Commuting Clothes

fatbloke8

This may seem a little dumb question. Have just started riding on a cheap roadbike which will become my winter / general hack once C2W opens in December.

I do not need to commute to a station as I can walk it in a few minutes however I want to build some mid week training into my schedule to get me fitter. I have decided to cycle to a station further away a couple of days a week I will do a short 3-4 mile commute to the station and then a longer loop back home. This will force me on the Bike as I have a young family and unfortunately work (not a banker but I still have to work with a lot of people that rhyme with it) and commute into the city which means times scarce midweek. By the time I get in other things get in the way and I won’t get out on the bike.

As I am new to cycling I am still scratching my head as regards gear. All the stuff I have bought so far has been geared towards weekend social/touring rides so it is road based Lycra, jersey’s rain Jackets etc etc.

Is there anything suitable out there I can wear that won’t me make look a bit of a lycra clad tit whilst sitting with the miserable lot on the train and get me laughed at when I walk into work but still keep me protected from the elements (i.e. avoid the Jeans and rain scenario) and is small enough to be packed in my back pack for the longer ride home?

Thanks your help

Porgy

fatbloke8 wrote:

Is there anything suitable out there I can wear that won’t me make look a bit of a lycra clad tit whilst sitting with the miserable lot on the train and get me laughed at when I walk into work but still keep me protected from the elements (i.e. avoid the Jeans and rain scenario) and is small enough to be packed in my back pack for the longer ride home?

I reckon you need to develop thicker skin. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I have not noticed anyone laughing at my lycra attire - either on the train or at work. 8)

A - W

I still after two years just use old rugby training gear. I have the waterproof/showproof jacket and only recently gone to spds.

I dont have anything special as for my five mile commute I dont think I need it.

Get yourself into the grove and by little bits at a time.

You might be best going into bike shops for specific gear that is still office friendly as you might need to try it on.

R_T_A

Hi FB,

Check out this thread with a good description about getting waterproof vs. windproof:

http://www.bikeradar.com/commuting/foru ... 1&start=20

Personally, I wear a softshell jacket (Gore Phantom) with baggies (Endura Singltrack) over my lycra. It's pretty obvious cycling gear, but will hide your modesty and stops the weather getting into my bones.

I don't have to go on the train though, so it depends on how evil your colleagues are :twisted:

cjcp

fatbloke8 wrote:

As I am new to cycling I am still scratching my head as regards gear. All the stuff I have bought so far has been geared towards weekend social/touring rides so it is road based Lycra, jersey’s rain Jackets etc etc.

Is there anything suitable out there I can wear that won’t me make look a bit of a lycra clad tit whilst sitting with the miserable lot on the train and get me laughed at when I walk into work but still keep me protected from the elements (i.e. avoid the Jeans and rain scenario) and is small enough to be packed in my back pack for the longer ride home?

Thanks your help

Howdy! Welcome to cycling and commuting.

Firstly, wearing lycra doesn't classify you as a tit. I've never seen the point of wearing high heeled shoes for the walk commute or wearing a suit on a train having had it dry-cleaned and it gets all crumpled etc etc

If you'd rather not wear lycra, you could get cycling-specific long baggy shorts. Or just put some baggy shorts over the top of the lycra. I did that when I was running part of the way home.

lost_in_thought

+1 to baggies over lycra. Problem solved!

biondino

Make sure you get lycra in white - it's a lot more subtle, and looks particularly good when it gets wet.

LDN-Flyer

all you'll ever need

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/r ... suit-21181

jedster

I do a bike train bike commute and tend to wear either baggy MTB style shorts or rapha fixed shorts over lycra.

The rapha shorts are expensive but REALLY good, they come just below the knee, are neatly tailored and are made of a pretty technical fabric which is water repellant and dries quickly. They are too warm in the summer (over lycra) and then I switch to some endura baggies.

If I do a longer spin on the way home in the summer I may take the shorts off and reveal the lycra when I get off the train.

On the top I tends to wear merino base layers/ tshirts adding LS cycling jerseys or windproof jacket if the weather requires it. I like merino because I make synthethic tops smelly for the return leg which I think is a bit antisocial on a busy train.

Cheers,
J

blu3cat

up top, old t-shirts, although am slowly converting to closer fitting cycle tops (the rear pockets are so useful for stahing punct*re repair stuff)

Downstairs I too have been using baggies and found them great (endura zyme), but have recently got some of the Rapha Touring shourts (same as the fixed but above the knee rather than 3/4 length). They are snug without being tight, leave you some modesty are slightly stretchy and cut perfectly.

The only downside is the price, although they are only a little more than regular shorts, and worth every penny IMHO. My only criticisms are the pockets are tiny, and the logo is large, subtle, yet large. Still a cycle cut top will cover that nicely.

Stuey01

+100 to baggy shorts over lycra. All you need.

Clever Pun

biondino wrote:

Make sure you get lycra in white - it's a lot more subtle, and looks particularly good when it gets wet.

then spend a lot of time bending over rummaging through your bag

fatbloke8

Clever Pun wrote:

biondino wrote:

Make sure you get lycra in white - it's a lot more subtle, and looks particularly good when it gets wet.

then spend a lot of time bending over rummaging through your bag

And therein lies the whole point of my post.......

I wear lycra all the time when on the bike and appreciate the benefits of it. I am not saying by wearing Lycra you look like a tit far from it. However, because of where I work I cannot go in looking like a Tour de France Rider. Not because of jeers I can cope with that it would die down after a couple of days.....but because some (non cycling person) or stuck up idiot within my office would say that it creates the wrong impression...important clients coming in blah blah blah.....so I would need to blend in the background a bit more and look more like the numpty thats giving the lecture than a cyclist. Also for some reason cyclists are sneered at when on the train on my route. One guy won't even go and sit down he stands all the way....

Hence my question to avoid the chafing, heavy when wet clothes, long drying times etc etc, is there anything non cycling clothes wise that would look casual, not cost the earth (as it would need to be scrunched up small to go in seat pack or jersey or combination of both for the ride home yet do something similar to cycling specific clothing eg. wickable, light, and water resistant (Thanks RTA will look into your post)

I will be wearing my lycra / cycling kit underneath for the ride home so it is only the top layers.

Should I be going to Decathlon and looking at the running kit/walking kit for something appropriate or will this be a waste of time.

lost_in_thought

There are a lot of people out there who make cycling-specific baggies, either road-specific high-end ones like Rapha or Swrve, or lower-end ones for either road or MTB like Altura, Endura, Scott etc etc.

There's a vast range available for blokes, almost all are quick-drying or water-resistant, all the shorts have a higher back so you don't get exposed flesh when hunched over your bars, and jackets have a longer back for the same reason.

For clothes that blend in to the crowd, I'd definitely check out swrve at swrve.co.uk. They do 'jeans' and other such things that have been redesigned with technical fabrics specifically for cycling.

I'd really recommend these over non-cycling kit...

il_principe

lost_in_thought wrote:

For clothes that blend in to the crowd, I'd definitely check out swrve at swrve.co.uk. They do 'jeans' and other such things that have been redesigned with technical fabrics specifically for cycling.

I'd really recommend these over non-cycling kit...

Funny, I was just going to say the same thing.

jedster

Should I be going to Decathlon and looking at the running kit/walking kit for something appropriate or will this be a waste of time.

did you just ignore the comments above with a load of suggestions for you??? :?