Lycra or Normal clothes.

[mjr]

Anyone else favour the sequined ball gown for short jaunts?

Only on the bike with the skirt guard!

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Mostly wear my everyday clothes.
Don't really like padded unless it's a longish ride, 40 miles + for me.
Could be doing several trips in one day that amount to 40 miles, in that case it would be just normal, non cycling specific leggings.
If really wet weather, I might wear a water repellent cycling jacket.

 

[slowmotion]

90% of my time on the bike is spent wearing "normal" clothes, but I nearly always wear a water proof/hi-viz jacket, a helmet and a buff (or two). This renders me invisible to almost everybody in Richmond Park at the weekends.
For rides longer than about 30 miles, I don the lycra, but only under cover of darkness, and with fellow enthusiasts.

 

[screenman]

Never normal clothes, whatever they are. Always cycling kit, I only use the bike for sporting/exercise purposes.

 

[Keith Oates]

Most of the time I wear cycling clothes when riding the bike as it's more comfortable. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[the_mikey]

I wear lycra as it's much more comfortable than whatever 'normal' clothes are.

 

[Dan B]

Lycra dries quicker? Why not wear a coat?

No coat is going to stop my jeans from getting soaked

 

[mick1836]

Which outfit do you prefer?

OR

 

[mjr]

No coat is going to stop my jeans from getting soaked

Something like a Toggi Pembroke would. The lower legs might get wet, but that happens as you walk from the bike anyway. Or you could go with some sort of leg covering (rainlegs, overtrousers) if it's raining.

I guess the lycra/normal choice comes down to some combination of how far you're going to ride, how much you like elastane and how willing you are to change clothes before/after each ride. Other things like razor-blade saddles can be changed if you want to ride in normal clothes.

 

[derrick]

I wear laytex i mean lycra when ever i get the chance.

 

[Dan B]

Something like a Toggi Pembroke would.

I realise this could be construed as moving the goalposts, but I don't think I would view anything like a Toggi Pembroke as "normal clothes": if I have no reason to purchase one that doesn't involve cycling, I think by definition for me it would count as cycling-specific clothing.

Your use cases may of course differ. These are mine, though.

 

[Dan B]

Which outfit do you prefer?

That one on the right looks a bit drafty.

 

[jefmcg]

Coincidentally, the Guardian website has an article today on normal clothing designed for cycling http://www.theguardian.com/environm...mens-cycle-clothing-for-2015-tried-and-tested

And they mentioned Paul Smith has also got into cycling clothing, if anyone feels rapha is too cheap. http://www.paulsmith.co.uk/uk-en/paul-smith-world/focus/paul-smith-531-film-featuring-david-millar

eg, £550

 

[KneesUp]

I am all for riding in normal clothes - I think the more people see other people riding in lycra and replica Sky shirts and so on, the less likely they are to get their bike out and use it as a form of transport rather than as a hobby - and we need people to see a bike as a valid form of transport if we are to get the air cleaner, the roads quieter and people fitter.

That said, I wear lycra long legs from Aldi in the winter because as has been pointed out up-thread, wet jeans take forever to dry and are revolting to ride in - and very heavy. I wear my normal tops, although I do also have a cycling jacket simply because I got too hot in my normal coat, but was too cold without it. The jacket was also from Aldi.

In summer I just ride in shorts and a t-shirt, and if it rains I get wet (I take spare clothes if I'm going somewhere where being wet would be unacceptable).

Similarly I don't have clip-in pedals simply because I don't want to have to faff about getting special shoes on to ride my bike, and when I get off it I want to look like a normal person rather than a jockey who has lost his horse.

 

[mjr]

I realise this could be construed as moving the goalposts, but I don't think I would view anything like a Toggi Pembroke as "normal clothes": if I have no reason to purchase one that doesn't involve cycling, I think by definition for me it would count as cycling-specific clothing.

Yep. I wouldn't regard jeans as normal clothes because they get cold, heavy and irritating when wet even just walking.

My usual coats are a fleece-lined waterproof and/or a long windbreaker. Tops of the legs stay dry. The rest isn't too annoying wet and dries OK.