Question for Road Bike Users Re: Short Rides

[adscrim]

My commute is 4 miles each way and it's shirt and trousers every day. Today it's Vulpine's excellent summer trousers and a Rapha shirt though, so somewhat cycling specific.

 

[Steady]

Lycra, just because it's comfortable to wear.

It's only throwing on shorts and a jersey at the moment, so it's not really that difficult to change into no matter the length of the ride.

 

[Big_Dave]

cycling gear for me, lycra shorts and jersey. In winter I'll stick a micro fleece jumper on as a base layer, beanie at under the helmet and neck tube on as well

 

[John the Monkey]

Everyone is different.

My comfort point for "normal" clothes is up to about 10 miles; as you see from the posts above, other people have a different limit, and you probably do too.

do what you like.

 

[BrumJim]

Depends on how hard I'm riding. If I'm on my own, I'll probably don Lycra for anything above 4 miles, and consider it for anything above 2. However if I'm riding casually with others, the thresholds rise. I probably wouldn't consider normal clothes in any case if riding more than 15 miles.

 

[swansonj]

I did my first few hundred mile rides as a student wearing exactly what I wore to the lab every other day of the week - normal trousers, underpants, shirt, bog standard trainers, and a cotton sweatshirt, that being before the days of fleeces. No one told me cycling had to be special so I just got on the bike and cycled. The summer I finished as a student, I cycled LeJog wearing exactly the same.

 

[tadpole]

Any gear I ride in is “proper cycling” gear, but what do I know? I have only two bike (and nothing on either of them is made from carbon) and buy most of my cycling related stuff from Aldi or Chain Reaction so I’m not a real cyclist (I’m not, really I’m not, I just commute 21 miles every day by bike)

 

[w00hoo_kent]

Does proper cycling gear make you go faster?

Of course it does, especially if it's coordinated, and just like the pros wear, with the sponsors logos and everything, then for a bit of extra speed make sure you have the same make of bike, all of the kit is designed to work together in perfect harmony to get those small gains you keep hearing about, make sure all of the extra bits on your bike are white, this gives an edge, bar tape, seat. Once you've got that all together you can finish your Greggs and hit PB's everywhere :-)

I find cycle kit deals with my sweaty awfulness better and is more comfortable to wear, especially as the distance goes up. In all truth, that final bit probably does make me faster, but only because I'm actually cycling rather than fidgeting around or standing by the side of the road waiting for my bum to wake up.

 

[numbnuts]

Shortest ride to supermarket 2.5 miles full Lycra

 

[w00hoo_kent]

Shortest ride to supermarket 2.5 miles full Lycra

For the laydeez...

(sorry, I tried to resist, I really did :-) )

 

[jnrmczip]

Always the lycra just makes the cycle easier and more enjoyable as your not to hot and can move easy. I did try jeans before but movement is restricted and hills ten times worse.

 

[winjim]

Commutes done in padded baggies, blatting around on the weekend in full lycra, obviously.

Don't really use the bike for the sort of rides where I would wear normal clothing.

 

[hatwell]

I wear "normal clothes" (jeans and t shirt) for any ride that's just to get me somewhere - work/the shops/meeting friends/whatever.

I only wear "gear" if I'm going on a bike ride for the sake of going on a bike ride.

All of this is done on a road bike cos it's the only bike I've got. Am I doing it wrong? It's much more fun burning up men in Lycra on my commute when I'm just wearing jeans. Even more fun if I'm wearing a skirt.

 

[the_mikey]

If I'm riding the road bike for excersise then I will wear lycra bib shorts and a jersey.

Other option:
Folding bike: wear whatever I feel like wearing.

 

[rb58]

Budgie smugglers. [Those of you who know me will now be reaching for the mind bleach]