redmist

why is it no football players ever have this conundrum? they wear tight lycra knickers but no one ever says "i wanna play football but i don't want to wear the uniform"



wear whatever you want, just remember, if you manage to stay in the sport, you'll be wearing lycra sooner rather than later- it's inevitable. in the meantime, the other cyclists you see on the road wearing spandex will be the ones laughing at you

cyclezealot

What I don't understand is why runners wear spandex so much. I would have thought runner's shorts would be cooler and less restrictive. Seems most runners are wearing lycra of late. Hunched over a saddle with the friction , I well know the importance of bike shorts. ... . Runners don't have that problem./ If I could still run, I am sure i'd feel more comfortable in running shorts.

MONGO!

If you plan to immmerse yourself in the sport, there is no alternative.

Just wear the damn lycra or we'll yell at you

Treker

It's a classic case of when in Rome ......besides, f/b players know, after umpteen years of hard work, they just look damn good in tights! It's a confidence thing I suppose. Sort of how many cyclists feel in lycra.

Industrial

Probably the compression effect.

Garfield Cat

Real biking outfit does not mean you have to look like a CSC pro rider. Road bikewear should be functional.

Kotts

Whatever you wear, consider a close-fitting wicking underlayer. If you wear a looser shirt without something close fitting between it and your skin, the shirt will flap in the wind and beat the living hell out of your nipples.

Go ahead, laugh, but believe me you don't want the experience...

dark13star

I wear my running shorts over Under Armour compression shorts, so they are really superfluous. However, the compression shorts are quite transparent when wet, so that is where the shorts come in.

For cold weather, I run in tights. I can't stand to have the legs of running pants flopping around, especially on trail runs.

ConstantRider

Rapha touring shorts

Rapha knickers

Swobo knickers

Spokes man

Go with whatever you're comfortable with at first, but when you finally go to real cycling shorts and a jersey (with those handy back pockets) -- and you will eventually, if you stick with road cycling -- you'll wonder what took you so long.

The clothing is highly functional. 'Nuff said.

xerocoma

Would you go snow skiing without the proper gear? Would you spelunk without the proper gear? Would you hunt without the proper gear?

Just get the kit - the proper gear for the sport makes it that much more enjoyable.

dark13star

Yeah, it is equivalent to this:

Booger

What kind of gear do you need for that?

dark13star

A good light, a good backup light, and a good extra backup light.

RomeRider

Why the worry? Every sport has it's clothes. Spandex is the clothing for road cycling. It makes perfect sense. You don't have to flaunt it with a $300 outfit though. If you can afford it and want to why not? It just fits with the bike. You will feel better on the bike too. Worrying about how you look in spandex is pretty much vanity. I just tell people who make jokes about me that they wish they looked this good in spandex.

mike868y

Currently, I cycle in compression shorts with cargo shorts over them and a t-shirt, but believe me this is not the ideal kit. I am planning on upgrading to a real kit when I spring for my own first road bike as opposed to a borrowed one

Triiop

I also wear pretty simple clothes. The cycling shorts were deffinatly worth it, but I wear them under some athletic shorts w/ a teeshirt.

Aside from wearing cycling shorts (which do really help) underneath I dont see any need for any of the other items that make up a "cycling kit"

dark13star

A tight-fitting shirt with pockets so it isn't flapping and you can carry stuff. This is purely practical and I don't wear team kits.

Gloves for comfort on long rides, and you only need to fall once without them and have the gravel removed from the flesh of your palms by having them scrubbed with antiseptic in the emergency room, and you will appreciate them.

Helmet, that goes without saying, even though it is a controversial topic here.

Cycling socks are thinner than others, and cooler, but I sometimes wear running socks (low ones)

Cycling shoes, well how else would I clip in?

cyclezealot

I once did that , but I got tired of so quickly going thru my favorite shorts. The hems in regular shorts are just not made for the saddle's friction. Within a month those shorts are toast. Denim might hack all that friction, but then you have totally lost any sense of freedom of movement.

bathedinshadow

I realize I'm bringing back a very old thread, but I thought better that than start a brand new one. I have one cycling jersey and I hate it. After reading through all of these posts, I can tell I'm already the odd one out in re: to how I think cycling clothes look - specifically on girls. I do see the function of it though. However, I also wouldn't gear up to go 5 miles to the store. I don't really care if other cyclists think I look like an idiot. I digress though...

First of all, I should clarify that I'm a girl so that I don't get suggestions on how to make non-existent parts more comfortable. I'm looking to get a new jersey that is LONG. For women specifically, it seems the get ups cause what I like to call "long butt." Nothing in my mind is more unattractive than "long butt." If you haven't seen it, look at every 80 year old woman. Sorry ladies, I just don't think it's a good look. There are only two ways to remedy this. #1. Wear shorts/pants around your hips rather than your waist. #2. Wear a longer shirt. Now given that biking shorts don't move around as much if you hike them up to your boobs (guys waists are generally not as high - and by waist I mean the smallest part of your torso), I've ruled out #1. So #2 seems reasonable. However, after looking high and low, the only way I can find a jersey long enough is by putting on a large. I'm not a big person, so that is like wearing a tent. I'm not looking to have the jersey come down to my knees, just to my hip bones in a seated position. What the heck are tall thin girls wearing? Tube top jersey's?

Any girls know of where I can find a fitted, longer, jersey?

Grumpy McTrumpy

women's forum

guadzilla

Cos it is easier to make fun of a 150lb cyclist with skinny arms, than an ass-patting football player.

bathedinshadow

I'm unable to access it because I haven't been here long enough. Or rather, I can't post to it.

a_phat_beat

the hardest part of starting out cycling aside from the physical hump (seems like you have that outa the way) is being ok with shaving and wearing spandex.. at least it was for me, and for my brother, you'll learn to love it eventually. i prefer all black when i ride. jerseys, tights, shorts, etc...

Grumpy McTrumpy

this is why it would have been better to start a new thread.