Century food on a budget

[Eden]

I don't have a jersey. I just wear regular clothes. Well, cutoff jeans and a tshirt.

A few reasons I don't have "real" bike clothes.
1.) Limited money (hence the subject line, "Century food on a budget")
2.) More important bike things to spend my money on
3.) I get enough harassment as it is.
4.) I don't like the look. It seems, without meaning to offend anyone, a bit snobbish? Does that make sense? I haven't thought about that too much yet, so please don't take offense until I've figured out how I really feel.

I can certainly understand being on a budget, but when you get your first really big saddle sore/blister from wearing cut off jeans cycling a century you may change your mind about cycling shorts..... Really, even if you don't want to wear bike shorts I would definitely look for something with less of an aggresive seam than blue jean cutoffs.
I think most of us were probably a bit shy to get into cycling kit when we first started, but the more you ride the more you realize that there are reasons for each of those pieces of clothing. Certainly you can do a century without purchasing any of those things, but you will be more comfortable doing it if you do. You don't have to go out and buy some team kit reproduction, splashed with ads and rainbow colored. You can still be conservative, but padded shorts (even under baggies or baggies with liners if you wish) and materials that wick away sweat (sports t's work fine, but I would miss the pockets) will go a long way towards making your century a more pleasurable experience.

[nicole309]

Well, I have to say when I started biking I thought all the clothes were ridiculous as well. I rode a Mt. Bike for years without all the gear. I will agree that the stuff is ridiculously expensive and quite frankly, UGLY!! All those bright colors!
But....
The more I ride the more I realize the convenience of it all. I know that I don't like having my girly bits rubbed raw, so I did get some bike shorts. I also realized that I didn't really need all that padding, just something free of seems that rub. So, I buy tri shorts, which are way cheaper and the Sugoi ones I have are nice and soft inside.
Then I realized how nice it would be to grab a quick snack without stopping my bike and became jealous of other riders jersey pockets. I still couldn't imagine wearing one of those horrible polyester jerseys however. One day I was in a bike store and they had a biking vest with a big rear pocket for $9.99. Can't beat that. Now I just wear that over my regular merino wool t-shirts.
I still don't buy all the fancy food. Most that I have tried just makes me nauseous anyway!!
Good luck finding what works for you.