livedarklions

The consequence is I don't have a bunch of crap on my back. And the rules are so 2013.

sean.hwy

If you ride less than 15mph where what ever you like. Ride 15+ mph for any length of time and the tighter fitting clothes has aero gains that is hard to ignore.

livedarklions

I find it hilarious that people actually argue over this stuff. I mean is anyone going to be able to convince someone else their ass does or doesn't hurt?

This really is one of those "what's the right shoe size" arguments.

VicBC_Biker

Exactly.
I definitely wouldn't wear bibshorts if they didn't work better (for me) than other clothing that looks less silly.
Tight-fitting shorts with padding have been worn by cyclists for a very long time - I don't think it's a fashion statement, but just acceptance of what is likely to work well.
YMMV etc etc

VicBC_Biker

I read the rules.
They are a joke, right??
Anybody who takes this stuff seriously..... well, I'd better not comment...

livedarklions

I used to have the same conversation with cyclists online and in person because I've never worn cycling kit:

​​​​​​"You need it to prevent chafing."
Me: I don't chafe when I ride.
"Try riding in street clothes for 50 miles and see how that goes."
Me: I rode 150 miles a couple days ago.

Occasionally, someone would then accuse me of not riding the 150 miles "hard", which I thought was especially funny.

I have no idea if you could ride in street clothes without chafing, but I'm pretty sure you know. Telling other people what they should or shouldn't wear to be comfortable is pretty silly. What you do works for you.

I only worry that some people get discouraged from trying to ride because some salesperson has convinced them they shouldn't ride a few miles without wearing $500 in kit.

PeteHski

For road biking I wear quality bib shorts and they are very comfortable for long, high tempo rides up to 7+ hours non-stop. There’s a good reason why bibs are so popular with roadies.

For mtb I wear quality mtb baggies and find them somewhat less comfortable, but okay for an hour or two of casual trail riding. I often wear them off the bike too.

To be honest I reckon cargo bib shorts are probably the best solution for all riding and some of the “gravel” marketed ones look quite casual too.

livedarklions

Honestly, there's some of the rules that are clearly jokes but some that are either just arbitrary pronouncements or so completely misfired that they're not recognizable as jokes. The whole frame pump thing for example. Whatever it was, it definitely passed its sell-by date a few years ago.
​​

terrymorse 

Right.

VicBC_Biker

I think most salesmen (and women) are eager to make the bike sale first. Then the high-margin stuff like bells, racks, mirrors, etc gets put on the tab.

Clothing and saddle sales are driven mostly by discomfort, I think! The quest for the 'magic solution'....

'Street clothes' covers a lot of territory. People run 10k and marathon events in tuxedos or tutus so anything is possible.

Wearing 'mountain bike' cycling clothing is probably more expensive than a lot of road bike clothing.
Check out 7mesh prices. But MTB gear definitely attracts a lot less attention if you wear it into a diner.

jon c. 

Does that really ever happen?

I've never been in a bike shop where anyone suggested the purchase of bike clothing. Over the years I've heard various versions of the concern that average people who might consider cycling are dissuaded due to the perception that certain apparel is a requisite. I have my doubts that this phenomenon actually exists.

canklecat

Pearl Izumi, Zoic and others make mountain biking casual shorts with removable padded liners. If you don't need the padded liners, pull 'em out and wear whatever you like under the baggy shorts.

Depending on my saddle I might or might not use the padded liners. One of my hybrids has a padded saddle with Lycra fabric over memory foam, so padded shorts are superfluous. My other bikes have firmer roadie saddles so if I wear baggies for casual group rides on a road bike I'll include the padded liner.

If you want to try those skin-tight padded cycling shorts and want a pocket, check out AeroTech or Cerotipolar. I've had the Cerotipolar shorts (not bibs, although they make those too) with pockets for a couple of weeks and wore 'em a few times for rides up to 2 hours. They're very good for the money, comparable to the Przewalski shorts and bibs, the best value around for the past couple of years. But I may like the Cerotipolar even better -- they run slim and my legs are skinny, so I get a real compression effect from the medium without having to buy a small and have it cut into my waist. The mesh elastic pocket holds my Moto G Power snugly, although I sweat so much I should probably keep the phone in a ziplock baggie. But the shorts pockets are perfect for stuff like my mini-wallet with ID and insurance card, and my keys -- stuff I never need to reach during a ride but want on my person in case of emergency. That frees up my jersey pockets for snacks and stuff I actually do need to reach during a ride.

Anyway, I have Przewalski padded shorts and bibs, which are excellent values. But for my skinny legs the Cerotipolar may be a better buy. The pads are as good quality as anything I've seen from my Black Bibs and Pearl Izumi padded shorts.

AdkMtnMonster

I heard on tv that if you have one of those that lasts for more than two hours you should seek emergency treatment. I guess as long as there’s room in your baggie shorts you’re probably ok.

Germany_chris

Aero tech is my go to also, I like their knickers/capris nice and stretchy and a great commuting wear. I don't own many sets of padded shorts in essence 2 summer jerseys and bibs and two winter bib's one thick and one thin and a winter jersey if I can't ride my bike in normal clothes I need a new bike not special clothes.

livedarklions

I probably was a bit loose with my terms when I said "salesperson". I do know people who really don't consider biking because they don't want to buy or wear the shoes, kit, etc., and I think that perception of a relatively high cost of entry is a side effect of marketing.

livedarklions

I consider what I wear on my regular long rides to be "street clothes.". I wear a tight tee shirt and regular (not bike branded) cargo shorts. I also use platform pedals and wear sneakers. I've done multiple 150 mile rides in that outfit, and I don't suffer any ill effects. It also makes it a lot easier to hop off the bike and walk around whatever town I happen to be riding through.

I suspect a lot of people think they will suffer without the kit only because other people tell them they will.

PeteHski

Those people must struggle to survive in the modern world if they can't handle "bike marketing". How do they cope with literally any other activity?

You could go biking in any random set of clothes, but it might not be the best experience. A bit of simple budget cycling kit is almost guaranteed to be an improvement. All sports have kit designed and optimised for the task and it isn't just marketing.

livedarklions

Blah, blah, blah. Like most people these days, they "research" the requirements of the activity by googling "what you need to know" articles and the like. Those are usually connected by ad revenue or otherwise to the products they will label as essential, and just searching on this is going to make the Pearl Azumi ads and the like pop up repeatedly in their browser.

To me what you just said sounds exactly like the marketers party line--convincing people that their product is necessary or beneficial by overstating the case is what they do. The best marketing doesn't even look like marketing. "Might not be the best experience" is so vague that it really can't be questioned, but it sure sounds like something I should worry about. It ignores the fact that most of the world doesn't wear anything special for their riding.

This is part of a much bigger discussion of whether the perception that road cycling has a high barrier to entry (which I think is out there) is a problem if you want more people to get involved. But OP is asking about shorts, so I'm going to bow out from that thread hijack.

PeteHski

I think you are being paranoid. I'm sure most grown-ups can work out for themselves what to wear. Although I've seen people go skiing in jeans before!

Ryno317

I just wear some padded shorts, that my wife got me from Amazon, under some zippered pocket shorts. I used to wear the basketball shorts but I found them to baggy and uncomfortable as I peddled.

livedarklions

Last answer because I don't like the paranoia accusation: I've had conversations with people where they've told me they'd like to try cycling but they don't want to wear the clothes. Yes, they're grown-ups, but they're operating from a position of very limited experience when they're considering getting into the activity, so they "read up" the available sources, which tend to be sponsored in one fashion or another, and lo and behold, they're pushing relatively expensive bikes and gear. It seems rather obvious to me that some significant percentage of people will bail on the project at that point, and move on to researching some other less intimidating activity. There's not a lot of incentives out there for telling people to start simple and cheap, then figure out what you need as you get more into it.

I've seen enough "if they don't spend at least $______ on their first bike, they are going to be discouraged and quit" that I think it's the marketing side that isn't giving people credit for being grown-ups who can work it out for themselves, and it gets ingrained in a lot of how we think about the industry. It's not paranoia to note that many, many millions of dollars are being used to affect people's purchasing decisions, it's just reality. None of us are completely immune to it.

Kapusta

Very little difference in comfort or function. Baggies offer pockets and better looks off the bike, at the expense of having an aero penalty. And Roadies will scoff if you wear them on a road bike.

There is a wide range of quality among both road shorts and baggies. I’ve had good baggies and road shorts. I’ve had lousy baggies and road shorts.

There is very little reason why one should perform better than the other (besides the aero issue). If you are into bibs, that would be a different issue.

For baggie shells I am a big fan of the Zoic Ether or Ether 9 (the latter are shorter inseam for those of us with short legs).

The liners they come with are pretty decent, but I prefer the Patagonia Endless Ride liners. Nice thing about baggies are that you can get extra liners and reuse the shell. I have 2 shells I use 90% of the time and 4 liners.

I have used regular shorts as a shell and they work OK in shorter rides, but many dedicated shells (like the Zoic Ether) work better IMO.

I have had bad luck with bargain bike shorts, but with baggies in particular it has been even worse. It is the liners in particular that are usually crap. In all cases they have just wasted my money.

BikingViking793 

i have some of these, they work well.

PeteHski

So are you basically saying cycling is some kind of elitist activity where marketing is taken to the extreme? So let's say these people who you have had conversations with are put off cycling simply because of the marketing of expensive bikes and gear. What do you think is going to happen differently when they research pretty much any alternative activity? By the same rationale they can also forget about golf, skiing, running, tennis, fishing, hiking, etc, etc. as the inevitable marketing of "gear" will simply be too much for them to cope with.

Personally I haven't seen much evidence of this kind of thing happening out in the real world. Most casual cyclists I know don't ask many questions. They simply ride around on old, cheap bikes and wear whatever they feel like. Those who take cycling up as a more serious hobby soon work out what they need/want to buy. They come to forums like this to ask people to recommend them stuff - like cycling shorts for example. There's no need to patronise people for supposedly being taken in by marketing claims just because they choose to ride in clothes actually designed for riding in. I think it is actually very rare for someone completely new to cycling to rock up at their local bike shop and spend a fortune on bikes and cycling gear. I think most people usually do start off simple and cheap and then work their way up as they get more into it. I wouldn't let it worry you.

Milton Keynes

I don't know, but I suspect it's against "the rules."