Shorts or tights

[chillyuk]

I am doing a charity ride on Sunday and expect to be riding for about 3 hours. Rain is forecast so I am expecting the worst. Would I be better wearing tights to retain some warmth in my legs or shorts to allow my legs to drain and dry. I can take both and decide when I get there how conditions look, but would be interested in other's opinions.

 

[Fnaar]

For me it all depends on temperature... if above 14 deg C I'd go for shorts... the wet doesn't really bother me...

 

[Chris.IOW]

For me it all depends on temperature... if above 14 deg C I'd go for shorts... the wet doesn't really bother me...

+1

Have you got leg warmers...best of both worlds.

 

[2Loose]

Shorts. It should be plenty warm enough, even with the rain.

Anyway, there is nothing worse than wet fabric when you change position - fine while actually cycling, but a big 'yukk' when you get off.

 

[italiafirenze]

Shorts. It should be plenty warm enough, even with the rain.

Anyway, there is nothing worse than wet fabric when you change position - fine while actually cycling, but a big 'yukk' when you get off.

Once it gets past April the tights should be confined to the drawer, regardless of temperature. This advice is hemisphere dependent.

 

[david1701]

Once it gets past April the tights should be confined to the drawer, regardless of temperature. This advice is hemisphere dependent.

don't knock night riding, it gets coooollldddd

 

[phil_hg_uk]

+1

Have you got leg warmers...best of both worlds.

+1 shorts with leg or knee warmers (same thing if your a short arse like me )



not like these though

 

[Dan B]

The older I get[*] the more important I find it to keep my knees warm. So I'll often cycle in tights at any temperature up to "I can feel the sun warming my legs"

[*] or maybe just, the more often I fall on them. Will stem cell researchers please hurry up and figure out how to regrow knee cartilage?

 

[Bicycle]

I have knees that are troubled by the cold - a result of youthful motorcycling excess and unsuccessful attempts to re-define the laws of Physics.

So... I wear bib tights almost all year long, lined or unlined.

Shorts only come out when the grass is brown and the footpath to the High Street is littered with the skeletons of dead camels..... not a frequent occurence in Herefordshire.

I've just done a training ride with my daughter and was in tights while she was v happy in shorts.

Also... shorts give me yet another silly tan line.... One for wetsuits, one for cycling shorts, one for short-sleeved tops....

 

[lulubel]

For me, it would depend on whether it was windy. Rain alone doesn't make me cold, but rain and wind together just seems to really make me chilled.

 

[cyberknight]

don't knock night riding, it gets coooollldddd

it was 6 degrees at 5 am , definitely cold enough for tights , i carry an old pair old running tights that pack down really small just in case .

 

[david1701]

only time I've used mountaineering kit on a bike was riding at night

 

[jayonabike]

I really feel the cold and hate it, so I wear longs most of the year. I don't own a pair of shorts, if it's really hot then I wear 3/4 lengths as I still like to keep my knees covered.

 

[Bluebell72]

Shorts about 9 months of the year for me.

They dry faster than longs and when you're really wet, the bit behind the knee doesn't dry so fast - I hate that, and of course it stays cold.

Skin; drip-dry, non-iron, non-wring brilliance!

 

[zacklaws]

I did a long ride in the hills today, the average temperature was 12.3c, and it was freezing. I could not even blame the wind speed as it only averaged 5mph. Usually above 10c I wear shorts, but today I wished I had my 3/4's on.

Even my poor "little man" had shrivelled up with the cold when I went for a shower