorts when it's warm enough, running pants when it's not.

Redhatter

I do hope you wear more than just a helmet. At least some shorts!

Why does the sewer of my mind think of this movie (NSFW!) at about 54:12?

Redhatter

CCTV photo of me heading home.

pitbullfan

^^^^This sounds HAWT!

In cooler weather I wear Jeans and a hoodie...I know I'm risking my life wearing all that cotton, but it hasn't happened in 20 years of riding..

In summer its cargo shorts or basketball shorts and a t-shirt.

Dress code at my work is pretty loose, when I first started working there, someone told me I was over dressed in my khakis and a polo. I also have a shower at work I can use if needed during the hotter months.

Really who gives a crap what you're wearing. Comfort is my first priority, I have no sense of style/fashion.

I wish some roadies would tell me I wasn't ready for their "advanced group ride"....sounds like they should call it a cycling fashion show.

no motor?

You need to change your username then, you're helmet isn't red in that picture.

Redhatter

"You are helmet"? Not another apostrophe atrocity!

I'm not changing the username to "blackhelmetter". I historically wore a blue cap all the time, the coolie hat came later and both those predate me cycling.

The "hatter" bit is more a reference to the phrase "Mad as a Hatter". Some think I am for doing the things I do.

Daniel4

Helmet, reflective clothing, lights and pannier bags. But most importantly out during rush-hour traffic at about the same time everyday, rain or shine - if it isn't obvious, I ain't riding recreationally.

mr geeker

I'm one of those thrice damned ninja cyclists that you don't see until its almost too late... sarcasm aside if it wasn't for my hi-vis yellow vest and crap ton of reflectors, I would be one of them ninja cyclists. As for what I wear, well, in nice weather "jeans" (pants of some sort or shorts if its really super nice) and a t-shirt, in crappy I add at least a wind breaker.

I-Like-To-Bike

This was my typical fall/spring commuting "outfit".

Buffalo Buff

I don't try to look like anything, I wear and use what works for me. Right now that happens to be a road bike with very minimal baggage, along with lycra cycling shorts and a loose fitting T shirt.

bmthom.gis

I'm not really sure what a "commuter" is supposed to look like other than a guy or gal on a bike going somewhere. Apart from that...dress how you want and feel comfortable. Personally, I find jeans, regular shorts, etc extremely uncomfortable after 3 or 4 miles (actually I find them uncomfortable from the start but will deal with them for an under 5 mile trip). Past that, it is athletic wear, depending on what bike I am riding and where I am going. Unless I am being multimodal and riding in a car to my wife's office then taking a bike from there to mine, I am going to shower and change at work, so I might as well pull out the cycling kit and be comfortable. That's just me, though. Whatever you are comfortable riding in is what you should be wearing.

PatrickGSR94

Ditto that, jeans SUCK on a bike, even in cooler weather! Even just going 4 miles to my parents' house. Yuck.

Buffalo Buff

Basically that with shorts these days. 85 degrees and hotter the shirt usually comes off too, but I'll spare you guys that photo

I-Like-To-Bike

Typical warm weather commuting "outfit" and equipment for my last ten years of bike commuting; good for 12 miles each way.

no motor?

[QUOTE=bmthom.gis;17714782]I'm not really sure what a "commuter" is supposed to look like other than a guy or gal on a bike going somewhere./QUOTE]
I'm not sure either - wouldn't someone on a bike with a travel mug full of coffee and a look of "I'm really going to leave earlier tomorrow" on their face be it?

Leebo

I just look like a biker going to work. Mt bike shorts, reflective vest, lights, pannier etc. Sometimes I look like I am going to a mass slaying. Try pedaling with a Freddie mask on and a 4' plastic axe on the handlebars. It helps to have fake blood on it.

tjspiel

I'm sure when most of us hear the term "commuter" in the context of bike commuters we can conjure up a mental image if asked.

Personally I have multiple images. The first is an image based on what is often thrown out as required commuting accessories: lights, racks, panniers, fenders, bell. Put a rider in hi-viz clothing on top of a bike with those accessories and that's one image of a "commuter". Attach a mirror to the helmet or handlebars for good measure.

The second is based on what I actually see people riding and is more of an amalgam of people and bikes.

bmthom.gis

I know what I look like, but I can't come up with a ubiquitous image. I ride in full kit on a vintage touring bike with rack and panniers, no reflective vest and only one front and one tail light, most of the time with a helmet, no mirrors. A friend of mine wears normal pants, a cycling jersey, rides a cross bike, occassionally a reflective vest. Some of you ride folders, some wear the clothes you will wear all day, some wear noncycling specific athletic clothes, some wear full kit, heck some of you might go nekkid.

My point is that there isn't a single "right" or "wrong" way to look like a commuter, all one needs is a bikr and a destination. In those terms, there isn't a single thing any of us can do to NOT look like a commuter unless we stop cycling.