Cycling bottoms on touring?

[gertruda_spb]

Hi!
Sorry if it was discussed already.
I'm going to 8 days-long cycling tour to Europe in early September (3 countries along Danube River). It looks like a relatively easy biking - 50-80 km a day. The tour indeed combines cycling with city excursions, etc.

So, what shorts/knickers, etc. would be comfortable enough for biking and presentable enough for site seeing? I have my Descente padded shorts for years and quite like them, but I don't think I will feel good walking streets say in Prague wearing these.

Any ideas are highly appreciated!

[indysteel]

I'm getting ready to do a bike tour myself, although not to Europe. I have a number of sporty, A-line, knee-length skirts that I plan to bring along so that I can simply pull skirt over my cycling shorts when we stop for lunch, shopping and the like. Otherwise, you might try a cycle skirt. There are some padded cycle skirts that might work for you, too. I already have more than enough padded bike shorts, so I'd prefer to just use the shorts and skirts that I already own.

[Becky]

A skirt would be my recommendation. Isis, Ex Officio, and similar brands all sell nice travel skirts that fold up super-small and shed wrinkles well.

[OakLeaf]

Keep in mind that it's usually preferred if not required that your knees are covered to tour the historical churches and cathedrals. I'd go with a lightweight wrap skirt that you could put on over your cycling shorts.

[withm]

Your touring company should be able to give you recommendation on clothing if they are suggesting the sites to be visited.

When I toured (supported) Belgium and Netherlands a couple years ago, we did visit churches, cathedrals, museums, galleries and were welcomed everywhere. It did not matter if we were wearing bike shorts or street clothes. I don't think anyone on the trip brought a skirt or wrap to put on over bike shorts either. There is probably a greater risk of offending by wearing tasteless t-shirts or muscle shirts (the guys) and flip flops.

More important I suppose is to conduct yourself accordingly, and give due respect to the place you are visiting. No yelling, laughing, running, talking during presentations, no snacking inside the church etc.

If you don't give people a reason to dislike the "Ugly American" they will simply remember the nice group of Americans that visited in their bike shorts and asked thoughtful and appropriate questions, as opposed to the noisy American cyclists that rudely talked through the tour, ate candy bars, left behind their trash.

[Crankin]

I went everywhere in Prague and the Czech Republic in regular bike shorts and jerseys.