Biker Tan

[Jiffer]

I've read some comments from some of you who are proud of your biker tan. I can certainly relate to the feeling, which I had a bit of the first time I started to notice a hint of biker tan. "Hey! Check me out! I'm getting a biker tan like my Honey! I'm a cyclist and have the tan lines to prove it!"

However, I didn't REALLY want to devlop my biker tan any further and, therefore, go to great lengths to avoid it. I put on sunblock, targeting those "biker tan" areas, every time I ride. It's a hassle and kind of makes me sad because I'd love to get more color without taking the time to lay out by the pool, but I sure don't want to wear my bathing suit or tank top with white shoulders and a dark biker tan line! (In addition to the shorts and sock areas.)

Does anyone else do the same?

[Eden]

I do value my skin and my continued existance (ie not getting skin cancer...) so I slather up with spf 48 before I go out. Still doesn't keep me from getting rather noticable tan lines. Good thing it doesn't bother me.

[Grog]

You might avoid farmer's tan on the arms, and it's possible to control the ankle line by removing your shoes during breaks, but I have found that there is nothing to do against the golden quads. From my knees to my shorts line, I have a golden skin. Above it... well, it's white. Doesn't look especially good with running shorts.

My tan lines stay through the winter and just get worse in the summer.

And I cover myself with 30 SPF sunscreen, repeating every two hours or so, when I ride in the sun.

I could perhaps go to the outdoor pool more, but I'm too busy cycling!

[KSH]

Yea, I'm not too keen on my tan. Doesn't look too great having all these weird tan lines... and my thighs look sad in a bathing suit.

I slather on sun block, but at some point I get some sun. Eh.

I would lay out by the pool but I honestly just don't have the time. I use to go to a tanning bed to keep the tan lines evened out... but again... no time to go there these days.

So, I keep putting on sunblock and I hope that it just doesn't get any worse.

[Thorn]

For every positive, there is a negative. The biker tan, well, is just part of the game. Suncscreen only goes so far to prevent it--can't imagine what I'd look like without the sunscreen habit!

I've learned to lessen the abruptness of the quad-line by having shorts with different length inseams and wearing knickers if the temps are lower.

But, the quad-line I can cope with--it is the line the line at the wrist and fingers that I find disturbing, particularly when sitting at meetings (not, of course because it looks wierd, but because it reminds me I could be riding ). I wish I could learn to go gloveless every now and then, but I can't. Oh well, at least, gloves have solid backs now and I don't get the big spot

[Kano]

But, the quad-line I can cope with--it is the line the line at the wrist and fingers that I find disturbing, particularly when sitting at meetings (not, of course because it looks wierd, but because it reminds me I could be riding ). I wish I could learn to go gloveless every now and then, but I can't. Oh well, at least, gloves have solid backs now and I don't get the big spot

DH has the spot this year! New gloves for him, and they have the hole, so he's got the spot... Me, I've just got the lines -- last year I had the spot, and for a while, I thought it was a nasty bruise, wondered how come it didn't hurt when I poked it, and eventually realized....


Karen in Boise

[Aggie_Ama]

Somehow I just don't care what people think of it. I am very fair skinned and last summer was my first tan ever- biker style! I do not lay out and I do not do tanning beds. I tried self tanner for a time but it is too high maintenance and made me itch.

Several members of my family have caught pre-cancer cells and it just isn't worth it. That being said, my hands are blinding white and my arms golden through sunscreen. I wear sleeveless most summer, so my farmer tan has faded from the fall. My quads are golden, the tops of my thighs ghostly. And I have a kick butt timex tan line. My watch has cutouts that you can see and my dress Bulova watch is much thinner, so it is obvious.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

DH has the spot this year! New gloves for him, and they have the hole, so he's got the spot...

My DH wears these gloves:
http://www.rivbike.com/images/catpics/22-137.jpg
so not only does he have The Spot....but he has this weird reptillian scale pattern from all the tiny holes too! It looks CREEPY, but he loves the gloves and simply doesn't care. I worry that people will think he has a skin disease, but he won't change.

I alternate the place my shorts or knickers end on my legs by pulling them up and down a bit every hour or so while riding- at least it makes the tan cutoff point look softer and more gradual.
When I'm out in the sun but not biking I put sunscreen on my forearms but not my hands, so they can catch up a bit. It actually works well.

[PinkBike]

wear your tan lines with pride!

[Ann G]

Because I do the vast majority of my riding in the summer, I have a bunch of sleeveless jerseys. To me they feel just a little cooler than those with sleeves, and it elminates that tan line on the arm, so at least I can wear a sleeveless dress without looking strange. That doesn't solve the bathing suit problem, but I don't really care about that a lot. Skin protection is more important than looks, so I put SPF 48 everywhere that gets the sun. I also have that Shimano sandal spot on my foot, but I doubt that a lot of people study the way my feet look.

[Fredwina]

I really could care less. as several ladies have mentioned , it's about health than looks.
I have Red hair and Fair skin. I can tan even with SPF 30 on I do have some sleeveless jerseys, but i'd rather try and avoid exposing as much skin as possible. The only folks that see me in a swimsuit are my biking buddies, so they have the same problems .

[Chile Pepper]

I was recently informed that I'm getting a biker tan on my face. I wear my hair pulled back, and my forehead is white (I always wear my helmet). Yikes. I suppose bangs would help, but I don't like hair in my eyes. I also prefer longer shorts--I like the look, and they do give a tad more protection just in case. But my current shorts are longer than my clothing shorts. Lovely.

[teigyr]

I am proud of the biker tan. I've been laughed at in a bathing suit, by my own mother no less! But the way I see it is I worked for those funky looking lines and that is more impressive than sitting by a pool or in a tanning bed.

That's not to say, of course, that I don't use sunscreen or try to avoid abovementioned tan lines. I do. But I get them anyway and they make me happy.

[Andrea]

I've been wearing SPF 70 ( ) since the beginning of the summer, but I've still got lines! I actually love my wrist line. Otherwise, I switch between different length shorts to break up the thigh line. My arms don't really have a line because my team jersey is very thin, so it lets in enough sun that my upper body tan lines are sportsbra and bib-shaped.

You could always look around for a bottle-tan that somewhat matches your natural color and apply it to your white areas.

[meridian]

I've been wearing SPF 70 ( ) since the beginning of the summer

Dang, where do you get that stuff? I protect myself as much as possible and stick with the highest rating I can find in a sweat proof formula (48).

I've got irish blood, so I've resigned myself to inescapable tan lines, but I'm proud of them at the same time. Sure, I'd love to hit the town in a showy dress without the weird stares sometimes, but they are a reminder that I'm filling my life with something healthy and fun.