tights - Do I have to?

[jobob]

Of course there are alternatives !

Look for "cross-sport" pants or runner's pants to wear over your shorts.

They're somewhat form-fitting but not as snug as cycling tights. Get the ones with zippers at the bottom. If they have reflective trim, all the better.

These are the ones I like, from REI. The ankle zippers used to have reflective piping but it looks like they don't anymore, unfortunately.

http://www.rei.com/online/store/Prod...S_CLOTHING_TOC
(if the URL doesn't work, it's item #718521 at www.rei.com)

Many other manufacturers make similar pants.

For very cold weather, I also have a pair of Sporthill tights (w/o chamois) which are not as snug-fitting as cycling tights. They're super for cold weather. They're sizing seems to go a bit small so make sure to check the sizing chart if you order them - I wear size M in most cycling clothes but I ordered an L in these and they fit great, not too snug, not too loose. And it looks like they're on sale at TE right now !
http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=11618


There's also a Sporthill tight available at TE with water-resistant panels over the butt area which I imagine would be very good for cold and wet weather but I don't know how they would look in real life.
http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=22275

hth, - Jo.