How do I look from behind? [Archive] - Women's Cycling Discussion Forums

RolliePollie

12-28-2008, 06:12 PM

Has anyone else ever wondered this? Or am I just super self conscious and paranoid?

I'm not exactly thin and I can't believe I actually wear spandex. I've always wondered just how scary I look from behind when I'm on my road bike. I mean, when I'm out riding and I come up behind someone, I can't help but notice their behind (especially if it's a nice tight male one). So it makes me wonder how mine looks. Well, I figured out a way to find out! I have a full length mirror leaned up against the wall behind my bedroom door, so I moved it directly behind my trainer. Then I got a hand mirror, got on the trainer, and checked out my...ahem...arse in the mirror. I must say, it was much less horrifying than I expected! Certainly not a magnificent sight to behold, but I feel better now knowing that my rump looks much better than I expected!

I can't believe I just admitted to this :o

Biciclista

12-28-2008, 06:25 PM

and I thought we were talking about what kind of mirrors to wear on our helmets!

MauiRockHopper

12-28-2008, 06:28 PM

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/tumbleweedrealtymaui/girdle.jpg
I just saw a commercial selling those body girdles by Kymaro (http://www.ubuyez.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=31&gclid=CIqJ_dTu5JcCFRNOagod7nd_Cw), makes you look 2 to 4 sizes smaller! I was laughing my butt off because it just redistributes the lumps somewhere else (usually pushes it up to your bust). Just think, if you were to buy one and lured someone to go home with you, what happens when they actually touch you or you take off the girdle!?!?!

Anyhow I do know where you are coming from because I have a voluptuous figure too. I have high hopes of trimming down from riding my bike and now I just got a heart rate monitor so I can really kick up my workouts.

I read that wearing a bib helps reduce rolls around the waist, but it looks like a pain to take off if you have to pee.

kjay

12-28-2008, 06:31 PM

Pedal Wench

12-28-2008, 06:37 PM

That's great!

I had the opposite. Kinda thought I wouldn't look too bad. But, after our first bike trip, when my BF took about 200 pictures of my bottom, I realized that I don't look nearly as cute as I thought I did.:o

smurfalicious

12-28-2008, 06:43 PM

I had the opposite. Kinda thought I wouldn't look too bad. But, after our first bike trip, when my BF took about 200 pictures of my bottom, I realized that I don't look nearly as cute as I thought I did.:o

Oh, you're not alone. I was forced to participate in this photo shoot for work to get some "fall colors" stock photos. I was crying the night before and the morning of because I did not want to do it. So as it turns out there are shots of me from behind and insult to injury I'm next to my super skinny coworker. Yeah, what looks great in jeans does not carry over to bent over in spandex.
*sigh* Hot racer boys don't make passes at slow pedaling girls with fat a**es.

RolliePollie

12-28-2008, 06:46 PM

RolliePollie, you sure made me chuckle. I have a hunch there are a number of gals out here who wonder the same thing but probably just haven't voiced it. It has occurred to me, but I don't want to know how I look.

You never know...it might not be as bad as you think! I was expecting sheer horror, but my first reaction was more like "huh...well, that's a relief" because my imagination had pictured something much, much, MUCH worse.

I told a male cycling friend about my mirror experiment and he fell on the floor laughing. I suggested he try it...the last time I rode with him, his shorts were so worn out I could see his bare bottom right through them!

Tokie

12-28-2008, 06:57 PM

Ah now Smurf, there is someone for everyone! I have a cycling friend with very generous hips and her devoted husband is a skinny little guy. My how do I look from behind moment came when I got a narrower saddle. I had to ask my DH - does this saddle make my butt look bigger? He just laughed. Of course, when I bought my silver cycling shoes, I also asked the guy at the store if they made my feet look bigger (since they weren't black) he just laughed too. I don't think men think of these things! And some men just love big (fill in the blank) on women! We are supposed to have the womanly curves, after all! Don't tell yourself that you are going to be overlooked - just be your loveable self. You never know what your true love may look like either! Tokie

Biciclista

12-28-2008, 07:24 PM

beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I'd be willing to bet that my DH would love being behind any of you gals on your bikes. :cool:

smurfalicious

12-28-2008, 08:05 PM

Ah now Smurf, there is someone for everyone! I have a cycling friend with very generous hips and her devoted husband is a skinny little guy.

Oh, I've never had a problem reeling in the tall skinny boys I adore so much I just feel pudgy right now. I started losing a heap of weight this summer and then decided to give up nicotine so I ate everything in sight for a while. So I'm less likely to develop cancer, but if I'm going to build a harem of skinny climber boys like my boss jokes about, well I need to stop slacking.

And in my defense the pics were more of a 3/4 shot and since black offers little in the way of definition it made me look like I was all butt.

Okay, in looking back at those pics, not so awful. It says "Custom Bike Love" above my hips so perhaps that serves as a distraction. Coworker is crazy skinny and also not of sauerkraut heritage therefore she does not have potato pickin', birthin' hips.

My friends used to have a little "game" we'd play when we got down on ourselves. We called it the gene pool game. The idea was, if you could have a new body but you had 50/50 odds of being smoking hot or butt ugly would you take it, or keep the one you have? That usually puts it back in perspective.

msincredible

12-28-2008, 08:09 PM

beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I'd be willing to bet that my DH would love being behind any of you gals on your bikes. :cool:

My DH once suggested a women's cycling jersey.

On the back it would say:
"Stuck behind me?
Enjoy the view."

:p

fidlfreek

12-28-2008, 09:34 PM

JUST FYI, on a tshirt ride last summer I was behind a woman whose shorts had seen maybe a season too much of riding. They were a little threadbare and you could see through them. SEE THROUGH SPANDEX. I could see her crack clear as day.

SO danger. and yes, look at yourself in a mirror from behind in bright light every once in a while.

I COULD SEE HER CRACK! AAAAAHHH

smurfalicious

12-28-2008, 09:36 PM

I COULD SEE HER CRACK! AAAAAHHH

I can no longer resist:

http://crappyoldbike.blogspot.com/2008/10/pass-brain-bleach.html

Miranda

12-28-2008, 11:07 PM

I can no longer resist:

http://crappyoldbike.blogspot.com/2008/10/pass-brain-bleach.html

That was quite a funny read!

There a couple brands of expensive styled "muscle compression" shorts that I have put on NEW in a well lit area and been able to slightly see through them:eek:. My first thought was... omg, I don't care HOW much they are suppose to help my muscles, I'm not riding looking like a porn star:rolleyes:.. no thx, no sale.

As far as how we look from behind in general... I've always been happy bike shorts were black... dark colors being slimming:o;).

EDIT: OP... oh, btw... on the embarrassment factor thing, gheez... look at ME... I've been in public store dressing rooms bent over in a yoga pose checking out shorts in mirrors... wonder if it puzzles the shop boys as to what I'm doing in there?:rolleyes:

Crankin

12-29-2008, 04:28 AM

On the ah, threadbare shorts. Two years ago, my husband and I were leading a ride that my friend had lead for years. We split the group into 2 groups; I was sweeping the faster group and she was leading the slower group. In front of me was one of her friends, a guy we had met twice. His shorts were sooooo worn out I could see everything. No one, including my friend's husband who has known this guy for many years, would tell him to get new shorts.
Last summer, I went on a ride with same friend. Her husband had bought her a very expensive Exte Ondo outfit; shorts and a matching sleeveless top. Well, usually I am riding in front, but at one point she was in front of me. Her new shorts had that mesh material on the top rear of the shorts, but, it went down really low and the top was riding up a bit. I had to tell her not to wear that outfit on a group ride!

Dogmama

12-29-2008, 04:56 AM

Here's the view from my side...(pun intended)

You're on your bike. Hooray for you!!! You are taking care of your health, getting into the fresh air and having fun. Who gives a flip what you look like from behind? They lay you in the casket face up anyway, so don't worry about the behind view.

I did limited shopping in the mall this holiday season. Talk about some bad rear views! And then there's the fast food court, cookie stands along the mall corridors, etc., just beckoning us. And here you are - on your bike! Three cheers!

BleeckerSt_Girl

12-29-2008, 07:11 AM

This thread is just too funny! I love everyone's input! :D

Yeah I wouldn't mind looking a bit more buff, but DH assures me that he loves the view from behind me no matter who it looks to anyone else, so I really don't care what others might see or think. If DH loves my rear view, that's good enough for me! :D

I noticed something weird though the other day-
When we were taking photos of each other riding our bikes, the first batch was taken with DH's digital camera. I was horrified- I looked so much heavier and blobby that I 'thought' i looked! The photos were not so great anyway, so I jokingly said the next day we would take the pictures all over again but this time we'd use MY digital camera, which would naturally favor how I looked.
Well we did just that, wore the same clothes, same sunny lighting, same distance, etc....and you know, I looked WAY better in the pix taken by my pink camera! I looked less heavy, more curvy and more muscle-y. It was weird! :D Needless to say, we used THOSE pictures.

OakLeaf

12-29-2008, 07:26 AM

I'm too old to care who looks at my butt while I'm on the bici, and I don't too much care what I see of other people's butts, but if I can see the hair on a guy's @ss, his shorts are too thin. That's where I draw the line. :p

Aggie_Ama

12-29-2008, 08:14 AM

My husband took lots of pictures when we were riding in New Mexico and I was a bit shocked at how wide my dang hips are. Needless to say I am not that overweight but I don't look like a weight weenie racer. Oh well, I am not going to stop wearing spandex because my hips are huge and therefore I got a wide load in the back. :p

MomOnBike

12-29-2008, 08:23 AM

And this my dear friends is why I ride a recumbent. My (ahem) generous back side is snuggled into the seat and out of public view.

Being a tad lower than those of you on uprights, though, I seem to get a better view of the worn bike shorts - and what they are (not) covering. Bleh.

GLC1968

12-29-2008, 10:38 AM

This thread cracks me up! (no pun intended!)

The first time I saw a photo of me on my bike, I was horrified. I think I'd convinced myself that all the biking I was doing had magically transformed my short, muscular 'stocky' body into some TdF lean machine. Duh. Of course not!

In fact, I'd say that I look better in bike shorts than I do in regular pants and jeans! Bike shorts show muscle...pants and jeans just show size.

I remember one time riding with a friend of mine who was new to biking. My H and I took her under our wing and helped her learn the group riding thing. She was thin and fairly athletic, but built totally different from me. She was my height, but probably wore a size 4 jean while I wore an 8 or a 10. After one of the rides, I asked my H if I looked anything like her from behind. He said "Oh god no...your rear is WAY tighter...you look 100% more fit than she does!". Here I thought I was too large and all the time, he was noticing how flabby she was in comparison to me. No wonder I love this guy! :p

Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder!

Tuckervill

12-29-2008, 11:25 AM

There's a guy on our rides who wears an ancient kit--we know it's ancient because the team doesn't exist anymore. You can see his crack through the shorts now. I'm going to have to say something if he's still wearing it this season. He can wear the new stuff for his new team!

Karen

Selkie

12-29-2008, 11:46 AM

I have a big strong booty and muscular thighs but am otherwise petite. Riding had does wonders for my bum, so I think you should just take pride in your back side! Better that than a boney azz. ;)

Who cares what other people think? We all have fault, and those are what make us interesting.

michelem

12-29-2008, 06:22 PM

I suggested he try it...the last time I rode with him, his shorts were so worn out I could see his bare bottom right through them!

This happened on my first organized ride. A scary sight! :eek:

RoadRaven

12-30-2008, 11:33 PM

and I thought we were talking about what kind of mirrors to wear on our helmets!

LOL - me too!

I often wonder how I look in bike shorts from behind compared with women my age... but its no biggie (pun not intended) and doesn't really bother me.

If it bothered me I would wear a skort - or just never wear lycra!

Grits

12-31-2008, 08:52 AM

Gee, thanks for bringing something I never even thought about before into my consciousness! :p

Actually, this has been a fun thread to read. I enjoyed the Crappy Old Bike blog about her harrowing experience. Be careful who you ride behind!

beccaB

12-31-2008, 08:59 AM

redrhodie

12-31-2008, 09:58 AM

Someone took a picture of me at Girl Scout camp when I was a girl scout leader. I don't think the picture was supposed to be about "Becky's Butt" but that's about all you could focus on. I had Khaki shorts on and a denim shirt. I am not especially large or small, about a normal size 10. That was the most unflattering pix of me ever, I was bent over picking up something off the ground. I thought OMG, who's butt is that, 'till I realized it was MINE!

I had a very similar experience. I was helping little kids make kites at a church where my mother worked, and a picture of me bent over ended up on the bulletin board. My mother came home from work and from the way she described it, I knew it was bad. I was appalled when I went to see it. I seem to remember it mysteriouly disappeared.

As awful as the moment of seeing it was, that picture really changed my life. That was the day I stopped eating meat, and started exercising. It was 1986, I lost 25lbs, and never gained them back.

arielmoon

12-31-2008, 10:02 AM

You never know...it might not be as bad as you think! I was expecting sheer horror, but my first reaction was more like "huh...well, that's a relief" because my imagination had pictured something much, much, MUCH worse.

I told a male cycling friend about my mirror experiment and he fell on the floor laughing. I suggested he try it...the last time I rode with him, his shorts were so worn out I could see his bare bottom right through them!

My BF has threadbare shorts that allow me to see his birthmark when he bends over.

I bought him a new pair of shorts for Christmas!:p

MauiRockHopper

12-31-2008, 06:15 PM

deedolce

12-31-2008, 06:53 PM

Funny thread...I've had those 'ooh, my eyes!!' moments myself - and it was an old guy's bony behind - I don't think I would have minded half so much if it was one of those younger, tight, male roadie behinds! :D

My bf also seems to enjoy the view- in my mind, I'm pulling and setting a good pace, only to find out, he's back there with a happy smile on his face! (I DO have a mirror, you know!)

BleeckerSt_Girl

12-31-2008, 07:30 PM

My BF has threadbare shorts that allow me to see his birthmark when he bends over.

Are you so sure that's his birthmark?? :eek: :D

My bf also seems to enjoy the view- in my mind, I'm pulling and setting a good pace, only to find out, he's back there with a happy smile on his face! (I DO have a mirror, you know!)

Same here! In my helmet mirror! :p

RoadRaven

01-01-2009, 09:52 AM

This happened on my first organized ride. A scary sight! :eek:

You know whats scarier than too much information from behind?

Too much information from in front!!!

A guy new to our club at a club criterium in November chatting to me (on marshalling duty) while waiting for his race... I glance down to see what brand his shorts are - big panel down the side - and guess what I can see just to the right of the chamois stitching? Pubic hair... garrgghh... I have nothing against the hair itself, but it did look rather gross under the circumstances...

He had a hole in his shorts where the fabric had thinned and ripped away from the chamois...

Sorry to get side-tracked... back to your usual channel now...

Trek420

01-01-2009, 10:00 AM

Don't worry about the view. If they see it, means you passed them :D

OakLeaf

01-01-2009, 10:26 AM

Pubic hair... garrgghh...

Another reason to keep the whole lawn mowed, not just where it might chafe... it does have a tendency to work its way through Lycra above the chamois... :o

DebTX

01-01-2009, 12:39 PM

Never even thought about the rear view, a nightmare to consider :eek::eek::eek:

When I see pics of myself on the bike, I mostly hate the stomach roll that is the result of elastic waist bike shorts coupled with a ninety degree body fold (compounded by 20+ pounds of extra weight, which is really the culprit :mad:).

denny

01-01-2009, 02:53 PM

I can no longer resist:

http://crappyoldbike.blogspot.com/2008/10/pass-brain-bleach.html

Thanks for the laugh with this link. It was downright hilarious!:D

MauiRockHopper

01-03-2009, 10:16 PM

You know whats scarier than too much information from behind?

Too much information from in front!!!

A guy new to our club at a club criterium in November chatting to me (on marshalling duty) while waiting for his race... I glance down to see what brand his shorts are - big panel down the side - and guess what I can see just to the right of the chamois stitching? Pubic hair... garrgghh... I have nothing against the hair itself, but it did look rather gross under the circumstances...

He had a hole in his shorts where the fabric had thinned and ripped away from the chamois...

Sorry to get side-tracked... back to your usual channel now...

So was he a natural blonde?!!? LOL