At What Point Do I Look Ridiculous?

rubberhedgehog

Hi everyone.

I'm slowly getting over the wet Spring here and am planning my 'cycling to fitness' campaign.
As a bit of background, I'm not a small bloke - 6' 2", 90kg slightly barrel chested. My normal riding clothing is DHB lycra shorts underneath some Fox MTB shorts, and a normal dryfit T-Shirt from Berghaus or something.

Looking at sizing for proper jerseys (with wind protection and pockets!!!!!!) I'm somewhere between XL and XXL for a company like Gore.

My question is at what point will I look like a gorilla wearing lycra and just look stupid?
I'm on the road to drop about 10kg by the end of the summer so should I be waiting until I'm 'smaller' ro get kitted out nicely and put up with the flapping of my current jersey and wearing shorts over my lycra?

Thanks

rodgers73

You clearly dont feel comfortable at the moment. Lycra isnt crucial to being any good at cycling, it's just more comfortable and gives better aero. Wait til you've dropped a bit of weight and treat yourself to an L size jersey as a "reward".

jonny_trousers

To be honest, I think most of us look ridiculous in cycling kit, no matter how much we weigh, but we mostly wear it for comfort over style. I used to do the baggies over lycra shorts thing until I accepted that 1. it totally defeats the object of wearing comfy lycra, and 2. I'm not a mountain biker. If you're ready to be a roady than just go for it. Your size and weight suggest you won't look anywhere near as bad as many out there.

Wheelspinner

Mirror, mirror, on the wall.....

Seriously. At 6'2 and 90 kg, who the hell is going to be game to tell you you look ridiculous anyway?

Stick to black shorts and nothing too garish in jerseys and you will look no more or less silly than the rest of us.

rubberhedgehog

I'm wearing shorts over the lycra to give me pockets to store my phone and house keys - on trips of 15 miles or so I don't feel it's worth to take tools seeing as my housemates could be called on to pick me up in an emergency! Not to mention a local peleton rides around often enough to call on one of them if all else fails

Thanks for the votes of confidence

bobtbuilder

My question is at what point will I look like a gorilla wearing lycra and just look stupid?

At about this point:




Seriously - wear what you like. It's your hobby. Get out there and enjoy it!

Muffintop

There are 'looser' fitting items out there though it's mostly in jackets, but honestly, we all look like we've got our clothes from 'The unstylish and skintight future'. The Chubby Ninja is my go to outfit. If you're still feeling paranoid sign up for a sportive - you'll see a lot more folk that look like they've tried to squeeze a jumbo sausage into a party size sausage roll.

Mx

danny7060

cycling jersey's have very handy pockets in the back for your stuff. My workmates called my bib shorts mankini's and budgie smugglers when I first started wearing them. The comfort far outweighs the ridicule.

Muffintop

bobtbuilder wrote:

My question is at what point will I look like a gorilla wearing lycra and just look stupid?

At about this point:

That's my boyfriend.

slowbike

rubberhedgehog wrote:

My normal riding clothing is DHB lycra shorts underneath some Fox MTB shorts, and a normal dryfit T-Shirt from Berghaus or something.

Sounds fine to me ...

If you're aiming for a 10kg loss in a few months there is little point in buying expensive kit that fits now.
TBH - the shorts is the main one for me - I have some MTB shorts to wear on my roadie - because I don't like short shorts ... I've also got some longer (below the knee) lycra leggings as well as the full winter leggings that I don't wear baggies over.
The snug fit tops are good though - it might be worth throwing a tenner in on a muddyfox one if you're aiming for the longer rides - mainly for your comfort - clothes that wick away the sweat are handy for the big effort rides...

dav3e

bobtbuilder wrote:

My question is at what point will I look like a gorilla wearing lycra and just look stupid?

At about this point:




Seriously - wear what you like. It's your hobby. Get out there and enjoy it!

Brilliant picture....That is priceless. Reckon this guy has eaten his bike !!

MattC59

I'm 6'2" and 86kg, I look fantastic in lycra (well, so i tell myself anyway !!).

I wouldn't worry about it. Nobody will take a second glance at you in lycra, when you're on you're on your bike. However............ head out to Sainsbury's in it and you'll look a bit of a tit !!

pipipi

Lycra looks a bit silly compare to jeans and tshirt.

But flip flops are appropriate on the beach and not in the office. So it really depends on the scenario.

If you have a Sports Direct near you then I suggest a look there. There do a range of Karrimor stuff that's good to get you going, especially if you think your size will change.

Redhog14

you might like this..

http://eu.levi.com/en_GB/commuter?utm_s ... aign=MAY12

rubberhedgehog

Well, I can say I'm no Lampre-guy! Got a LOT of eating and couch sitting to do to get to that level.....

As a future note to myself , I remember feeling like this the first time I walked in to a gym. I felt that everyone was looking at me, where they probably weren't.......

I was the overweight guy who could run for 10 minutes and only do single sets of weights.
3 months later I was knocking out 10k's every day as well as benching more than my body weight. I suppose everyone has to start somewhere.

Thanks for the inspiration and kind words, and I hope I can come back in a few months with a new jersey collection

finlayson99

This thread is a really good call for us "larger" gentlemen.

I am a MTBr at heart but have a budget road bike that I love.

Can't tear myself away from the baggies though.

My lovely wife suggested that the kids get me some lycra for Father's day................ha!! I said.

Really can't bring myself to scare the neighbours but as she points out, it is only myself that would notice.

She would say go for it and enjoy.............

.........memo to self..................be brave :oops:

slowbike

finlayson99 wrote:

as she points out, it is only myself that would notice.

That's a bit of an insult isn't it?!

finlayson99

She's nice that way :evil:

.............memo to self.............make appt for marriage counselling..............

DesB3rd

80kg & 6' - I don't look like a pop-veined pro but a normal, even slim, person wearing lycra; I suspect the OP is worrying unneccessarily.

Size is not the issue, a chap with a wizened up body, pot belly & sting bean legs might be small & light but will still look absurd in bibs & jersey - lycra works with what you got, if your body shape looks OK most of the time it'll look OK in lycra - but beware the reverse certainly applies...

crescent

That guy in the Lampre gear looks ridiculous. I mean, socks and sandals, come on.

Peddle Up!

I'm a similar height and weight to you. See for yourself

tabh

Don't worry about it. I am 6'5" and 120Kg and thought I would look silly but look fine, even the daughter is not embarassed for me. I chose black and blue for the shorts and cycling top and if anything it makes me look slimmer .

Wirral_paul

Crescent wrote:

That guy in the Lampre gear looks ridiculous. I mean, socks and sandals, come on.

You forgot to mention his non-matching cap! Disgraceful!!

Gizmo_

FFS, I'm 90kg and 5'9 and I don't look too ridiculous in full Lycra.

At 6'2 you hardly even need to lose weight.

Millerman007

if your worried what folk think wear dark glasses nobody will recognise you so it won't matter , besides your a finely tuned road racing machine in the making you need that lycra to slip through the air like a sleek aerodynamic
sleek thing thats aerodynamic well thats what i do and tell my self and I'm 5'10 and 19 stone,
when i started riding i was 21.5 stone and looked like the goodyear blimp LOL still i wear lycra tops as they are comfy and have 3 pockets for your stuff and a good pair of bib shorts for your bum

secretsam

I'm your weight but somewhat more vertically challenged (5'9"). I wear the full gimp when out on the bike because it's comfy. I don't give a sh17 what people think, it's about me enjoying myself doing what I love.

FWIW, I wear black shorts and a mostly black (Altura) top, which seems to make me look less hilarious, but it has to be said that whenever I catch sight of myself in my bib shorts and (white) base layer when getting ready, I feel the need to start singing Queen songs and prancing around like a nob. And I f'cking hate Queen.

So, in summary, wear what fits, makes you feel comfy, and ignore the sneers, jeers and stares, 'cos as Joe Strummer once said "Why should I care what the man in the street thinks? The man in the street is a c**t"