I fancy a change from the mountain bike, so tonight I might go out on my road bike. However:

1. My road bikes from about 1996 and 7 spd and pink and purple, bits are rusting and the tyres are worn almost square, and to be fair its probably a bit big for me.

2. I will be wearing baggies

3. I will be using a camelbak

4. I’ve got hairy legs.

5. I’ll be wearing a helmet.

Should I take the risk?

On that bike you’ll just look like a commuter so will be exempt from all the rules.

I rode to work this morning on my drop-barred beast of a bike. I was wearing lycra, fingerless gloves and a helmet with no peak. However, kept it real with hairy legs, mtb shoes, eggbeater pedals and the frame and forks are from 1987 and lilac in colour!

Most of the ‘rules’ have a basis in experience or random brain farts from the UCI.

1) considder replacing the tyres, they’re cheeper than a dentist bill when one of them blows out, I’ve done this twice, after the first time was painfull, the second one was on a ‘new to me’ bike I’d bought and was riding to the post office to pick up replacement tyres so mercifully I was stickign to a slow jogging pace.

2) mmmmm chafeage (and needles wind resistance)

3) fine on a short ride, back and arm ache on longer ones, which begs the question, why do you need that much water/tools/spares/clothes on a short evening ride? Bidons in the frame and other stuff in your jersey.

4) so do most roadies, what’s your point

5) so do most roadies, what’s your point

What are Bidons ?

Certainly round are way many roadies dont wear helemts, or have hairy legs!

What are Bidons

Water bottles for the Rapha wearing classes.

“are way”

do you mean “our way”

?

(it’s a roadie thread, which encourages pedantry)

What are Bidons

Water bottles for the Rapha wearing classes.

Water bottle in french

Water bottles for the Rapha wearing classes.

Dunno, I wear DHB stuff, do you want some polyfila for that chip on your shoulder?

Water bottle in french

which is also true but they don’t talk about ‘guidon de vélo’ when they mean handlebars so it’s largely an affectation.

every time i see an amateur roadie with shaved legs i want to stop him and ask him to explain them, just to hear the bollocks he comes out with. 🙂

What are Bidons

I think you wash your arse in them

every time i see an amateur roadie with shaved legs i want to stop him and ask him to explain them, just to hear the bollocks he comes out with.

Similar to how i felt when a guy at work asked why i singlespeed…..”erm”

every time i see an amateur roadie with shaved legs i want to stop him and ask him to explain them

can’t you catch up? 😉

mostly laughing at them as i overtake them, in fairness.

which is also true but they don’t talk about ‘guidon de vélo’ when they mean handlebars so it’s largely an affectation

tru dat bruv

Well at least I’ll be up on the lingo and wont be such an obvious amateur with my hairy legs, as I commment to the pro’s how good their bidons are looking.

I image they’d say for looks and amazing tan lines, not that i’d know. Purely speculation…

Certainly round are way many roadies dont wear helmets

I have noticed that too. I have a mate who never rides the MTB without one and never rides his road bike with one.

I image they’d say for looks and amazing tan lines, not that i’d know. Purely speculation…

Aye – due to injury haven’t been arsed with shaving and my tan lines are abysmal. It’s more humiliating than being overtaken by MTBers on 11″ DH bikes or beardies on singlespeeds . Oh woe is me.

OP as long as your are the other side of 75 and can still dish it out you’ll be fine.

I fancy a change from the mountain bike, so tonight I might go out on my road bike. However:

How late tonight?

every time i see an amateur roadie with shaved legs i want to stop him and ask him to explain them, just to hear the bollocks he comes out with.

Why don’t you go along to an amateur MTB race and ask there as well? There is no ‘them’ and ‘us’.

On the shaved legs thing, couple of weeks back I was slapping suntan lotion on my legs and thought “this would be a lot easier with shaved legs” so the next day I got my clippers out and shaved (kind of) my legs. I was right, it is a lot easier to slap on the suntan lotion, and so far its been pretty sunny since, so it may become an early summer ritual for luck.

***as a bonus I now also look much better in a short dress.

LS – Member

every time i see an amateur roadie with shaved legs i want to stop him and ask him to explain them, just to hear the bollocks he comes out with.

Why don’t you go along to an amateur MTB race and ask there as well? There is no ‘them’ and ‘us’.

cheers for the suggestion. if you really want me to be specific i’m talking about when i’m out riding, invariably on my road/town bike, in or around London. don’t see as many shaved legged mtbers in that context…

My first 4 races this season in a quick glance around I was the only rider who had hairy legs. The next race I did notice someone who had hairier legs than me (East London Velo if you’re wondering flatboy 😉 ).

I decided to shave my legs in time for my first race in with the 2nd cats (I’m 3rd). Took hours! The Mrs went mental, but seems to not mind it now.

hammerite – Member
East London Velo if you’re wondering flatboy).

🙂

i might swing by some time, could do with some more riding buddies!

Given that I race CX and wear shorts to race, I’m wondering if I have to keep up this ridiculous trend I’ve gotten into until that season is over and I can go back to the comfort of leggings.

Funky Dunc, what colour socks will you be wearing?

try shaving them and i gurantee after a month or so ou wont go back.

Everyone who queries doing it are people who havent done it.

Also my tanned smooth legs are looking ace after this sunny period… fancy a stroke?

I have noticed that too. I have a mate who never rides the MTB without one and never rides his road bike with one.

I do this as the increased comfort without the helmet more than makes up for any protection if could offer on the road imo.

try shaving them and i gurantee after a month or so ou wont go back.

as Lou Reed said ……. take a walk on the wild side

What are Bidons

Water bottles for the Rapha wearing classes.

THAT, pretty much sums up roadie world.
You gotta love it.
😉

How hairy?? Y’know..all over?

Who cares, put a bottle o dog in your bidons cadge, and rip the pish out o all the pri*!s that take them selves too seriously. 😉

My road bike is 8speed ultegra stuff from the late 90’s. I wear mtb baggy clothing because i mostly ride mtb and dont see the point in seperate cycle clothes just for one bike. I use a camel bac so i dont have to swap tools over, plus i need to carry food due to dietry requirements. and i dont shave my legs..it feels nice when my girlfriend strokes them.

Just wear what you wanna wear. If people frown uppon it then their not the kind of cyclist i would want to ride with anyway.

Just ride and have fun.

Well went out on the road bike for the first time in about 10 years (last time I was out on the road bike you would get banned on STW for even a mention of a road bike) 22 miles in 1hr 30, max speed 51mph, avg 16 mph.

What I thought…

1. You forget that mtb’s make life very easy on the hills, road bikes punish you, but certainly improve your power

2. The roads are a lot more bumpy these days.

3. Its so much easier to create speed and maintain it (apart from up hills)

4. Roadies are more polite than mtb’ers, every one nodded or said hello.

5. No professional roadies passed me 😆

6. Car drivers are just idiots like they were 10 years ago, 1 tried to pull out of a junction on me, another ignored me on a roundabout, 1 overtook me only to have to slam his brakes on when he got past and cause me to brake hard…. All reasons why I stopped road biking in the first place.

Heres the demon pink road bike !

Interesting outcome to your ride. I did something similar last night. Baggies, t shirt and roadie shoes with no helmet although I took my Bidon and seat pack.

Absolute look of disgust from.grim faced roadie going the other way when I said hello. Car drivers as murderous as ever.

By the way big thank you to whoever suggested to someone on another thread to drop tyre pressures down to about 100psi. I tried it from 120 and much better ride.

Oh.and Conti Gators suck on.loose gravel paths.

There seem to be a lot of people on road bikes that choose to wear a little comedy cap to match their shorts and jersey rather than helmets. This morning I overslept and forgot my helmet and it just felt wrong all the way to work

4. Roadies are more polite than mtb’ers, every one nodded or said hello.

I don’t buy that for one minute.

I took up ‘road’ cycling about 18month ago, tried riding with various clubs, been dropped and left for dead by a group in storm conditions and nearly ended up with hyperthermia sheltering behind a wall on a moor. And never have I met such a bunch of whiney, bitchy, miserable, kit obsessed and dismissive bunch of wads’ in my life.

Still enjoy road cycling, but not for one minute the so called company.

MTB’ing peeps = mostly much better, but there are still a few Yeti riders out there 😉

Ride yer fabulous bike for **** miles and miles and enjoy!! you don’t need anyone elses approval.

you can also ride a road bike without joining a club and have a great time with a fantastic feeling of escape and freedom and it costs nothing.