[Closed] Does anyone still wear lycra apart from racers?

I do if its really muddy, as baggys get covered in mud and slippery on the saddle, and feels like your going fast with lycra on.........

I do and ditto but tend not to give a flying **** what others think. I actually find its the only riding ear that I can get off the back of the seat and not get caught up on the return, plus its warm and compresses tha muscles so less soreness the day after a big ride.

It is the best riding gear ...roadies do know a thing or two about the right thing to wear ....they were riding bikes before we were.
I guess it depends on whether you want to look good or wear the most appropriate clothing.

I always wear lycra out but normally wear baggies over them. I'm more embarrassed about leaving my house in them than wearing them. Nothing better than wearing just lycra is it's really wet or muddy though.

I wear them on a serious day out, on road or MTB. MT500's, can't beat them

i wear me ronhill tights to uni whenever its cold or wet past all the uni babes etc 🙂

Frequently, under baggy shorts - especially 3/4's now it's colder and wetter.

I always wear roadie gear, one of the main reasons is to annoy mtbers who think we "should" wear baggies.
The only point in baggies is to make some vague effort to hold on to the notion that biking is the sort of thing you do spontaneously - by just 'hopping' onto a bike in whatever you happen to be wearing at the time, but we all know that's not the case.
The worst is people who commit the god-awful practice of wearing lycra tights but then baggy shorts OVER them - awful - just what is the actual point of those shorts? They don't provide any additional warming, they don't provide any protection, the only possible practical reason is pockets - well just use your camelbak.
The only other reason not to wear proper cycling gear is vanity - the 'I don't look good in lycra' syndrome, but if that's your attitude then you might as well just wear a sign saying 'i'm not happy with my shape'. Why not? Nobody else is offended.

I'm not happy with my shape dude. I've got a bent spine and a buckled rib cage. I'm quite thin too. I'm not gonna start wearing skin suits any time soon.

nope, never worn lycra for all to see.

i'll always stick a pair of shorts over the top. it just looks really bent. i know it makes sense, but still.

even on the road bike (it's a fixie really) i'll stick a pair of 3/4 over the top.

here in germany you'll have 70 year old grandads popping to the shops fully lycra'd up in ill fitting aldi cycling gear. a sight for sore eyes, i tell thee.

I love lycra. Best riding kit by miles. Just can't get on with baggies, especially in the winter

Lycra leggings with waterproof shorts on top work well on muddy winter trail rides..

I wear DH baggies over my lycra shorts for everything, the baggies provide lots of protection in the event of a crash, the lycra helps prevent chaffage (yey!). The one time I fell off and slid wearing just the lycra it made quite a mess of my leg 🙁

On the last run of the last race of last DH race I did last season (the one before they controversially banned skin suits (I don't mind them, for the record, in a sport against the clock, the pro's should be allowed to make a judgement call on protection vs all out speed))(woo, nested comments, sign of a ramble) I wore a borrowed skinsuit in lieu of my normal armour + baggies and a MX top get up. It felt stupid fast, but I cut a huge chunk out of my shin muffing a root, and was 2 seconds slower 🙁

I wish they would put some kind of fly in bib shorts though, the unzip, unclip lean over and try and avoid pissing on you chin thing is getting old fast now that the winter rides are here 🙁

Baggies are worse than useless in the shite weather. lycra is the way forward

Benji,just pack an extra pair of socks,thats what all the roadies do.

lycra is underwear

Cant really call myself much of a racer these days, but I still think like a racer, and dress like one.
Baggies were just another late 90s fashion to distance the cool mountainbikers from, well, proper cycling.
Oops I said it out loud 😳

Yep as bonj above I wear lycra cos no-one else does now, inc' a roadie cap under helmet cx look too, just for extra wind up potential when out with the "dudes".

Lycra all the way. always have a s**** at chaps with baggies over lycra to look cool. we are grown men on bicycles - we all look daft regardless.

lycra biblongs are brill

I still wear it if its a big ride or if I'm commuting a big distance (>10miles) - function over form!

Always wear lycra - no brainer. Don't mind a waterproof short or 3/4 on top in the winter - makes a difference on a filthy ride.

Don't own any baggies.

In summer I'm not really bothered, lycra or baggies. In winter, lycra tights are the most sensible option - it stops water running into my socks, means my legs don't get cold and mud-covered.

There have been times where I've wished for a pair of waterproof shorts on top though.

Commutes I use waist bibs and mtb shorts over them.

Road rides-waist bibs and lycra shorts over.

I think if you have a small package you are better of as I feel embarrassed in the summer by looking big and also you have to get comfortable riding which looks like you're playing with yourself-you hope nobody is watching and somebody see's you and grins lol.

Also lycra reduces muscle vibration so less energy is wasted so I am told.

My Gf calls me spiderman when I get home 🙄

Lycra FTW! Most of my stuff is Santini, including some nice 'Roubaix' lycra, the slightly warmer one with the brushed inside finish.

lycra all the way, i dont look good in it but cycling clothing for cycling, baggy crap for scateboarding and such
i was over in belgium in october maybe saw 200 cyclists road and mtb, didnt see one cyclist who wasnt just going to the shops in baggy stuff,if they was on a bike they wore lycra, infact i was in a large mtb store and they did not even sell baggy stuff
since when did dressing like a ninja become the way we are supposed to dress, the brighter the bettter

I'd wear lycra again if I was 2 stone lighter...totally functional....surely baggies are for the fashion parade posers

It does make you look fatter. So it forces you to get in trim!

Metrosexuality at it's best...does my bum look big in this? yes you're fat!

Lycra makes you look fatter but also makes you look better when slim!

Dries out quick in the wet weather too.

"The worst is people who commit the god-awful practice of wearing lycra tights but then baggy shorts OVER them - awful - just what is the actual point of those shorts? They don't provide any additional warming .. "
They do provide additional warming
More importantly, especially with shorts with a little water resistance (or waterproof), they reduce the cold/wetness of the undershorts

"they don't provide any protection"
They do, especially thicker DH type ones. Theres always a chance you might rip the lycra open at far end of your ride?

"the only possible practical reason is pockets - well just use your camelbak."
They're good for that. I don't want to have to keep taking my camelbak on and off whenever I want to get at my gloves or camera (waits to be told my camera should be in my camelbak)

Sometimes I just wear the lycra, but sometimes its easier with baggies

They do provide additional warming

They do, especially thicker DH type ones. Theres always a chance you might rip the lycra open at far end of your ride?

They're good for that. I don't want to have to keep taking my camelbak on and off whenever I want to get at my gloves or camera (waits to be told my camera should be in my camelbak)

I always wear lycra shorts and usually wear a lycra top. They're comfy and wick sweat away quickly. I always wear baggie shorts though. Let me tell you a story.

I've started riding at the velodrome a lot this year. They insist you wear lycra shorts. So I bought a brand new pair of lycra MT500's. Great shorts, very comfy. First ride in them, BANG! Off I come, slide along the banking at 25mph, shred my shorts. Hmmm, that's 40 quid down the drain. If I was allowed to wear baggies I'd have just got up and carried on. Not happy. Now if that was offroad or even on tarmac,I'd not only have a shredded pair of shorts, I'd also have a shredded arse.

Nah, baggies every time. They're tough.

Bizarrely, i've bought myself a pair of bibs for the track. 60 ****ing quid! Bet I come off on them soon.

I prefer lycra - much easier to wear although I prefer not to crash in it ideally!!!!! Baggies are fine but I prefer to have gear that doesn't fly around too much - might wear them on a big trail or wilderness ride.

Lycra Bib shorts and bib longs.
From 10 days after I bought a bike, 4yrs ago.
I'd not consider anything else, although 4yrs ago I'd have laughed at the thought. My Spec' longs are the same as I bought then, only one small tear in them by my foot.
Perfect kit.
I was out in the pouring rain, sleet and gale force winds on the Sky Line at Afan today.
It's the best gear to ride in to my mind.

The only other reason not to wear proper cycling gear is vanity - the 'I don't look good in lycra' syndrome, but if that's your attitude then you might as well just wear a sign saying 'i'm not happy with my shape'. Why not? Nobody else is offended.

Unfortunately, some others are a little off put by it; I work with mostly women (and 2 of the 4 other blokes are gay, so who knows what to think!! 😯 😆 ) and some of the girls do get a bit embarrased, so I tend to wear baggies when I commute.

Baggies are a bit more 'practical' if the ride ends at the pub, cafe, pizza place afterwards as we don't have trail centres near us with 'on-site' facilities, so you're mixing with the 'general public'. Again, I don't care, but others do; besides I don't mind baggies or lycra so no problem for me.

The chamois in most baggies are pretty good these days too, where as previously you had to get roadie stuff to get a decent pad.

TBH as long as you are comfy, go for it.

Langy, you need to get out more. Seriously! Are people supposed to take your comments seriously with an attitude like that?

I'd suggest that most of your problems are about your own self image rather than what anyone else thinks of you. They probably don't even notice you so get over yourself.

Lycra shorts/3/4 bibshorts and merino/sportwool jersey- all proper roadie stuff - i've even given up using my camelback most of the time. Roadie gear is the best for me.

I wear baggies and given that descent ones come with lycra shorts inside (good ones are removable), I also wear lycra. Also descent baggies are waterproof and in the mud don't make any difference.
The bonus is the I can remove the lycra and just wear them as normal shorts so I get two in one. There is no way on earth I'd go down the pub in summer in a lycra shorts unless it was fancy dress come as a plank day.

Lycra is for racing and it should stay that way. i am so glad skin suits are banned from DH racing.

lycra all the way. Still can't see a single point in baggies unless you like looking like a scoutmaster.

zaskar...what are 'waist bibs'?!

I don't mind wearing lycra, and do every day on the commute (usually under waterproofs)

I tend to wear baggies over te top at trail centres and when out with group, as I don't like people staring at my infeasibly large package

I never wear baggies

I only ride a bike because it gives me a legitimate reason to wear lycra in public.

[img] [/img]

Lycra (in black). Perhaps not the most flattering thing for me but bolox to what anyone else thinks, it's kit that works and that's the most important thing, especially in this weather.

Wear lycra on my own and baggies if in a group to blend in. Dont really see the point of baggies - you never use the pockets as things bounce/rub on your legs and they get wet easy and stay wet. But I really don't look good in just lycra 😯

Yep been wearing lycra since it was wool.
Tried baggies once, horrible flappy catchy and freezing when wet.

Also noticed, just yesterday in fact. Everyone was wearing heavy duty rain jackets even though it wasn't raining.

[i]Unfortunately, some others are a little off put by it; I work with mostly women (and 2 of the 4 other blokes are gay, so who knows what to think!! ) and some of the girls do get a bit embarrased, so I tend to wear baggies when I commute. [/i]

I know where you're coming from on that one. My first job, my co-workers very quickly got used to me cycling to work in lycra and the comments soon stopped. Then I changed jobs and honestly, there'd have been fewer comments if I'd have arrived at work by UFO. Wearing baggies generally elicited fewer daft comments about what cyclists looked like although I still got questions as to why I rode a whole 8 miles(!) when I had a perfectly good car.

The job I'm in now, most people cycle to work and most of them wear lycra for their commute. 🙂

No lycra, shorts (what is this baggies you are referring at) with just standard underwear underneath. If it's cold I wear cycling trousers.
I have tried to put a 3/4 lycra bib I have in the bottom of the wardrobe and I just couldn't way too uncomfy.
So short every time because it has no disadvantage over lycra (I don't race so I couldn't be more bothered with drag) it has pockets, you can wear them off the bike. And same rules apply for casual shaped cycling t shirt.

Lycra more comfy in cold/wet for sure. But I don't like the look - it's not causal enough. At this time of year I wear lycra under the Endura shorts for warmth. Pockets useful for munchybars.

lycra on road, baggies over lycra offroad.

The pockets are useless, but they do provide a lot of abrasion protection when you crash as the baggy slides over the lycra, so you and your fancy lyrca don't get shredded underneath. I thought this was common knowledge, and why so many people do it?

(Plus, like samuri, I'm averse to putting holes in 75 quid bibshorts...)

Offroad, I don't wear baggies if there's a serious chance of getting wet. On the road or in the wet it's a lycra job. I quite like how I look in lycra though, so it doesn't bother me either way.

Good quality Lycra for me, always.

lycra for me now
I seem to always get my baggies caught up with my saddle when decending and hanging off the back and have stacked it a couple of times because of this.

Langy, you need to get out more. Seriously! Are people supposed to take your comments seriously with an attitude like that?

I'd suggest that most of your problems are about your own self image rather than what anyone else thinks of you. They probably don't even notice you so get over yourself.

Driller - That is not "attitude" or being full of myself; I work for a fashion label - what you look like and 'image' [i]are[/i] looked upon where [b][i]I[/i][/b] work quite intently. I already don't fit in in that regard and get judged because I wear beat up old shit to work rather than the latest Armani this or Ralph Lauren that; as such I can assure you that I have no problems with my self image. Thanks for the concern though 😛

However, on several ocassions at work talk has sidetracked into cyclists "silly outfits with tappy shoes and bulges in skin tight clothing" often accompanied by lots of giggling and cat calls etc; I am not trying to make out I have a big dick to be waving around (my wife will confirm that! 😥 😉 ), it is simply a case that some people [i][b]do[/b][/i] get flustered by cyclists in lycra and don't know how to handle it; a number of the women that I work with don't. For others it's no big deal. My point was, that to say that no-one cares is a bit much; maybe you don't, I know I don't, but not everyone is of that same opinion.

Lycra, particularly bib shorts and longs are the most comfortable and practical on a bike assuming you don't crash - that's just a fact. I generally wear baggie shorts over a pair of bib shorts in summer because I think they look better. I never wear baggy shorts over lycra longs because I think it looks really weird so in winter it's bib longs either on their own or with a base layer or with waterproof trousers over the top in really wet/muddy conditions.

I happily wear Lycra on my road bike, and in the 90’s I lycra’d up for riding my MTB but since my MTB riding has changed from XC to more DH and all round trail riding I’ve taken to the baggies, they are comfy, I prefer wearing Endura padded boxers under them to Lycra shorts as you can overheat a bit but I have been known to wear bibs under baggies. I do my best to avoid needing a camelback; I don’t like the wet sweaty centre patch you inevitably get, so using cargo pockets and rear pockets on jerseys/jackets is my preference…
But I’d also never pay the asking price for most bike specific baggies, sale bargains, cheapo high street jobbies if they work or chopped down Combats for me…

As for Skin suits in DH, I think it’s a real shame the UCI ruled the way they did, Downhill as a sport should be more about function than fashion, and skin suits do actually make a difference, in my view it’s the start of a slippery slope, very much fashion being chosen over and above function…

As for everyone else bumbling about on trails and roads, wear what you like, no need to get all militant over the “Correct attire” you’ll always look like an arse to someone whatever you choose to wear…

Lycra every day. Can't beat it.

Saying that I [i]do[/i] have one pair cheapo baggies which I wear only if we go on a family ride to a summer open garden, or National Trust or something. - I believe it pays not to upset the senior citizens taking tea in the orchard.

FFS it's only a bike ride. If you are not competing then wear shorts like normal human beings do.

FFS it's only a bike ride. If you are not competing then wear shorts like normal human beings do.

I do, lycra ones.

the god-awful practice of wearing lycra tights but then baggy shorts OVER them

I know someone who wears baggy shorts UNDER his tights 😯

Yes but come on let's not pretend that's why people wear them. They wear them because they think that if they don't wear them they will look fat/skinny/unmuscly/etc, and this worries them. It shouldn't. Simple as.

Nope. I always wear lycra alone on my road bike, but virtually always with baggies on top for MTB. I do use the pockets and CBA taking my Camelbak off everytime I want a snack, which can be quite often if you're at a trail centre and waiting around a lot. They're also very useful when I'm taking the train to ride and want tickets and money handy. Also I think the idea that anyone that doesn't necessarily want to be in a pub/cafe/supermarket/train etc in their lycra has some sort of massive self-image problem is bollox.

Why is it such a problem for people?

Bib baggies....ive got a pair. 😆

Indeed - baggies over Lycra tights? - Now which is sillier?

Do all baggiers thrive on those freezing winter legs?

I do...I've got baggy shorts but only wear them with lycra on underneath as they aren't comfy otherwise...baggy kit, never got on with it as it kept catching on my saddle and stuff so it's been lycra since the very early days (when they looked like bermuda baggies on me until I started to fill out!)

wow lot of lycra nazis on here!

i dont wear it because it looks really stupid and have never had any problems with baggies catching, getting too wet etc i always wear some lycraish chamois undershorts though

i think this site tells you all you need to know about lycra
www.gaycycling.de

warning not safe for work!

Padded lycra shorts under baggies. Surely the best of all worlds? You can ride day after day without irritation and don't look like an escapee from a gimp show either.

I would suggest that if you catch your shorts on things then you mave have taken the "baggy" part a bit too far. Or have covered your bike in coat hooks.

Baggies in summer as i find them comfy.
Spring/autumn it's baggies with knee warmers underneath.
Winter - full lycra biblongs and training jacket (waterproof in pack).

Each type of clothing has its appropriate uses and time of year.

I've never seen a pair of baggies in Denmark. i have a feeling that the baggies are a bit of a British thing. If you want something that you feel comfortable strolling around town in, then it's a different matter, but I think on the continent, most people are pretty used to cyclist wearing lycra and it doesn't raise many eyebrows

I don't care what you want to wear, but I think lycra is by far the best material for cycling clothes.

Since I started MTB in the early nineties I have always worn shorts, and Ronhill tracksters in the mid winter. For me, I was/am a climber, mountaineer and hill walker and mtb was another fun way of getting into the hills. I see it as an extension of mountain walking, not an extension of road cycling. I have/had no desire to associate myself with roadie cyclists or their gear, because it's a different sport and totally alien to me (it also suites me financially to cross use kit where possible). I'm in the mountains on a bike, most of my gear is made up of my mountain walking clothing and that includes a pr of shorts or Ronhills.

[url= ]Grapple pants[/url] are the best thing ever for winter cycling, but I normally wear shorts over the top too - apart from not frightening the horses, it makes them a lot more wind and crash proof.

Really this debate belongs on Bikeradar. You should wear what you like - as long as it's not [url= http://www.rainlegs.co.uk/ ] rainlegs[/url]. 😉

Lycra unless it's biking to the pub and if it's post 4 hr ride collapse in beer garden with pint and crisps - lycra for that too, especially if near closing time.

The 'hung up and crash' experience with baggies made me think that people pointing and laughing was a small price to pay for staying on the bike.

But whatever works - we all ride bikes and fundamentally bike wear looks a bit cockish to the untrained eye.

You can ride day after day without irritation and don't look like an escapee from a gimp show either.

It works without the lycra you know

I have/had no desire to associate myself with roadie cyclists or their gear, because it's a different sport and totally alien to me (it also suites me financially to cross use kit where possible).

You are my hero today

lycra is the new baggy.

Eve makes a good point - who goes out rambling in the hills in lycra?

Just to qualify my point
[img] [/img]
baselayer - karrimor
fleece - Rab
Shorts - The North Face
Boots - karrimor KSBs

But wear what the hell you want and feel comfortable in, most people don't care. I'd probably be out walking in the dales in this very same kit the next weekend.

Yup pretty much always wear lycra. i ahve two pairs of baggies, and neither ar that comfortable.

Oh, and there are few better sights than a fit man in lycra.

My penis is tiny so I have to wear baggies

I wear a woolly jumper on my lower half, with my legs in the arms and tackle hanging out of the neck hole. You get a few odd looks but if you need a dump it's quicker and easier than lycra bib tights.