[Closed] Anyone over 8stone shouldn't wear lycra.

According to Sir Chris Hoy

Is he still associated with Vulpine? Or maybe he's trying to get another gig 😛

.I think people in the UK see cycling as a sport rather than a means of transport,

That's correct. And that explains it all nicely

Hoy needs to realise that all those people he's just put down in the end now pay his wages as he's not an athlete any more but has to go out and work - not that I actually have any idea what he does do now except for crashing other people's expensive racing cars.

I'm waiting for the new line of Hoy clothing aimed at the fuller figured cyclist.

I presume Chris Hoy was slightly more than 8st when he was racing?

what if you're really short? like a fat dwarf if you will, he or she could be around 8 stone but still look unsightly in lycra.

He apologised earlier via Twitter. He's 14.5 stone

I'm all for a blanket ban on lycra regardless of weight.*

*unless you're racing (an actual race).

even i am two stone out!

I wear it because it does not flap around

Dont care what anyone else thinks

I wear lycra for sexual reasons.
The sight of me wearing it acts as an excellent contraceptive.

lycra should be banned anywhere in a public place, when worn by men. any men.
there is nothing worse than a fat middle aged cyclist clad in lycra. and if the bloke wears it to enter a pub or cafe, he should be tarred and feathered.

Lycra should be worn by whomever wishes to wear it.

Gawd I hate this 'debate'.

[quote=Junkyard ]I wear it because it does not flap around

and neither do your clothes

Better than looking like an over aged skateboarder and much more comfortable

I've been mountain biking for well over 25 years, and up to a couple of years ago I wouldn't have been seen dead in Lycra! Since then I've started road biking, and I've totally changed my mind. It makes perfect sense for road biking, and you soon get used to it. I'm no racing snake, but I don't have a belly either. I do feel slightly self conscious in non biking situations (cafes, emergency stop in shops), so avoid them if possible. I certainly don't wear Lycra to look like a team rider, it's just the right gear for the job.

I hope I still have state of mind to put myself under a bus if I ever change my views on lycra.

Lycra should be banned. MTB shorts with bib shorts underneath FTW

Tongue in cheek comments surely? I can probably count on 1 hand the number of cyclists I know at that weight.

He didn't say that either - he is quoted as saying lycra can look "awful" on anyonen over 8 stone.
And he's right - it *can* look awful.

But I'm with the "wear what you like" brigade. No need to wear lycra if you don't want to, no reason you should listen to those saying you can't wear it if you want to though.

Saturday a problem with my cash card, outside Natwest, the door was open so in i walked, a chap asked what i was needing, and where i had ridden from,expected to be told to take bike outside, turns out he was the manager and a cyclist,he and his staff never batted an eyelid about me dressed in lycra, while he sorted out my problem.

Hoy also has a clothing and bike range, obviously wants some extra free advertising.

The article wasn't entirely serious , but that didn't stop all the journos and commentators using it to start an argument that you're all continuing

Tongue in cheek comments surely? I can probably count on 1 hand the number of [s]cyclists [/s] adults I know at that weight.

This

Tongue in cheek comments surely? I can probably count on 1 hand the number of cyclists I know at that weight.

Yes, obviously, but a lot of mountain bikers (me included until I started road riding) seem to agree regardless!

tomhoward - Member
Tongue in cheek comments surely? I can probably count on 1 hand the number of [s]cyclists adults[/s] humans at that weight.
This, that, the other

POSTED 23 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

Lycra should be worn by whomever wishes to wear it.

I agree!

i bet you would change your mind if you saw me clad head to toe in lycra....... 😆

Rusty Spanner - Member
I wear lycra for sexual reasons.
The sight of me wearing it acts as an excellent contraceptive.

POSTED 1 HOUR AGO # REPORT-POST

This made me chuckle

I'm all for a blanket ban on lycra regardless of weight.

lycra should be banned anywhere in a public place, when worn by men. any men.
there is nothing worse than a fat middle aged cyclist clad in lycra. and if the bloke wears it to enter a pub or cafe, he should be tarred and feathered.

It may have been a tongue in cheek comment by Chris Hoy, but on a serious note, it was a harmful comment to make by someone who has benefitted the sport, but who has himself greatly benefitted from the sport and ought to think carefully about what he says given his status as a sporting hero and someone who can influence views and debates.

We currently have a major obesity crisis in this country which is placing huge demands on the NHS (limiting the available resources for non-self inflicted health conditions) and which is damaging the health and lives of the sufferers and their families.

I have seen a few very obese people on bikes wearing lycra and close fitting jerseys, and my initial thoughts were similar to Hoy's statement. However, I immediately then changed my mind, and mentally congratulated those people for having the courage and the determination to get out and ride a bike, since it does take a lot of courage when you have people like Hoy making such remarks and knowing that others who don't say it may well be thinking it, and since by getting out and riding they are taking steps to towards a healthier lifestyle. We need to encourage such people every step of the way, not make s****ing remarks which may embarrass them and discourage them from continuing to ride or take other exercise.

Got to agree with @slowster. I always feel more impressed by people out pushing themselves when it is clear that the journey is a long one rather than the elegant and impeccably dressed out for a bimble

I'm 100% with Ton on this one. If you leave the house in Lycra, then you look like a sex offender. Seriously.... you do!

If your delusional lack of self-awareness means you're not prepared to accept this self-evident fact, then it's a public duty for other people... in this case Chris Hoy... to point it out to you. You don't look like a finely honed athlete, you look like a burst black pudding. A burst black pudding who thinks it's acceptable to show the world their nads. It isn't!

So take heed of his wise words and help make the country a less aesthetically terrifying place. For gods sake think of the children and cover those cobblers!

ton - Member
lycra should be banned anywhere in a public place, when worn by men. any men.
there is nothing worse than a fat middle aged cyclist clad in lycra. and if the bloke wears it to enter a pub or cafe, he should be tarred and feathered.

Does it make you have uncomfortable thoughts or something?

Even Chris froome weighs well over 8 stone

Fact is that anyone in lycra looks a bit daft, nothing to do with weight.

I include myself in that. My recently purchased aero helmet looks like a bellend, but I simply don't care.

Does it make you have uncomfortable thoughts or something?

it puts me off my sausage butty for sure.

As a 14 stone cyclist who wears Lycra, I think Sir Chris has a good point well made 😆

I still vomit at my 2016 Ride London pic at 15st02 😳

Lycra looks odd the moment you get off the bike, so the answer is to not sit about in cafes trying to look cool, just ride your bike

What about Lycra and a bumbag?

Only with socks and sandals

However, Pete Reynolds, a blogger who writes about cycling styles, says Sir Chris's comments have a point.
Pete, who is originally from Liverpool but currently lives in Berlin, says the British attitude to cycling - and particularly about what to wear while on two wheels - is very different to the attitudes of our Continental cousins.
"If you go to other places in Europe - in Amsterdam, or Copenhagen, or here in Berlin - people are riding around in everyday clothing," he says.
"I think people in the UK see cycling as a sport rather than a means of transport," he says, adding: "I think it creates an image of cycling that is undesirable and unattainable."

He's right innit.

that ^ makes sense.

on a lighter note, if we are all honest, the only people who look nice in lycra are some women. sexist, yes, but honest. even women think that man, all men look ridiculous in lycra.

[quote=ooOOoo ]"If you go to other places in Europe - in Amsterdam, or Copenhagen, or here in Berlin - people are riding around in everyday clothing," he says.
They are when they are going about their "everyday" business but not when participating in sport/purely recreational cycling. The Euros are much more into lycra for mountain biking that we are in the UK.

Pedal around a large UK city and commuters are also in a variety of garbs. There's a lot less variation between the UK and the rest of Europe than many folk are trying to make out.

Well I've never seen anyone in Amsterdam in Lycra.

"In the UK, we are associating cycling with riding the Tour de France," he adds, "and it is making it seem much harder than it should be to a lot of people."

Interesting point as well

When I ride to work and around town, I wear my normal street clothes. When I am on my mountain bike, I wear baggy shorts over bibs, with a looser jersey. And when I ride road, I do so in Lycra.

In other words, I wear what works.