Do I look stupid?

seanorawe

I commute to and from work everyday.

To work is only 3.2 miles but to keep it fast and my change of clothes sweat free, I wear my bib shorts, cycle jersey, leg warmers and arm warmers when needed. And soon ill also have shoes for my clipless pedals I bought. Everyone else in work comes in wearing jeans or track bottoms.

Is it just my paranoid mind t... or are they looking at me and thinking.....Look at this halfwit?

warreng

That's nowt

I work in the fashon industry and I'm the only bloke in the office, and the only person over 40. I come waddling in cycling shorts, shoes and jersey after a 17 mile ride. The shower room is the other side of the office so I have no option but to walk past about a dozen twenty-something women who all look like models. It puts them right of their skinny lattes

daveski12

I cycle in a bright orange top, shorts over my padded ones and my shoes with cleats. After showering and changing I leave my clothes on radiators in the office.

I bet my colleagues love me.

Gizmo_

3.2 miles?

If I'm honest I don't think I'd bother with lycra for that sort of distance.

I feel like a proper berk walking through the office in skintight longs and pixie boots, but I do have a 20km each way commute... it's worth it.

Long_Time_Lurker

I know I do, but I don't care. Full on MTB baggies, covered in mud.
Get lots of comments from people as I walk through the office.

Although I do take my helmet off before I get in - I am aware that the helmet exaggerates my melon-sized bonce. :oops:

Big_Paul

If it works for you, then why care what anyone else thinks?

Initialised

Yes, we all do, that's half the fun!

Daz555

3.2m? The ride is probably shorter than the kitting up time.

edhornby

not that daft - consider the current weather, warm, clammy and rain. in the winter you get covered in filth from the road. if you have a locker and shower then why not

dav1

I tend to save the lycra for the weekend, or long rides to work. I guess I don't like walking into the office in lycra unless I need it for another reason.

My standard 6 or 8.5 mile run (without extension) I tend to wear a pair of generic shorts and a cycling jersey from aldi. Occasionally I will wear my MTB shorts with normal underwear. If i make the ride longer (17 mile) I will swap the shorts for some aldi lycra shorts.

It may have something to do with keeping the expensive and nice DHB bibs and endura jersey for the weekend though, I have made commuting very much a min cost affair recently.

Walking in covered in mud is always funny, have got some very odd looks the mornings I have had a quick blast on the trail on the way in

skolsuper

You look handsome mate.
Don't worry what people think

twist83

I commute in 4.5 miles to my old dears who is 1/2 mile from work. From mine to mothers it is pretty much 85% up hill. I usually wear bib shorts and Jersey/coat. Get changed into work cloths at the old dears and then pootle the 1/2 mile into work (Flat) in my work cloths.

A lot of the time on the way home I will extend my ride. I have to wear shirts and trousers to work and anyone who cycles in work trousers will appreciate how quickly they wear out from friction around the crotch and at £40-50 quid a pop I would rather wear Bib shorts.

When I lived a 100% flat and downhill route to work (2.5 miles) I would wear work stuff hence finding out the wear issues. But 2.5 miles was not enough to work up anything other than slight warmth.

I would not have any issues rocking up to work in Lycra. The ladies would love it

passout

Yes, but so what?

I wear casual MTBing gear myself, but then I am a MTBer & had all that stuff anyway. If you are going to get changed anyway it doen't mattyer does it? Would be different if you didn't get changed.....

PBo

WarrenG wrote:

That's nowt

I work in the fashon industry and I'm the only bloke in the office, and the only person over 40. I come waddling in cycling shorts, shoes and jersey after a 17 mile ride. The shower room is the other side of the office so I have no option but to walk past about a dozen twenty-something women who all look like models. It puts them right of their skinny lattes

Oh no, they'd be puking their lattes back up anyway without your help - fingers down the throat works a treat...

Kieran_Burns

WarrenG wrote:

That's nowt

I work in the fashon industry and I'm the only bloke in the office, and the only person over 40. I come waddling in cycling shorts, shoes and jersey after a 17 mile ride. The shower room is the other side of the office so I have no option but to walk past about a dozen twenty-something women who all look like models. It puts them right of their skinny lattes

and now you're the most hated person on the forum....

passout

Whilst we are on the subject I don't find most models very sexy (pretty in skinny sort of way but not sexy). I've met a couple & it was true then too. Now underwear models are the opposite - they look great. I don'treally know where I'm going with this, I'm just saying that all models should be underwear models!

MichaelW

You are not going to get very fit from a 3.2 mile commute and you wont save any time by kitting up and cycling quickly.
My policy for short commutes is to shower before I leave and ride sweat-free in normal clothing. I might wear some polycotton hiking trousers to save my office clothes from wear and tear and dirt.
Save your sporting kit for the weekend, get a clean, convenient everyday utility bike and learn to enjoy pootling along.

fossyant

3.2 miles, you should be riding the long way to work and back - make the time pay. Get it to 10 miles !!

seanorawe

MichaelW wrote:

You are not going to get very fit from a 3.2 mile commute and you wont save any time by kitting up and cycling quickly.
My policy for short commutes is to shower before I leave and ride sweat-free in normal clothing. I might wear some polycotton hiking trousers to save my office clothes from wear and tear and dirt.
Save your sporting kit for the weekend, get a clean, convenient everyday utility bike and learn to enjoy pootling along.

I beg to differ. I lost 2 stone doing this commute and have increased my stamina ten fold. Now that I am fitter, I do long rides at the weekends. I was asking a question specific to my work commute.

seanorawe

fossyant wrote:

3.2 miles, you should be riding the long way to work and back - make the time pay. Get it to 10 miles !!

I am trying to make it longer. The longest I can get to is a very hilly 4.5 miles. I do this 2-3 times a week and the smaller one the rest of the week. Depends on how late i am for work

passout

My commute is only 5 miles but rather than making it longer I just have two sprint points (one up a hill) where I really go for it. Of course you need to warm up before doing this otherwise it will backfire. Ocassionally I take a longer route (with some off road) in but I'm usually pushed for time.

The Rookie

WarrenG wrote:

I'm the only bloke in the office.........I have no option but to walk past about a dozen twenty-something women who all look like models.

Linky to your companies vacancies webpage please.........