what the fuck kind of pants do I wear when I'm commuting?
>jeans are uncomfortable
>the lycra bandit starter pack looks absurd
As long as I'm wearing breathable underwear I've always found jeans fine for commuting. I know some people use mtb baggies, that's all I've got.
I just wear sweats (not cotton) over my bike shorts in winter (so-cal). I carry a change of clothes and have a shower at work, so I don't mind the few minutes that my coworkers see me in my commuting gear.
Your saddle will wear holes in jeans if you use them regularly. Just wear lycra with some kind of shorts over them if you're self conscious.
>>919049
>the lycra bandit starter pack looks absurd
Get over yourself
I've used cargos or khakis before, with one of those Velcro strips to protect the right leg. Most of the time though, it's cycling shorts with leg warmers.
>>919054
>tfw work doesn't have showers
>tfw helmet marks on your head for an hour when you get to work
>>919080
Wear a cycling cap under your helmet.
>>919049
Bib tights
If you're in favor of destroying your good pants and being uncomfortable all the time, just wear what you wear to work
I don't have a shower at work
But I usually just Lycra or jeans
Donegal wool pants
>>919049
I wear the rapha jeans in your pic, specifically the sprinters with the bigger thighs. They have elastine in them so they stretch, and they're treated to resist abrasion, but they fit and look like sufu-approved premium denimz. I find that they're good for casual rides of up to 30 miles.
They aren't available right now for some reason, though.
>>919049
If you're uk Next sell fitted stretch cotton trousers for £20. They're smart enough for work and comfortable to ride in. Obviously they'll wear faster than cycling specific clothing though.
I wear adidas joggers
I just wear a kaputt jeans with some tight as underwear, so it doesn't bother me when i've got holes as huge as your moms ass in my jeans, when they are covered by the tightpant beneath anyway, also its more comfy due the pad inside the tight
Ex officino boxer shorts
GAP slim fit khakis
In the winter you should always start out cold on your ride. If you are warm stepping out the door you are over dressed
Stop worrying about how you look and start worrying about how you feel
Lycra is love, lycra is life
>>919062
I've been riding my 16 mile trip commute for years with jeans and I don't notice any wear. I've definitely worn in khakis though.
>>919049
Outlier and Patagonia both offer tech-fabric pants which are wicking and flexible enough to be comfortable, but don't look silly.
You can go cheap and get knockoffs in nylon or whatever, but you'll suffer for it.
>>919049
I wear lycra tights m8, wandered around a shopping centre for a few hours yesterday in cycling tights and shirt. Was comfy. Didn't get any funny looks either.
normal pants....you are commuting
i ride to work in a suit
>>919049
Jeans with elsto thread.
Cargo shorts.
Rolled up sweatpants.
Or, if you have the possibility to change after reaching the destination, 2_in_1 biking shorts (this way you'd only need to remove the diaper and keep them shorts on - one pair of briefs being carried reduces the grams), or even just lycras under running shorts.
The possibilities are endless.
>>919062
>>919199
Doesn't it depends on whatever the material the saddle is covered in?
>>919291
Ask me how I know your ride is less than 2 miles and you go at a snails pace because the majority of your "commute" is riding in the elevator once you get there.
>>919295
no it's 10 miles and why would you live super far from work..
no elevators. don't live in a city with skyscrapers.
Only insecure or fat people worry about how they look in public while wearing clothes suited to their activities. If you just got off the bike, and you decide to walk around in your cycling tights and you have a helmet with you, everyone will just think you're a cyclist. The only 2 comments I got about it last year was "you look fast." It helps when you're not a fat fuck.
>>919291
Riding to work in a suit means you're a filthy casual who hardly does any riding to get to work. If you're not putting any effort out during your rides, you might as well drive or take public transit. Pussy.
Bibs. Because I've got a 10 mile commute and I'll rather ride to work at a brisk pace, take a shower, and change to nor. Al clothes than try to do it without breaking a sweat wearing normal clothes.
>>919319
>everyone will just think you're a cyclist.
This is fine if you live somewhere civilized, but from what I see on here in some places you can get shot just for looking like you might have looked at a bike once. In colorado, cyclists have this guilt complex about riding, and continuously try to apologize for the "crime" of riding a bike, by complaining about cyclists and saying they should be on the sidewalk.
>>919319
>"you look fast."
>Anon's face that very moment
>>919321
>Riding to work in a suit means you're a filthy casual who hardly does any riding to get to work.
I'd agree, but
>If you're not putting any effort out during your rides, you might as well drive or take public transit. Pussy.
No, more commuters by bike is better for all of us. At least where I live, east coast US city.
>>919291
great way to ruin your suit
ride in riding clothes, change when i get there or just wear riding clothes that look like normal clothes
>>919321
says the faggot who probably runs red lights to get king of the hill.
>>919049
stretch jeans, ones that contain some % elastane
>>919536
>he doesn't run red lights
I don't strava, I'm not even that fast, but waiting for the light to turn is dangerous and impedes traffic where I live (NYC)
The roads are way too chaotic and dense to get stuck in the cage crawl, if I see a safe gap in the avenue traffic going cross town I'll take it and the cagers will be grateful for it (not that I do it for them)
>>919049
Endura Singletrack II
>>919291
>you are commuting
Means fuck all, you're still cycling. A commute for me involves big hills and reasonable distances.
>>919851
>commuting to class
>see hill
>make detour to climb it
>class pres wants to know why youre late again
>>919321
Either you're literally retarded or a skilled troll
Congrats
I need to buy a carter for a triple chainring, tired of always have to walk around with that ankle thing to keep pants tight.
>only options are three piece suit or full bib+jersey
You guys are fucking dumb. Commutes can vary and so can work attire.
Club Ride and Zoic both make cycling clothes that can function as everyday clothing. Levis Commuter line is durable as fuck.
You can ride platform pedals and still ride at a spirited speed of 20 mph.
You can understand that maybe you don't need to go super fast, just a little fast.
>>920003
>You can ride platform pedals and still ride at a spirited speed of 20 mph.
used to race bmx in platforms, I could hit 30 mph at times... stop being slow.
>>920008
No shit. You could probably go higher with the right gearing. I just used 20 mph as a fairly fast speed to get you places.
>>919062
levis has commuter jeans with reinforced crotches for this purpose.
>>919538
+1
Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't find bibs more comfortable to ride in than jeans or cotton tracksuit bottoms, even on longer rides. In fact, I dislike plastic garments on my body altogether. Then again, I also actually hate fabric softener, so much so that my clothes and the gf's clothes must be laundered separately (she's addicted to it). Sometimes she inadvertently cleans a garment of mine and it ends up with my clean clothes and I put it on and it immediately comes off again. I don't get how people like it, it makes clothes feel like they have been worn for two or three days straight. In other words, they feel like dirty clothes only doused in old people's perfume or cheap air freshener or urinal cakes. But everyone else seem to love it, so I guess I'm the odd one out.
Anyway, I strive always to look as casual as possible when on my commute, dapper without being hipster, and I avoid cycling specific clothes or apparel as much as possible. I do this to signal to non-cyclist that cycling isn't a big deal. All you really need is a bike. There are too many articles and advertisements urging people to Get On The Bike :D, but oh, before you do, remember that cycling is basically suicide so you need this helmet or you will surely die, you must have all of this extra clothes that make you look like a radioactive turd and if you even think of transporting something in a bag that wasn't designed specifically for biking you are pretty much insane. I know several people who have explicitly told me that they would like to start cycling to and fro, but think that doing so requires a huge investment of equipment and a major reorganisation of their lives. It is a myth I try to dispel by example on each and every ride.
>>920082
>Anyway, I strive always to look as casual as possible when on my commute, dapper without being hipster, and I avoid cycling specific clothes or apparel as much as possible. I do this to signal to non-cyclist that cycling isn't a big deal. All you really need is a bike.
How vain and insecure are you on a scale from 1 to 10?
>>920082
anybody that uses the word "dapper" should probably tie the knot (not on your SO's ring, but around your neck)
You are worse than a hipster.
>>920087
Vanity: 2/10
Insecurity: 7/10
It doesn't matter: it is other people's vanity I have in mind when I dress for a ride, not my own. My logic is thus:
1. Cycling gear looks ridiculous to most people. (A subjective opinion universally held can be treated as objective fact.) At the same time, cycling apparel is specifically designed to draw maximum attention. What you have then is a getup that make you look foolish, designed to be noticed by as many as possible.
2. People are vain. This fact does not change if I am the vainest man alive, or you are the least so.
3. I personally want as many people to bike as at all possible.
I see that 1 and 2 are in conflict, and this battle will have an adverse effect on my desired outcome, 3. I stand a much better chance of affecting 1 than I do 2, so that is where I focus my attention, by advocating the notion that cycling is safe and simple.
>>919855
>take detour
>there's an even bigger hill
Constant rolling hills everywhere in my area. Keeps you fit though.
>>920097
>cycling apparel is specifically designed to draw maximum attention
Yes, the reason I wear a foam pad under my nuts is for attention.
Are you for real?
>>920097
I've wandered round shopping centres, popped into multiple shops etc in tights as I said and nobody blinks an eye.
>being this insecure
>>920114
"Specifically" does not mean "exclusively". Incidentally, the foam you talk about is one of the elements which make cycling clothes so visually unappealing. It looks like you have shit your pants or that you are wearing diapers (which would imply that you habitually shit your pants, which is worse). You know this is true, yet you wear foam in your crotch regardless, in spite of the aesthetic penalty. This suggests you are not vain. Good. That cannot be said of most people, which is central to my point. You look like a doofus in most people's eyes, and the more people think that they have to look like you do in order to do what you do, the less people will pick up cycling. I want to counter that notion by communicating and demonstrating that it is not strictly necessary. It's all about recruitment.
>>920117
Eye-blinking is not a good indicator of how suave or not you look to other people. FYI, most people think you look silly (don't ask them, they won't tell you to your face, mostly because you've demonstrated a lack of social intelligence simply by asking). You can scoff at other people's insecurities as much as you want, but that means you at least recognise that it is actually there, confirming the validity of one of my premises.
>>920122
People know that's cycling gear and think 'that bloke is a cyclist' rather than 'HAHA LOOK HE'S WEARING TIGHTS AND A NAPPY HAHAHAH LOOK EVERYONE'
>>920122
I get this sentiment, but if you're on a bike, you've already lost the aesthetics war. Might as well own it. I have plenty of time to look cool and dapper off the bike, but on my 15 mile one way commute, I want clothes that offer maximum comfort and visibility. If some teenagers and office drones think I look like a dork, fuck it. I'm carrying a change of clothes and all the exercise helps me look better than your average office shmuck anyway. If you're trying to look good on a bike, most dumbasses will think you're a fucking hipster anyway, and they're just as reviled as your lycra warrior.
I guess it's good that you want to promote cycling, but I dunno man... In my decade of riding, I've had like 2 people give it a shot and they both had shitty commutes that made them abandon it. Until we have a cultural shift that see's everyone junking their cars, all I can do really is be a good example and I use the practical side of bicycling to do that (money savings, better fitness, avoiding traffic jams), rather than trying to make it look effortless.
SOMETIMES I COMMUTE IN MY MOUNTAIN BIKE SHORTS RIDING A MODERN CX FRAME WITH TUBELESS SLICKS. SOMETIMES I COMMUTE WHILE WEARING 5.11 PANTS.
15-40km
>>919855
The reference.
>>920122
>you are not vain
Dude I'm vain as fuck, that's why I ride and lift. That's also why I shower and change and put on a spray of cologne when I get to work, instead of wearing my ruined suit and giving off sweat clouds.
I don't care if I'm not "recruiting" people to my lifestyle, as far as I'm concerned the fewer cyclists running into joggers and weaving while texting, the better off I'll be and the less flak I'll have to take because a bunch of noobs are out there learning basic safety and etiquette.
I have no issue with the lycra-pack going into work.
It keeps my work pants clean and tear free, I often find it hard to find good used pants in my size so I'm spending between $30 and $45 on a pair of khakis. Chain stains, rips, worn out butt fabric are not acceptable at the price I'm paying per pair. Secondly, putting on my cycle shorts forces me to commit to commuting even if it would be easier by car. If my employees or coworkers have an issue with seeing me in spandex, it doesn't matter because it will become normal given enough daily rides.
>>920134
False dichotomy.
>>920155
>if you're on a bike, you've already lost the aesthetics war.
I disagree. I contend that riding a bicycle can have a neutral or even positive influence in this regard.
> If you're trying to look good on a bike, most dumbasses will think you're a fucking hipster anyway, and they're just as reviled as your lycra warrior.
Which is why I don't try to look good. I try to look casual. Effortless and uncontrived is what I'm going for.
>Until we have a cultural shift that see's everyone junking their cars, all I can do really is be a good example ... rather than trying to make it look effortless.
After such a cultural shift, recruitment is no longer an issue, and I'll wear whatever I want... which is what I wear now. (Like I said earlier, bicycle clothes offer me no extra comfort for whatever reason.) I believe that the shift is happening as we speak, it just takes time.
>>920191
My work don't entail suits. In fact, I wear semi-athletic (climbing) clothes to and at work. Odour is not an issue for me as long as I wear cotton and/or wool, stay away from plastic clothes, and use anti perspirant. I'll bike and work all day and in the evening I still won't stink, just give off a pleasant manly atmosphere, at worst. At least according to my gf and... my sister, actually.
I don't see my cycling as a lifestyle to which I recruit people, it's just a mode of transportation.
>...the less flak I'll have to take because a bunch of noobs are out there learning basic safety and etiquette.
You won't get professionals if you can't accept the existence of apprentices. Trust me: you are not better off with fewer cyclists on the roads.
>>920218
>(Like I said earlier, bicycle clothes offer me no extra comfort for whatever reason.)
Probably because your insecurity makes you feel uncomfortable.
>>920220
No, I meant physical comfort.
>>920218
>Odour is not an issue for me as long as I wear cotton
r u fukin srs
Cotton is the absolute worst for athletic wear. It just soaks up all your sweat and then reeks. The cheapo polyester shirts from academy or similar stores are way better. The thin smooth kind at least. The thicker ones and the rough scratchy ones always seem to draw extra stinky sweat out of me.
>>920221
Yes, your insecurity is so bad it makes you physically uncomfortable.
>>920223
>Cotton is the absolute worst for athletic wear. It just soaks up all your sweat and then reeks.
That's what the commercials keep telling me, but I don't find that to be true, not for me. With plastics I tend to feel beads of sweat slithering around my body, eventually finding their way down to my underpants, soaking them. Cotton absorbs the sweat immediately and it evaporates on the other side. Cotton rarely reek even after a long day of moderate physical activity, wool can be worn for up to a week. Plastic will stink after one day, regardless of activity level. Am I the only one who have it like this?
>>920224
No, that's not it.
>>920228
Yes, I do believe it is.
>>920218
>bicycle clothes offer me no extra comfort for whatever reason.
I guess this is key here, so more power to you and ride good, anon.
>>920097
Shut the fuck up. This isn't a fucking logical 'human experiment' or social engineering. It's transportation and you aren't out there 'converting' anyone with your attire. Not to mention wearing anything other than the appropriate clothes to make you comfortable for the ride you are about to 'partake' is just plain assinine.
Fuck. You don't need to go out and buy new shit, wear what you have that works. Stop acting like its some sort of popularity/fashion/vanity contest to wear cycling-designed clothing, tho.
Are gym shorts also a vanity scam? What about an american football player's super tight pants? Just for 'visibility'?
Materials that wick moisture from your body do so with greater efficiency when they are next-to-skin. Cotton is inherently awful at it; if you like natural fibers try merino wool. I sold my car and bike to work year round. I wear jeans to commute to work sometimes but I'd never not kit up in some Lycra for the regular 60-100 mile rides I go on weekly. If you actually ride you actually wear the right clothes.
>>920305
coming into this thread to urge you to calm down
it's just a discussion about bicycle clothing on the internet.
Yo are you guys really all that insecure?
Nothing is wrong with wearing cycling attire
Nothing is wrong with wanting to look good
Nothing is wrong with not caring
People probably have better things to do than thinking about you, and are not constantly judging you every moment of your commute. Remember, the vast majority of the actions people take and thoughts they have have nothing to do with you. You are not the center of the universe. It's a good thing.
>>919319
>fat people
Me in a nutshell. Feels bad, senpai.
Could you lycrafags be any insufferably greater assholes? You may as well argue that the only reason people don't wear racing suits and shoes when driving is vanity.
>>919049
>the lycra bandit starter pack
Where can I order this?
>>920227
Yeah, wool is great, I agree with you on that. I have a bunch of wool sweaters that I've never washed, and they just smell like wool always, even if I've managed to get pretty sweaty in them. Cotton always ends up soggy and smelly for me, but to a certain degree that's a function of the quality of yarn, thickness, knit, etc of the clothing. Like I said with polyester, some of it (think awful 70s polyester) is really much worse about it than other kinds. I used to do gardening work in a very hot and humid area, and I found that I was much less prone to heat exhaustion in a thin poly shirt than most cotton. Maybe if I had the really thin light ones, but those aren't very durable and I'd get a sunburn in those. Some of it may just be that I live in a different climate than you, so heat and humidity aren't as much a problem in your area as mine. As in, it's often so humid that sweat essentially will not evaporate, and hot enough that you'll sweat just sitting around in the shade.
I know a lot of people complain that their synth cycling kit or other athletic gear reeks, but I've personally never had that problem, nor with casual clothes.
Anyway, I'd recommend that if you have the spare cash, buy some nice merino (or a blend) underwear. I'm going to do the same soon.
>>920498
Driving isn't very physical though. What do you wear when you go running? Or playing football or something?
>>920622
seconding
>>920641
Depends if I'm running across the street or running a 5-kilometre race.
Depends if it's a casual kickabout on the street or if I'm competing with a team in a sanctioned match.
Get the picture?
>>920640
You should still be washing your wool products. Dirty clothes get worn out much faster than clean ones.
![1435995888435[2].png](https://i.imgur.com/N8VHqZj.png "1435995888435[2].png")
>>920706
>implying washing doesn't wear clothes out even faster
>>920699
Yeah. You're a filthy casual who wobbles dangerously down the block once every three weeks when it's between 71 and 74 degrees severe clear. Any time you see someone enjoying himself and being competent, you shake your first with outrage and naturally assume they must be doing it to make you enjoy your training wheels excursion less.
for a scandinavian winter, what kind of clothing should i get?
i dont mind wearing gayass lycra as long as im wearing something else too, like shorts or whatever
>>920845
I've done well with cargos with long johns, normal + woolen socks for legs. Lots of windproof stuff in the top, a gore jacket, windstopper fleece and something pretty thick under those.
Scarf and a hood do miracles for the face freezing in the wind.
Avoid cotton on bottom layers.
The cold usually gets to your fingers first, a pair of good gloves is essential. I've cycled down to -20 degrees with roughly this setup.
So everyone here is suggesting Lycra but whenever that and most other "modern" stretchy fabrics touch my skin the spot it touched breaks out in little oozy welts. What would be my alternative?
>>920861
Merino wool
>>920708
>It's impossible to ride competently without putting on a magic gimp suit
Lycrafag logic, everyone.
>Tfw skinny legs
Goddamn if i wear lycra my legs looks like hot skinny female legs. Pic related
>>920977
>implying this is a problem
>>920967
You have to be competent in order to ride competently, filthy casual. Lycra just makes things more comfortable.
Please stay on the sidewalk where you belong.
>>920977
iktf
still wear tights though
>>920018
Not to sound like a snobby dingus, but the commuter line stuff has really gone downhill since it's launch. I have a really old (~3-4 years?) pair of their khakis that are still kickin, yet the newer pair I bought last year already has the ass/crotch blown out. I'm super disappointed.
>>920982
So salty.
>>920982
>filthy casual
something tells me youre american, call yourself a cyclist, and refer to drivers as cagers
>>921101
Something tells me you're dutch, you ride a rusty death trap you may or may not have accidentally stolen while drunk, and refer to people who take cycling seriously as "autistic" or "sanic" or other words that aren't real outside of 4chan
>>919258
Is it weird walking around with the padding?
For some reason I've always been wary of cycling shorts and pants because of the padding, but I've never even worn any, so I can't make a judgement.
>>920699
You wouldn't train for a 5 k race wearing running shoes, shorts and top? Even if you weren't necessarily training for a race, or planning on racing others - but rather running recreationally/for enjoyment/exercise - you wouldn't wear the appropriate clothes to comfortably run 5 k?
Get the picture?
>>921581
>you wouldn't wear the appropriate clothes to comfortably run 5 k?
If he did that someone might mistake him for a "runner" as opposed to someone who runs.
Get the picture?
>>920707
>keeping garments clean increases wear on them
You've gotta be trolling, m8. r u washing your clothes in a goddamn rock polisher?
>>921582
>Get the picture?
Got it.
>>921581
>it depends
Holy shit, stop posting until you develop some basic literacy skills.
>>921256
You forget the padding is there
>>921256
It depends on the pad. Some of the cheap thick pads are very noticeable.
I just ride in shorts and a tshirt. Some times jeans and a hoodie. I don't want to buy extra stuff that isn't necessary.
I'm riding an $80 chromo 14 speed(8 speed) 90s racer. Put 6000kms on it last year. Cycling is cheap and good for fitness. Theres no need to fall into the consumerist trap of thinking you need things you don't.
>>923170
On the other hand, there is a manifest need for you to re-read the SI Brochure.
>>923170
>14 Speed (8 Speed)
does not compute
>>921113
My cousin has autism, what the fuck is wrong with you? If you don't know what autism is, maybe you should STFU.
I work in Silicon Valley, a lot of people ride to and from the train, the most common pants I see are jeans, then tights without shorts, then tighta with shorts, then sweats.
I would wear whatever you're comfortable with, if that ends up being lycra tights or bibs then just blow off how you look.
>>923279
16 speed (8 speed) my bad. It was a 14 speed then I converted it to 8 speed since the back wheel was already of the newer style. 7 speed downtube shifters work with 8 speed cassettes. The last gear can be a silent click for the lowest cog. Set the last geat using the low limit screw.
>>923284
>my cousin
Sure thing, autismo-kun
>>923170
Casual detected
>>923279
He's obv. taking cross-chaining concerns into account
