What's with the bicycle riding outfits these days

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband and his friends go on 3 hours rides: these outfits work.

I'm a marathon runner. I run at least 6 miles every day and at least 12+ miles on Saturdays. Yesterday I ran 22.

I didn't need to dress up like an ass-hat and neither does your husband. And I was running, not peddling a bike for a couple of hours.

Correction: your singlets do make you look like an asshole and Id rather have sex with my husband who has an amazing body then a runner like you who probably looks like a cancer patient (since most guys who run 12+ or 22 miles do).

How do you know this poster is a man?? And runners don't generally wear singlets outside of the actual race.

Actually not true

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know the answers to the questions PP. I'm fine with the utility of it and the cost, etc etc etc. My point is is what's with the faux/outlandish Indianapolis 500-ish branding/sponsorship that they all seem to be wearing? They look like idiots. That's it. Nothing more.

The branding matches that of current or defunct professional teams racing the Tour de France level events. It's a minor sport here, forever thanks to one Lance Armstrong's trail of lies, but really we're no different than all the "knuckleheads" who sport Red Sox and Yankees crap though they live here in DC.

I suppose you have the same reaction to those festooned with logos of, say, Manchester United?

Oh and cycling clothes work best if they don't flap in the wind. Even on, er, the full bodied types.

[Anonymous]

I know someone who wears athletic wear to work. I think he thinks it makes the statement, I'm athletic, sporty and young. He's old and tries to keep up with the younger folks. But I think people who wear stuff like that don't really think about how others perceive them. It's more self-focus and what they feel about themselves and what they want to portray to others.

[Anonymous]

It's the same phenom as the dorks who are CPA's during the day wearing band aids on the nose rim of their thick eyeglasses but on the weekends don their leather faux biker club attire and jump on their Harley's pretending to be Hells Angels....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's the same phenom as the dorks who are CPA's during the day wearing band aids on the nose rim of their thick eyeglasses but on the weekends don their leather faux biker club attire and jump on their Harley's pretending to be Hells Angels....

Or those heavyset lawyer geeks who wear their suits to 3 martini lunches and then on the weekend put on bright golf shirts with the logo of their country club on the chest pocket, carry around a pricey set of clubs and pretend to be Tiger Woods?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's the same phenom as the dorks who are CPA's during the day wearing band aids on the nose rim of their thick eyeglasses but on the weekends don their leather faux biker club attire and jump on their Harley's pretending to be Hells Angels....

Or those heavyset lawyer geeks who wear their suits to 3 martini lunches and then on the weekend put on bright golf shirts with the logo of their country club on the chest pocket, carry around a pricey set of clubs and pretend to be Tiger Woods?

Can't comment on the bright golf shirts with country club logos but as a lawyer I can tell you there is no such thing as the three martini lunch. Most lawyers in my (large) lawfirm eat at their desks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's the same phenom as the dorks who are CPA's during the day wearing band aids on the nose rim of their thick eyeglasses but on the weekends don their leather faux biker club attire and jump on their Harley's pretending to be Hells Angels....

Or those heavyset lawyer geeks who wear their suits to 3 martini lunches and then on the weekend put on bright golf shirts with the logo of their country club on the chest pocket, carry around a pricey set of clubs and pretend to be Tiger Woods?

Can't comment on the bright golf shirts with country club logos but as a lawyer I can tell you there is no such thing as the three martini lunch. Most lawyers in my (large) lawfirm eat at their desks.

The pyramid is alive and well. And bubble has burst for the rest of the industry.

[Anonymous]

I am possibly the only poster on this thread so far who actually works in a sporting gear store that sells technical cycling attire. (maybe? I've lost track)

PPs who said that clothing is available in every hue and pattern (or no pattern) are correct. No one is forced to wear technicolor advertisements -- there are so many simple, monochromatic ***yet bright and visible*** options available. Say, a bright solid aqua shirt and black shorts.

I do hope no one, including OP, is suggesting cyclists wear subdued, tasteful black or navy tops. Right? No one is urging cyclists to blend in with the pavement and wear tasteful charcoal.

[Anonymous]

I just wanted to say this is one of my favorite threads on this site ever. I don't know what it is about the bicyclists that drive so many of us crazy but I think the verdict is clear: you look ridiculous. Whether you care or not is a different thing, but if you are dressing to impress, which is one guess, it ain't working.

[Anonymous]

Could the answer be that some of these cyclists are victims of the cycling gear marketing guys, who are always coming out with new ways to update your image?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could the answer be that some of these cyclists are victims of the cycling gear marketing guys, who are always coming out with new ways to update your image?

BINGO!!!!

[Anonymous]

Of course it's a safety thing to wear those bright colors. After all, drivers need to be able to see them when the cyclists are careening through intersections against the light or weaving dangerously in and out of traffic, and pedestrians need to see them to jump out of the way when those pedestrians have the temerity to use sidewalks or public pathways (usually while the cyclists are screaming obscenities at them).

[Anonymous]

I am a cyclist. I ride a mountain bike almost every day and don't dress like 'this'. It's the roadies who wear the outlandish stuff, and I would guess its mostly the weekend warriors because that's when I see them.

I am very respectful to drivers and ride like they are trying to hit me. This includes riding on sidewalks sometimes- like 16th st- Great sidewalks all the way to SS. I do run red lights tho, when its safe for me to do so. And I never wear headphones.

[Anonymous]

Cycling sunglasses have lens you can swap out depending on how much sun you have. You need to wear eyewear because bugs and small pebbles can fly up and hit you in the eyes. The padded shorts are critical for crotch comfort, people! Not everyone feels they are Tour de France contenders BUT some of us do attend century rides (100+ miles in a day rides) a couple of times a year.

Some people cycle because running is very hard on the knees. Cycling provides exercise to people with joint problems. So I would like to know, would you hate me more as a cyclist or a fat person?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Some people cycle because running is very hard on the knees. Cycling provides exercise to people with joint problems. So I would like to know, would you hate me more as a cyclist or a fat person?!

Cycling too can damage your knees, esp if you are not setup correctly. I know, i did damage knees from commuting for years on a bike that was the correct size, but just fitted wrong. Got a pro bike fit and knee pain went away.