Tan Lines

[smurfalicious]

So today I was at the Pearl Izumi store shopping for a mother's day present for myself. The animals agreed I needed a jacket. Anyway, the gal was telling me about the lightweight arm warmers they got, and I told her about the biker tan line remedy. She said she was gonna use that to sell them. *grins* Ahhh, insanity is a blast!

[yellow]

I have to put in a plug for Aveda sun source "sunless" tanning cream. No streaks, nice color. I exfoliate using some exfoliating gloves I got from the Body Shop. They are pretty cool.

I so don't care about tan lines. What I use the cream for is to give my legs and arms a bit of color early in the shorts season. My legs are not the prettiest to begin with, and they are so very pasty white in the winter. My belly and butt stay white all the time. No sunbathing or tanning bed for me...I'm wrinkled enough as it is, thanks to a childhood in the sun on the beach!

And I wear sunscreen every day, even those days where I may not spend much time outside. It only takes one bad mole, and your whole perspective changes...

[bikerHen]

All this tan line talk and no one mentioned lily white hands attached to the ends of tan arms! I always ride with gloves and by June it looks like I'm wearing the old sunday school white gloves 24/7. This is the only tan line that really bugs me. Does anyone make a glove that the sun can shine through? BikerHen

[CorsairMac]

lace mitts?.....maybe we can start a whole new line of gloves - padded lace mitts for that "no tan line" look!

[SadieKate]

Well, in the olden days we had gloves with crocheted backs (much cooler to wear). I found a pair at the PI outlet last year. Snatched them up so I can have teeny-tiny checkerboard tan spots.

[tatormc]

I've got the white hands too and I don't really like it. I decided yesterday to go without gloves and it was fine. If only the sun would have come out maybe my hands wouldn't be so white! But worse than the white hands is the leg tan line. I'm going to put on sun screen each time I ride and then hopefully lay out in the back yard to help reduce the white upper thigh.

[annie]

I haven't worn gloves in over a year now............ except when its cold and I need them for warmth. Can't say I miss them. I feel I have a much better grip on the bars without the gloves, more control. And I haven't had any pain or pressure issues at all. I tried lots of different gloves, kept going for less and less padding. Finally figured out that maybe no padding was what I needed. I have fairly cushy handlebar tape, but nothing special. I don't let it get worn down. Obviously, I don't have the option of wiping glass of my tires as I ride now, but I was never very good at that anyway. Had to slow waaaaaaay down. Now I just stop, quickly wipe with whatever I have handy and go on my way. Not something that happens often anyway.
Not wearing gloves has nothing to do with the tanless hands, but it certainly does take car of that. Hands now match the arms.
Still have the line on the legs, tho'. I just hang around with other bike riders, all with the same tan lines and then it's fine!

annie

[DeniseGoldberg]

I haven't worn gloves in over a year now............ except when its cold and I need them for warmth.
annie

There is one other use for gloves, and that is to protect your hands if you and your bike should happen to fall. I know, it doesn't happen that often - at least if you're riding on the road - but I like to have the extra protection. Of course, I also like a little bit of extra cushioning for my hands on the bike too.

--- Denise

[CorsairMac]

Well, in the olden days we had gloves with crocheted backs (much cooler to wear). I found a pair at the PI outlet last year. Snatched them up so I can have teeny-tiny checkerboard tan spots.

Performance carries them still - I just saw them in their latest catalog and was seriously thinking about buying some.

[spazzdog]

... and lets not forget wiping your nose on the thumb part.

[profàvélo]

I'm with Irulan and Denise on this one--I'm sort of proud of my biker tan. Makes me look like a 'real' cyclist! I always use sunscreen but still get the lines, of course. I especially like the little round brown circles I get on the backs of my hands from the holes in my gloves.

P.S. I can vouch for the effectiveness of gloves in a crash. I highly recommend wearing gloves if you can.

[Bluemsmanager]

Just an update on the Jergens product. I've been using it for a week with good results. No orange. However, the chocolate rivers are always within site as far as I'm concerned. Can't ignore one of the major food groups. I don't know how the product will work to control tan lines. In Western NY, we just don't seem to get enough sun to even cause them. I know, sounds like whining.

I can say I am pleased with the results. I'm able to wear skirts to work without pantyhose and not cause flash burns to my coworkers corneas. If you're looking for an easy to use product, I'd recommend it.