Melem2007

So I am an avid road bike cyclist but I never could come to buying bike shorts. I can keep up with the high dollar bike riding doctors and lawyers on my vintage steel specialized allez upgraded with sram force 10 speed groupset.

I get all kinds of snobby looks and complaints about not looking like a cyclist because I wear basketball shorts and a Under Armor style shirt.

I like to ride with them because they are fast like 20+mph. I do have a cycling jersey but no shorts and dont plan to buy any. Am I wrong to look like an out cast while riding with them?

I like to ride and they happen to ride at the speeds I like to ride at.

rpenmanparker 

Yes, you are wrong. Quit worrying about motivation and snobbery which is all in your head, and just buy the right clothing for the activity. We are so fortunate to have excellent technical clothing for cycling. Short of pecuniary distress why would a reasonable person eschew it?

EDIT: Two triple word scores! I am comfortably in the lead.

MRT2

Cycling shorts isn't about a look. It is about function. Road shorts are well suited for long hours in the saddle and unlike loose basketball shorts, don't bunch up causing chafing. But if you like riding with basketball shorts, then that is fine. You won't look any more ridiculous than the guy who plays basketball in cycling shorts.

caloso

I'm a lawyer on a high dollar bike and I really couldn't care less what you wear.

f4rrest

Problems with basketball shorts in my experience:

1. Flap and catch wind, slowing me down.

2. Crotch catches on seat when returning to seated position after pedaling out of the saddle.

3. Need to be worn with underwear, which chafes on longer rides.

Machka 

Uh-huh. Sure.

PortlandEddie

Man where what you want. If they don't like you wearing basketball shorts find another group to ride. I know thats what you want to hear but if you keep riding with them you will have to put them talking smack. I got lucky to ride with some guys on here and they didn't care what i wore. I wasn't the fastest but we still all had a good time.

SWorksRoubaix

Perhaps try something similar to these padded shorts?

https://www.rei.com/product/881810/z...ke-shorts-mens

caloso

That said, a proper jersey and bibs are so much more comfortable.

dabac

+1

Unless we’re talking about the people who have to wear all Rapha.
Then it’s a fair bit about looks involved😉
Some people seem to be equipped with Teflon skin on their butts, enabling them to ride in any pants on any saddle for any amount of time in comfort.
Most of us aren’t that lucky.
I can do reasonably well in carefully chosen flat-stitched running tights. But anything beyond 4-5 miles I really prefer bike-specific pants.

I kinda wonder what they are saying and what the OP is hearing.
I could well see myself saying to someone who looks like a rookie rider ”hey, you should try bike pants, they’re better”.
It would be a friendly, helpful tip. Nothing more.

Apart from that, what someone wears while riding is really not a big concern for me.
If it looks really poorly suited for the activity, and/or very poorly fitting, I might think about it.
Perhaps even talk to a riding buddy about it.
But saying something derogatory about it to the rider - never.

British

I wore regular shorts for the longest time, and only switched to bike shorts just within the last couple of months.

Bike shorts are indeed objectively better. There is a reason that everyone wears them, and it's NOT because they look cool.

a1penguin

Cool? Mushroom head helmets, jersey, tight shorts with padding and shoes you can't walk in.... most cyclists look dorky in clothing. But jerseys soak up sweat, breath well and dry quickly, cycling shorts make five hours in the saddle bearable, and helmets protect the brain.

IIRC, Bicycle Magazine (FFIW), did a poll on the top innovations in cycling in the last N (50?) years and cycling shorts was the number one innovation.

My cycling clothing comes from Performance and REI sale racks, and many of the socks are seconds.

kbarch

Of course there's nothing wrong with merely looking like an outcast, but there's nothing right about it either.

What you wear is non-verbal communication. Not wearing "appropriate" attire is an obvious sign of your unwillingness to be "in tune" with everyone else, and that you lack their level of commitment. What else are you going to do "your own way?" Thoughtful independence is one thing, willful contrarianism is another. If you want any respect, it's not enough to just say "I don't wanna wear a uniform." Four year-olds say stuff like that all the time.

On the one hand, if some people express disappointment with your attire, it's because they care - they would rather you be more reliable and sympathetic. On the other hand, if you have no good reasons for doing things differently and they don't care whether you fit in or not, they probably don't care much about you at all - you're just some random guy. Nothing wrong with that, either, if you don't care about belonging.

datlas 

You don't HAVE to wear padded shorts. One of my club-mates rides in regular street clothes, shorts with underwear, and a polo shirt. It turns out he is intolerant/allergic to spandex. The first time I met him, I suppose I may have snickered a little and wondered if he was a slow/not serious cyclist, but he is a monster on the bike and I learned that quickly.

That said, I personally think it's much more comfortable to ride in bike-specific clothing to minimize chafing and maximize comfort.

Bottom (sic) line, it's a free country so wear what you want. But if a large group of enthusiasts are doing a certain thing, there could be a good reason for it, so keep an open mind.

Peace. Out.

BillyD

Oh cool, you ride in that Wednesday group with @datlas and crew?

Guess not, that's too fast for the @datlas crew.

VRC

datlas 

Our Wednesday crew is a fun and relaxed ride. Typically 17-18 MPH pace. But hills.

Melem2007

The things I get is "you dont fit in" or " hey man get some real riding gear." I did heckel them back once by saying you got dropped by a guy 1990 steel bike with wrong attire. That shut them up for while...😃 then the clowns dont know to keep the gap closed or how to fall back after they are burnt out from leading the pack. But i am the bad guy for wearing nike dri-fit shorts. I do like the REI shorts that specializedroubaix posted. I will look into those.

BillyD

That ruins the joke, bro.

canklecat

5/10. I've seen better.

SethAZ 

You can wear what you want, but I swear by bib shorts and jerseys for cycling. They make a difference. People wear them for a reason, and it's not to look cool as a cyclist, though I don't think they look bad.

What's funny is I think half the reason some folks don't want to buy proper cycling garb is that they think other people will think they look dorky. So, instead, they show up for group rides wearing basketball shorts and t-shirts and look... dorky.

Don't go out and buy cycling shorts. Buy bib shorts. There's a difference, and bibs are far superior.

catgita

I rode with a MTB group for many years, a night ride, where generally equipment and clothing choice were a non issue. One young guy rode with us all summer, always wearing cotton. On a fall evening we crested a climb and paused part way down. He was shivering badly, with his shirt hanging wet with sweat. He looks around, everyone is in regular shorts and jersies, perfectly comfortable. “How do you guys stand the cold?” he asks.

“We don’t wear cotton.” I never saw him wear cotton again.

Never give unsolicited advice.

popeye

It is more likely by some margin that he is allergic to latex which may be in the thread. You can tell if the rash matches the seams.

MRT2

Yup. It is one thing to be an occasional cyclist, a person who rides a bike for transportation, or even a non cyclist who wants to give it a try and borrows or rents a bike. Then by all means. Wear whatever you have. Running shorts, basketball shorts, yoga pants, even denim. Because nobody expects a novice to go out and spend a bunch of money for apparel for a couple of times a year.

But every sport has its uniform. Golfers wear golf attire. Tennis players wear tennis attire. And basketball players wear basketball attire. It just looks odd to see someone playing golf in jeans, basketball in cycling attire, or a jogger running a marathon in wingtips.

OP is apparently a road cycling enthusiast who regularly rides with a club doing mostly "A" rides. Again, he can wear what he wants, but one has to wonder why he stubbornly refuses to wear appropriate attire.

MRT2

You are part of a club that does "A" rides. You can wear what you want, but isn't it easier to just wear the uniform? Is it embarrassment because you think cycling shorts look funny? You see your club friends. Do they look funny in cycling attire? Try it. You might like it.