The clothes make the cyclist

Posted by Andrew Hartsock August 24, 2009 at 8:13 a.m.

I generally don’t put a lot of thought into my attire. And it shows.

That holds true whether I’m headed to a wedding or a night out or out to mow the lawn. I pretty much just throw on what’s nearby and smells the best, or at least smells the least.

So when a regular commented on my last blog and asked whether I wear Spandex to work, it made me think a bit about how I dressed to ride to work. I quickly concluded I put as much thought into my riding garb as my every-day attire, which, come to think of it, is one in the same.

I make very few concessions for my ride-to-work get-ups.

The only true bike attire is my footwear. I wear a pair of inelegant sneakers to which are attached the cleats that attach to my clipless pedals. Truth be told, they don’t necessarily look like bike-specific kicks, but they’re just ugly enough a casual onlooker, glimpsing them when I’m nowhere near my bike, might wonder why in heck I selected such an ugly pair of shoes.

I’ve yet to find a pair of bike-cleat-compatible shoes that look like real sneaks, but I’ll continue to look.

Other than the kicks, however, my commute clothes are the same as my walking-around clothes, which is to say: no Spandex. No Lycra, either. No chamois (the pad in the, er, behind, that makes saddle time more bearable) or, for that matter, ShamWow. No clingy jerseys with the pockets in the back.

That said, I do base a couple of wardrobe decisions on my mode of travel.

For instance, I tend to wear “wicking” baselayers, not so much because I work up a powerful sweat, but simply because I like saying “wicking baselayer.”

I won’t wear certain shorts because they tend to get hung up on the saddle, and some of my long pants stay home because the legs are baggy enough they get caught on the water-bottle holder on my bike. Rest assured, it’s a bad deal to get a pant leg caught in a metal water-bottle holder of a fixed-gear bicycle hightailing it downhill.

(As an aside, I have to admit I’m drawn to knickers or “shins.” Basically, they’re long shorts or short pants, with a cuff that falls at shin height. They’re warmer than shorts, but short enough not to get caught in the chain. Unfortunately, I’m afraid I couldn’t quite pull off the look of the manpris off the bike).

There’s one other concession, too, that I make to ride my bike to work. I shy away from dark colors, especially tops and outerwear. Half of my commutes are in the dark, and the last thing I want is to make myself less visible to other road users. Whenever I find myself shopping for new threads — something I do every five or six years, whether I really need to or not — I unconsciously steer clear of the heavy hues, though I won’t go to the orange or neon extremes.

And it’s too bad, really, because black can be so slimming.

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LJWorld.com doesn’t necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.

Gootsie (anonymous) says…

You rock. I think bicycle outfits are so funny looking! I understand the need for extra padding down there, but good grief. They are little nascars!
August 24, 2009 at 9:37 a.m.
sunshine_noise (anonymous) says…

Well its a good thing they don't wear their pants half-way down their butt showing off their under draws like I've seen lately here in Lawrence. But don't let a woman do that - she'd be arrested. I think there should be a women's droopy-draws day. If guys can do it so can woman.
August 24, 2009 at 5:23 p.m.
appleaday (anonymous) says…

Personally, I think football players look pretty silly in their little suits. Big fat guys in stretch pants. Ewww!
August 24, 2009 at 6:52 p.m.
GreatAmericanZero (anonymous) says…

Donnuts...WTF??
August 24, 2009 at 10:32 p.m.
Irish (Leslie Swearingen) says…

Since that blog I have been very aware of bike racks.
So, you only wear the spandex when you are in a race or training for a race? I know, that may seem obvious, one of my questions that drives my daughter to distraction.
I would like to reply to the comment about football players. They are big, not fat. I think they look pretty cool. They need to be that big to play the game.
Participants in sports all have their own distinct look.
I would hope that your blog would encourage more people to ride bikes whenever it is feasible.
I am glad that you cleared up the clothes issue.
August 25, 2009 at 10:14 a.m.