Loose Clothing?

On the Rivendell site they have an explanation of their approach to clothing.

It includes the following:

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If you have any doubts that you can ride in normal clothing, consider that 200 million people worldwide do it every day. So it comes down to clothing for "serious, performance cycling," and that's when the clothing starts to look and feel funny. Based on the snug-fitting clothing of the famous comic book superheros, cycling clothing has continued to devolve to its current state, which is: Nobody in his or her right mind would wear the costume if they were the only ones.* That says something about it.

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*Ain't that the truth!

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We sell bike jerseys, and like them and wear them ourselves, when it’s appropriate or we just feel like it. The rear pockets are handy, but not essential, and a bag on a bike almost always carries whatever the pocket can carry, and does it better. Pockets are for getting at stuff while pedaling a bike that has no bags. Or, if you’re just going out for a short ride, a snack and a repair kit fit nicely in jersey pockets. Jerseys are good, but you don’t have to wear one all the time.

Starting now, we have our own line of bike clothing that doesn’t look like bike clothing, but works great for riding. It’s MUSA, and MUSA stands for Made In the U.S.A. So far the MUSA collection includes a top and two bottoms that are perfect for the cycling conditions for which they were designed, and don’t tag you as a cycler when you’re not around a bike. We’ll add to the MUSA ranges slowly as finances allow and there seems to be a need. Probably a rainshell will come next, or knickers.

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Their clothes are baggy. The shirt is an oversized seersucker that is supposed to be very cool for summertime.

I'm just curious -- what do y'all think about it? Do you only ride seriously so are all about spandex? Or do you also ride recreationally and utility and still like spandex?

In a related aside, in an effort to find something longsleeved, lightweight and UV-protective I have worn one of my guide shirts (similar to this) over my cycling shorts and found it very loose and cool and comfortable, and it protected my arms really well. (It hasn't gotten hot here yet, though, so the jury is still out on how it will work in the heat of the summer.)

So, opinions? Anybody up for baggy seersucker?

By the way, I am not able to ride even short distances without padding, so if I were to wear regular clothes, I'd still have to have the padded underwear with it.

I haven't raced in 30 years, and don't do the hi-tech cycling getup-plastered-with-logos thing. I like cotton or cotton/lycra, and I like it on the loose side (sports bra excepted). My tights and shorts are cycling-specific lycra blend from the bike shop, a little loose fitting; my t-shirts are regular off-the-shelf cotton T's from my favourite clothing store. Somehow I do manage to buy ones that match my bikes' colours. :rolleyes:

Can't handle tight fitting clothes, no matter what fabric. The only downside I've found to loose fitting/baggy cycling clothes is wasps and bees can get in and sting in unfortunate places. (usually flying downhill at terminal velocity.....I've had bee-vs-boob encounters at least once a summer lately :( )

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Originally Posted by Popoki_Nui

I haven't raced in 30 years, and don't do the hi-tech cycling getup-plastered-with-logos thing. I like cotton or cotton/lycra, and I like it on the loose side (sports bra excepted). My tights and shorts are cycling-specific lycra blend from the bike shop, a little loose fitting; my t-shirts are regular off-the-shelf cotton T's from my favourite clothing store. Somehow I do manage to buy ones that match my bikes' colours. :rolleyes:

Can't handle tight fitting clothes, no matter what fabric. The only downside I've found to loose fitting/baggy cycling clothes is wasps and bees can get in and sting in unfortunate places. (usually flying downhill at terminal velocity.....I've had bee-vs-boob encounters at least once a summer lately :( )

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HAHA, OUCH sorry, don't mean to laugh, but the visual of that this just to funny.

I was having a problem with finding tops and bottoms. I'm broad shouldered, small waisted and pretty full hipped....:( I got a Mt Borah jersy and it actually fits pretty good, just wish it was smaller in the waist. However, I made the mistake of buying some cycling bibs and they are tight and I don't know if I'm gonna like them.

I have a pair of the Rivendell MUSA pants. (I think I wrote a review somewhere, too.)

They are very comfortable to ride in! I wear them on my commute to work, wear them at work, wear them on the commute home.

For longer rides I've worn bike shorts under them.

I've also worn baggy cotton shorts over my bike shorts, and those were fine. And loose skorts.

I wear wool knit shirts when I ride. Plain ol' Ibex long sleeved t-shirts or t-necks. If it's really hot I wear a bra-top with a loose baggy long-sleeved nylon sunblock shirt over it. (made by Kokotat)

Works for me!

I find it more comfortable to wear loose clothes while riding. For most of my shorter rides, under 15 miles, I usually wear my regular clothes with or without bike shorts underneath. Sometimes bike shorts alone, but I'll carry something to put over them if I'm planning to go in somewhere. I've even ridden in jeans which I have to make sure are loose enough in the thigh. For loose pants I have to make sure that there isn't anything that is likely to catch on/in anything. For longer rides, I like to wear my jerseys so that I can keep snacks and lip balm within an easy reach.

Much as I admire Grant Peterson of Rivendell, I don't take everything he says as gospel.

I wear what is comfortable for me. And, I find lycra cycling shorts to be comfortable, so I wear them. I wear wool tops, armwarmers, and legwarmers when it's cold out, but when it warms up, I switch to regular cycling jerseys, generally sleeveless.

Grant had a column in the Rivendell Reader a short time ago where he challenged riders to do a ride without gloves or sunglasses. Sorry, Grant darlin', I'll keep wearing my gloves because they keep my hands comfy and will hopefully keep them from getting cut up if I ever fall (and they come so in handy when my nose is running). And since I wear contacts, I'll almost always wear either sunglasses or clear lenses.

It's easy to recognize Grant toodling up Mt. Diablo. He'll usually be wearing a floppy brimmed hat, seersucker shirt, baggy shorts, and Converse All-Star sneakers. And he'll be going faster than about 90% of the folks climbing that freakin' hill :D

Anyhoo, all that I'm saying is, wear seersucker if that's what you want to wear. Wear lycra if that's what you want to wear. Simple, eh?

One of the issues is sole stiffness. There’s a misconception (lie) that cycling shoes need to have super stiff soles. They do if the pedals are tiny, like some clipless pedals, because the pedaling force is so concentrated. But if you use a wider pedal, it’s not that important that your shoe be super stiff. Actually, I (Grant) much prefer a sole that lets me feel the pedal, not painfully, but enough to know where it is under my foot. That’s an important thing to know when you’re not connected to the pedal.


The shoes I prefer for cycling are a pair of Hush Puppies. I think they're possibly aerobic shoes. Nice soft leather on the upper and they have a rubber sole which doesn't slip off the pedals and seem to grip the pedals quite nicely.

At the moment my favourite cycling gear is just my cotton T-shirts with a fleece over the top if it's cool. I wear narrow legged tracksuit bottoms (don't know what you call them in the USA - tights maybe?) which are comfortable and don't snag the crank case. If I jump on the bike wearing jeans I've got a wonderful pair of reflective cycle clips to stop the jeans bottoms flapping about.

I do have a pair of shorts but am not overly keen on them.

Mind you, when bikes ruled the road, people didn't have "cycling clothes" and just wore normal clothes.

Like most people I prefer to wear what I'm comfy in:D

I find the cycling shorts comfy, too. I do think looser tops are more comfortable, though. I just found it an interesting concept, since it pretty much flies in the face of standard advice.

Seersucker tempts me. It is the traditional summer fabric, but then, like other cotton, it might get too clingy and clammy when it's wet. Not sure about that.

Seersucker is supposedly a lot cooler than regular cotton. Worth a try.

My husband has been talking about getting a seersucker shirt for summer riding, either from Riv or elsewhere. He wears baggy tops when riding, either loose-fitting wool jerseys (lighter weight ones in the summer) or mtn bike style jerseys. He can't stand anything snug on top. Plus loose tops camouflage his belly :D

He still wears the lycra shorts though; he didn't ride with lycra shorts for quite some time, but then once he tried them he liked 'em and now always wears the lycra shorts for any sort of distance ride.

I used to laugh at cycling shorts (HA-ha!) but now I see them as a necessity. as for jerseys, I like the pockets in the back for chapstick, gum, car key and mad money. I also like the jerseys because not much else comes in hi-vis yellow.

But wearing a Discovery channel jersey? Well...

I like performance clothing usually in sport fabrics. I don't even like running (when I used to run) in a huge T. I certainly don't want any extra fabric to worry about on the bottom. Plus, my racing saddle isn't super comfy for riding without the right bottoms. Cotton retains sweat. I'd rather be in some semi-dry UnderArmour than in a sogged cotton Tshirt.

I will use a bag, but I also like having things in pockets that are easier to access. I like that jerseys zip.

As for sole stiffness, there's much greater efficiency of power transfer in using a stiff sole. It also helps to stabilize the foot which can be important for people with biomechanical injuries, as it allows them to retain proper leg alignment.

If I were out riding around on a beach cruiser, then I wouldn't need much athletic apparel, but I still don't like my clothes to be very loose.

I can't put in the miles unless I am wearing the right type of clothing. Street clothing or loose fitting clothing might be fine for shorter rides under 15 miles, but I can't remember the last time I did a ride that short. I wear spandex shorts or knickers, and cycling jerseys. The jerseys are semi-loose to tight.

Darcy

Yeah, performance fabrics and bike clothes for me, too. I sweat buckets and get chilled and clammy in soaking wet cotton. And I just hate to flap and billow, too.

Cycling has given me an entire community of friends, most of whom have only ever seen me dressed like a sweaty sausage with no makeup and really, really bad hair. I love it! :D

All my touring ( 3 month stint in NZ and two 2 month tours in USA and Europe and various shorter tours) and my 2 years messengering in London I wore totally regular clothes - cotton or denim shorts and cotton shirts (with associated rain-gear as necessary). No helmet - it was the late 70's-early 80's and nothing was going to happen to any of us!
Only started wearing lycra padded shorts after I had had the babies. I wear thin nylon running-type shorts over them as I feel naked otherwise. Tops I wear sporty wicking-fabric shirts. On my feet boring running shoes with a stiff sole.
Money, you know. If I had more I would buy more. Also I live in a very small place outside a small town and do not buy on the internet for various good reasons (like I'm scared it might lead to needing "plastic surgery" , lol!)

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Originally Posted by Python

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Like most people I prefer to wear what I'm comfy in:D

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I agree. But though I can be "comfy all day in jeans and a loose cotten pullover, this would be very uncomfortable for me on a 40 mile ride. The big jeans seams would kill my crotch, and the loose top would be flapping all over me in the wind and driving me crazy. I find jeans to be very restrictive to my leg movements, particularly my knees, even when they are relaxed fit. I also dislike jeans for walking and hiking for that reason. I feel more comfortable and move better when I am not distracted by chafing and flapping clothes. Love my stretch bike knickers and shorts, whether wool or lycra, love my plain comfy thin wool tops that fit me right.

I think baggy shorts would be frustrating. If there was a wind, they'd be flapping and even the thought of a bee, well, :eek:

When I first started, I thought the whole "cycling accessory thing" was dorky. I wore a t-shirt and lycra shorts. During the summer, I'd be drenched in sweat and I needed pockets. I got a jersey and haven't looked back :D I have some creative jerseys that I've acquired over time. With the shoes, I need the stiff sole. When I did spin class, before I got shoes with SPDs, I wore aerobics shoes. It killed my feet because I'd put pressure on the ball of my feet but it wouldn't transfer. I don't know if that makes sense or not?

I don't know. I remember way back when I was young and would go ride the 10-speed for fun. I wore jeans and normal shoes and remember those things to tie around your leg so your pants don't get caught in the chain?? I don't know what changed but now I need chamois and cleats :)

Ah, those were the days- just get on your bike and ride!
Now it takes a half hour just to get dressed.

I tend to wear my tracksuit bottoms which are tight fitting and have flat seams. I take my business suits to work and change there. They're fairly crush-proof so I just backpack them.

I'm not keen on wearing jeans because of the thick seams when I'm out with the bike, although if I'm just nipping up to the local shop I don't mind.

My biggest problem is getting clothes to fit me as I'm very small. My LBS was getting a new delivery of cycle clothing so I'll be popping in there in Monday after I finish work to see what they have. It's not too warm here yet but when it does get warmer I will be wearing cycle shorts. I have a cycle T-shirt with wicking fabric but I haven't tried it out yet.

Although sunny, the last few days have had a chill wind so I've been wearing my fleecy zip up top.

Roll on summer:D

Form fitting cycling clothes for me. I deal with all the regular clothing on my commute to work! Holding one edge of my skirt demurely to keep it from the clothes-gnashing chain or rolling up one pant leg, flapping clothes and scarves...ack. When I cyle I just want to worry about the road and traffic, not about clothes mishaps. lol. I prefer tanks too, rather than sleeves. Even sleeves bother me! Unless it's like a 5-6 hour ride, and I need to protect my shoulders from the sun.

Bike shoes, cuz my feet hurt when I wear "ordinary" shoes on a bike. Been wearing my shoes longer than I've had the clipless pedals, and yeah, I love the pedals. The concept made incredibly good sense to me right from the beginning....

Lycra shorts with padding -- it's not pretty, but yes, I wear the lycra. Used to wear it when I would go to the gym on a regular basis too, and it wasn't pretty then either. Why do I give up on looking half-ways presentable? The lycra holds my parts together. Never mind clothes flapping in the breeze -- it's REALLY uncomfortable when my body parts are flapping as I ride!

Shirts -- can't find jerseys I really like, but the Champion tops that I can get at Target work really well for me, even though there aren't any pockets...

Sunglasses -- don't need no bugs in my eyes, DO need UV protection for my eyes!

Socks gotta fit in my shoes with my feet, and not get soggy. That's the only requirement I have for socks...

Helmet -- and under that, one of those headsweats head bands, cuz my head is the part of me that sweats the most, and it's no fun when the sweat runs in my eyes...

Karen in Boise

I guess I see all the lycra and spandex of a cycling kit to be functional for the activity, same for any other activity. Sure, some can go out in cotton or whatever and be perfectly happy. I have found am not one of those! When I was running, you bet I was in running shorts with the Underoos sewn in. They did the job. Same now with the bike togs and the funny wrap-around sunglasses. Funny how as kids we'd just jump on our bikes and go!

*Slightly off topic...*
Hey, Kano, have you been to the new Sierra Trading Post here in Meridian? They have a bunch of jerseys for guys and gals. Cheaper than the LBSs as well.

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Originally Posted by zencentury

Ah, those were the days- just get on your bike and ride!
Now it takes a half hour just to get dressed.

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Haha! I love it! I was at my grandparents' house for a late family lunch around thanksgiving or christmas, and they said I should take my bike for a spin around the "block" (10mi) before it got dark. Well I had to break out the spandex and the warmers and everything. And my grandmother said, "Well, if this were a race, you would've missed it!" because it was taking me a while to get my gear together. I wasn't even taking any food or anything on this ride. Haha.

When I was a kid, I'd just throw on some Keds and grab my beach cruiser and head out the door.

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Originally Posted by Kano

Lycra shorts with padding -- it's not pretty, but yes, I wear the lycra. Used to wear it when I would go to the gym on a regular basis too, and it wasn't pretty then either. Why do I give up on looking half-ways presentable? The lycra holds my parts together. Never mind clothes flapping in the breeze -- it's REALLY uncomfortable when my body parts are flapping as I ride!
Karen in Boise

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Oh my god TOO FUNNY. :eek: :eek: :eek: :D :D :D

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Originally Posted by Tater

*Slightly off topic...*
Hey, Kano, have you been to the new Sierra Trading Post here in Meridian? They have a bunch of jerseys for guys and gals. Cheaper than the LBSs as well.

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Not yet, Tater! Have you been to the new bike shop where the old George's in Meridian was? I haven't, but I noticed it when I drove by the other day. Meridian Cycle, I think?

Just told DH you've suggested Sierra Trading Post -- I've been wanting to go just cuz it's new!

Visited the new George's today -- picked up shorts and gloves, he got a jersey, gloves and a new saddle to try out! (expensive new spoke on his back tire, eh?)

Karen in Boise

...on what I'm doing. My road bike stays with me in Western Mass, I've been known to wear 'street clothes' when riding this bike even though it screams for cycling wear. I've gotten some odd looks from other roadies when I'm dressed like this, but, oh well...I'm usually off running errands and have my messenger bag strapped to my back. No need for the padded shorts underneath with the brooks saddle.

I do like jerseys b/c of the back pockets and on long rides and do wear the padded shorts. I usually wear the cycling clothes when I'm going over 20 miles and am not running errands.


my beater bike: just my street clothes. this bike has a rack on the back and panniers for grocery shopping.

I do own a searsucker shirt...it is great in the summer--gives me sun protection and keeps me cool. billows a lot when it is windy, though.

I prefer to wear cycling specific clothing, and most of it is on the tighter side. Most of my jerseys--although not all--stay drier and are better ventilated than your avergage cotton t-shirt. I'm a "sweater" so that's important to me. I also utiltize my back packet for things like kleenex, maps and food. My bike pack is usually full with other things, so the pockets help.

I also don't like the feel of excess fabric blowing in a stiff wind so my jerseys fit close to my body and, in summer, I tend to wear sleeveless jerseys (and lots of sunscreen) with build-in bras. I am not a huge fan of team jerseys or jerseys with lots of "stuff" on them. I stick to fairly simple ones, like Shebeest's "retro" style. Lycra shorts with a good chamois are a must for me. I can't imagine three or four hours in the saddle with anything else. I prefer the longer styles though. I like the "lock and load" feeling of Pearl Izumi's Ultrasensor shorts. The material is more substantial than other shorts I've tried and they have an 8 inch inseam (I think). I also love to wear PI's Sugar knickers.

I have clipless pedals, and I prefer road over MTB shoes. I've never tried to ride--at least as an adult--in anything else so I don't know whether regular tennies would bother my feet. I also like cycling socks, in part because they're fun, and more importantly, they tend to be thinner and more absorbant than regular cotton socks.

Gloves are must. If you fall, they will help save your hands, and they cut down on the discomfort of a long ride. Sunglasses are an absolute must. Sun damage is an issue, as is debris, bugs and the like. Last week something really hard pelted my sunglasses during a ride. I have no idea if it was a rock or what, but if it had hit my eye, it could have done serious damage. I don't necessarily think you need cycling-specific glasses, but you definitely want something that blocks 100% of UV rays and that won't slip off your nose if you're sweaty. I also prefer polarized glasses to cut down on glare.

I'm also a big fan of things like arm and leg warmers, to deal with variable weather. I used to laugh at all the cycling specific stuff when I saw cyclists all decked out, but I'm pretty convinced now that just about all of it serves a legitimate purpose. Of course, it's all about your own comfort. Some things, like cycling specific shorts, really do make cycling more comfortable if you spend a lot of time in the saddle. Other things like gloves are designed to prevent injury. The rest of it, however, comes down to personal preference. If you feel self-conscious, then you aren't going to enjoy the ride.

I'm with Darcy and Stella
I wear street clothes often on shorter rides, but they Do get in the way on longer rides. So, I commute to work 4 miles downhill in the morning.
Street clothes.
I go to the store to buy some onions. Street clothes. I go with my husband and do a loop around the lake. Bike clothes.

I wear mostly biking specific clothing. In the winter, it's necessary to stay warm...in the summer, to stay cool.

Honestly, I can't even imagine wearing anything but highly wicking materials that dry quickly. I would be so HOT! In fact, sometimes after I shower in the summer, I'd rather put on a fresh biking jersey than half my 'regular' clothes just to stay cool.

In addition, as a girl with big legs, there isn't much out there that would be more comfortable as I move but stretchy materials. I suppose I could see wearing jersey material pants in place of lycra, but any type of broadcloth would not let me move the way I need to move. This is true for biking, the gym, hiking, aerobics, etc.

My husband often wears non-biking specific clothing for his commute. For me, it won't happen. I need to be comfortable and biking clothes are more comfortable to me....no matter what I look like.

I wear all cycling specific, wicking clothing. I can't imagine sweating in a t shirt or freezing in cotton in cold weather. I like my jerseys tight, but with no elastic on the bottom. Usually I buy "club cut" and they are tight enough for me. Shorts have to be tight or the chamois hurts...
I recently bought some cycling capris a few wicking shirts that don't have pockets. I also have 2 pairs of baggy cycling shorts for mtb. I wear these when I'm doing errands on my commuter bike where I have a pannier. I wear road shoes with my road bike and mtb shoes on my commuter and mtb. The commuter had dual sided pedals, though and I did ride it once with the flat pedal side. I could barely get up my hill, with my feet flying off. I hated it!
I pretty much spend most of my clothing budget on bike stuff and I enjoy have the different types of clothing for different purposes.

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Originally Posted by jobob

Much as I admire Grant Peterson of Rivendell, I don't take everything he says as gospel.

I wear what is comfortable for me. And, I find lycra cycling shorts to be comfortable, so I wear them. I wear wool tops, armwarmers, and legwarmers when it's cold out, but when it warms up, I switch to regular cycling jerseys, generally sleeveless.

Grant had a column in the Rivendell Reader a short time ago where he challenged riders to do a ride without gloves or sunglasses. Sorry, Grant darlin', I'll keep wearing my gloves because they keep my hands comfy and will hopefully keep them from getting cut up if I ever fall (and they come so in handy when my nose is running). And since I wear contacts, I'll almost always wear either sunglasses or clear lenses.

It's easy to recognize Grant toodling up Mt. Diablo. He'll usually be wearing a floppy brimmed hat, seersucker shirt, baggy shorts, and Converse All-Star sneakers. And he'll be going faster than about 90% of the folks climbing that freakin' hill :D

Anyhoo, all that I'm saying is, wear seersucker if that's what you want to wear. Wear lycra if that's what you want to wear. Simple, eh?

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Yep, I've had grant pass me when I lived in California. I think he thumbs his nose at your all the way! LOL :D

I'm big on the concept of the right tool for the job at hand. Dash down to the store for something, whatever I've got on. (My pedals are reversable, so my footwear doesn't matter much) Long scenic ride with DH, cycling clothes.

I ride to work in what I'm wearing that day, with one pant leg pulled up (I'm a fashion plate, I'm tellin' ya) then change to baggy shorts & Tshirt for the ride home. I'd go more cycling specific, but I have the possibility of meeting patients on the way out, and would rather not frighten them.