Your username is a lie. Where is the unicycle?
I have 24" (mountain) and 29er(gravel) unicycles. I've worn Lycra on both of those too. Helps keep bits out of the way, which is critical when mounting a unicycle.
So binners, I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you.
Pretty certain that he's not worried about it in the slightest.
I think road bikes have their place, for me it is in winter when the trails are sloppy and I need to keep my legs turning over. Depending where you live, they are also good for exploring the back roads and countryside.
Given the choice of dry trails or dry roads, the road bike doesn't get a look in.
Road bikes don’t get the same punishment as mountain bikes, do they?
Mine does as I also ride it off road all year round and the last few months of rain have the bike and me being covered in mud every ride.
I can't believe you've never mentioned that before! 😀
Gone the other way here. Road cycling petered out to be replaced by a gravel bike, then trail running. Now Iˋm injured, I´m riding the hardtail trying to avoid roads as much as possible.
In the year+ Iˋve been off the roads, it seems everyone now
runs a rear blinky even in daylight. That says a lot.
Get those guns shaved as well Binners, it'll make your Lycra look even better.
My wife informs me that muscular, shaved legs in Lycra shorts (or short running shorts) is a very good look. Sadly the skeletal upper body above it somewhat detracts from the the whole thing.
Also, as mentioned above, after all these years, she will never ever get used to the order I put autumn cycling gear on, apparently being stood in just knee warmers, arm warmers and a HRM is not, I repeat, not a sexy look irrelevant of how much you shake "it".
I have been absent from this Forum for about 3 years, because I took up triathlon. Its a very slippery slope, you will need:
Road bike
Winter Bike
Tri bike
Deep Section carbon wheels
Less deep carbon wheels for windy conditions.
£1000 ish a year for entry fees.
I have given up, it has bankrupted me and I am still a fat knacker.
It has for me , particularly this year.
Much less faffage .
I prefer to ride off road but that is becoming less and less practical. Hey ho.
I just love riding bicycles and have embraced the Lycra like a deviant.
🙂
I don’t care, anyway. I’m not leaving the house wearing lycra.
You will. Buy some well-fitting quality garments. They make riding much nicer. Right. Clothes. For. The. Job. You spend a lot longer in one position, so comfort really matters. You'll also soo n bea nnoyed with flappy shorts rubbing the top tube.
Everyone posts the picture of the French mayor in his under-sized kit. But Chapeau to him - the tour came through his town and he wanted to support it as best as he saw fit.
So have you ridden it yet and for question 2...
Your entry in for the rake yet?
I had a cross bike and from that I learned that I can't do drops so I'm safe. But I do have a suspiciously fast hybrid.
Dunc
1. No
2. Absolutely definitely not. I'm looking at the gearing on it and wondering if I'd make it up there alive. I'm mad busy, away this weekend. We going out and christening it one day next week?
Anytime mate do reps on the mast road?
Just came in to give binners a disapproving look. What bike did you buy? Is it one of those brands that only makes road bikes? If it is I’m going to be very sad
I went down the road route for a couple of years, love the speed and ride from the door/lack of maintenance.
A couple of car related offs and a horse box forcing me off the road spooked me.
Tend to use it on the trainer and as pub transport now, unlike the MTB I can't ride it with eight pints in me so less chance of post pub incidents walking or cab.
Not sure why people say normal shorts are flappy though? Never bothered me. Or the flat pedals.
I love my road bike - although I do use mountain bike spds and I haven't shaved anything yet...
@hols2 don't know why everyone knocks that poor chap, he's almost a perfect teardrop shape. Can't get much more aero than that... 🙂
Bought a road bike 5 years ago and do about 1500 miles a year on it. Do I wear Lycra? Hell yes. Do I give a flock about what people think I look like? Hell no.
I started as a roadie back in my teenage years. Didn't get the MTB thing even when my best riding buddy started rocking a Giant Boulder at Uni. 8 years later I got the bug big time and could no longer relate to roadies. I just wanted to be on the trails. And for a while I was out 5 days a week. Loved it.
Then I watched the ToB come through my village c 2015 and realised I wanted that speed back. Only a road bike could give me that. So I did my normal due diligence, grabbed a barely used Cannondale with upgraded wheels off eBay and I was off. The acceleration and top line speed hit me straight away and reminded me why I got into it in my youth. Spent the next 6 months or so solely on the road, didn't touch the Stumpy.
Summer 2017 I realised my Stumpy 26er just wasn't cutting it anymore and opted for some 650b action. Sourced the parts to make an upgraded Whyte 901 and that was me sorted on all fronts. Well, so I thought ... because it turned out gravel was the new thing and I'd been paying zero attention to it. Asked around and did my usual due diligence. Picked up an absolute bargain of a 50 mile old Friston, again upgraded, and that really was me sorted.
Told the missus I'd get rid of the Cannondale because the Friston was quick enough on the road. But I was wrong. Only the former could give me the full on speed I still craved.
So I still have all three and still ride all three. If I had the time to N+1 I would, but I have so much other stuff keeping me occupied.
That's my tuppence.
It did to me, ride almost exclusively road now, mainly for fitness. As you know it's hilly round here. I can do 11 miles with 1000ft in climbing in 50 mins, good workout with minimal faff. Ride from the door. Still spend a lot of time building mountain bike trails though.
Right kit is right, good gloves at this time of year and yes lycra tights do make a big difference. Roads are screwed though, line choice is more important than on a mountain bike. Personally not had many issues with cars etc.
I grew up with the whole "road bikes are rubbish" thing that was around when MTB was at its zenith in the 90s and, to be honest, I regret now not getting into road cycling sooner.
I've always enjoyed touring since my teens. To start with, this was on my MTB, so moving on to hybrids and eventually drop bars was a natural - albeit very slow - progression for me.
I still don't enjoy busy roads and far prefer the quieter ones, but there are different thrills on offer with road cycling. MTB still gives me a buzz that I will never get from road, but I'm so pleased I can now choose from several different kinds of riding.
The cultural aspects of some road cycling still cheeses me off, but there are so many sub-genres and cliques that there's bound to be one for everyone.
Your entry in for the rake yet?
It's just a hill. I first rode it thirty years ago on a Raleigh Mustang. I'm a bit quicker up there on the road bike, but my stomach doesn't rest on my top tube...
BadlyWiredDog
Just go on Zwift where no-one can see your bulging Lycra and everyone’s avatar is a paradigm of muscular perfection. Over 100kg with a pot belly and bingo wings like a wingsuit flyer? No problem, on Zwift you’ll look like Anthony Joshua
That properly made me laugh as you have just described me.😁 Though I actually think my butt looks bigger than everybody else's when I'm looking around me on Zift, even if they weigh more!
In the turbo I just wear a lycra inner and no top. Thank God only I can see that sight...
Everyone posts the picture of the French mayor in his under-sized kit. But Chapeau to him – the tour came through his town and he wanted to support it as best as he saw fit.
Never knew that was the story behind that pic. Yeah, good luck to him.
I commute/tour in lycra/proper roadie kit because I feel totally comfortable in it, its fantastic in wet conditions, warm in winter, cool in summer and doesn't make my arse feel numb after 25km. It washes well, drys quickly and lasts 10,000's of km before it wears out. Its not massively expensive, can normally be found on sale and generally the sizing is accurate.
I wear baggies and mtb jerseys when 'on the hill' and shredding the gnarr. Its mainly average quality, weird sizing, doesn't dry quickly, costs more than it should and in my wifes opinion makes me look like a skinny NFL mascot...
Road for fitness, MTB for fun.
damascus
Member
This is how it starts!Once you realise how quickly you can get out and back and you don’t need to clean your bike abd kit and drive then it all makes sense.
Then you decide that you need road cycling kit and none of your mtb kit is suitable.
Then you get into marginal gains and before you know, you’ve gone full pkw and everybody knows you should never go full pkw
This person knows ^^^
Your views and opinions regarding road/mtb will be turned upside down.
The bow legged middle aged man in baggy shorts and brightly coloured kit will look as ridiculous as you now view the beer bellied middle aged man wearing lycra.
From viewing the road bike as a progressive decline due to age from the mtb .. you will see the road bike as a requirement to suit your superior fitness and skill set .. its then the lycra will become a necessity.
People see adult men on mtbs as biffers regardless of shape & size ... biffers who are riding 4mph to the nearest burger van or pub ... most likely both.
People view adults on road bikes as cyclists .. primarily as nuisances; but serious and fit nuisances regardless of shape or size.
but serious and fit nuisances regardless of shape or size.
😂 No! Just wrong.
There really won’t. I’m possessed with enough self-awareness not to leave the house looking like a sex offender.I don’t eat cake either
And all rides will still be ending at the pub, not a coffee shop
I’m not really cut out for this, am I?
Sorry for going back a couple of pages but I think an intervention is needed before it’s too late.
If you’re not careful @binners you’ll find yourself, feeling all safe and secure in your baggies, and then without realising you’ll order a Artisanal Craft Beer for no other reason than it’s got a quirky name.
An then your proper ****** and in the market for a custom steel gravel bike and full ‘Raffa’ uniform
Nope. Road surfaces around here are more gnarly than the local trails.
29er(gravel) unicycle
Even in the ratified atmosphere of Stw that is peak niche. Respect.
I finally succumb last year having held out since 1989. Back then I had a brief period going out with a local group on road rides but once my Saracen Tufftrax came along it was MTB's all the way.
I tried a gravel bike a few years back but couldn't get on with it so sold it and bought a HT.
Then Christmas 2018, armed with a load of Evans vouchers I took the plunge and bought a carbon road thing without a disc brake in sight. Jury is still out tbh as I only probably rode it three times last year although I did enjoy it. No lycra yet, no roadie shoes, no café stops but I'm expecting to use it more this year. If I don't it will be off.
I am old enough to only have the option of riding road bikes when I started. When mountain bikes appeared, I soon became hooked yet usually managed to keep a road bike as well. My current ratio is 3 MTB to one road. They are all bikes, they are all fun, and what you wear on them is between you, your mirror and your self image.
I aminly mtb but have a road bike which and wear road kit, for riding on (dry) roads. And actually have a spring roadbike trip in the diary (plus two mtb ones). Whatever, there's an significant line that I won't cross. Shaving. Zero practical reason for doing it (bar cultural identification and looking like everyone else in races). Once you've gone through that door...
It appears so. Have a couple of gravel and mountain bikes but bought a used road bike, first in 35 years, and trainer in preparation for lock down. Only been on the road a couple of times and extra the speed is quite scary.
Any recommendations for a cycling jersey with pockets that won't make me look like a badly packed sausage (recommendations to lose weight not welcome right now due to heavy beer consumption)
Any recommendations for a cycling jersey with pockets that won’t make me look like a badly packed sausage
The bad news is that loose jerseys with full pockets are nightmarish, so you either buy one that fits and tell people that your midriff is actually pro-style extra lung capacity. Or if you're not bothered about 'the rules' and stuff, a decent bum-bag allows you to carry everything your might need and where whatever top you damn well like.
Personally I wouldn't do the belt-pack thing on a pukka road bike, but it works well for me on the cross bike.
Once upon a time we all used to think clips & straps, caliper brakes, skinny wheels, long stems, QRs… etc etc etc were suitable for MTBing too..
Lycra is objectively/functionally/physically more suitable for all types of cycling. It doesn’t magically become less or more physically-restrictive and/or less or more aerodynamic simply because the tyres narrowed or the road got greener? Clothing fashions are a different matter...
Shorts and trousers will always flap and ride down unless braces.
Dirtsuits will always be too hot and heavy
Lycra-bibs will always stay right and will just get out of the way all of the time. Body-armour would still be necessary for certain disciplines.
I change one thing only for road riding - helmet! A peaked helmet is a pain in the neck (quite literally!)
On-One Carnac for a tenner in fluoro yellow.
I have a little smile every time a'proper'roadie looks at my gear and flat barred bike with disgust. After I've muttered 'c**t' under my breath, of course.
So 2 months later, how far down the path is binners?
Stage 1: lycra on the roadie
Stage 2: lycra on the mtb
Stage 3: looking at a greggs sausage roll and going, nah, better not....
Converted yet? 😂
Cant remember the last time i wore baggies on any bike.
Baggies are on a road bike are stupid cos the bits on a pair of Humvees can catch on the saddle and cause you to fall sideways as you dismount.
Happened to a friend.
Honest.
Should have bought a gravel bike, you could wear Lycra under your baggies, no one would know...
I've never ridden a racer and never will. I don't mind road riding on my rigid mtb with semi slicks.
Due to lockdown i'm riding my commuter for road rides during the week (from having only ever used it for commuting to work). I've actually enjoyed it with the roads being so quiet. The bike is a 2014 Planet X Kaffenback Swapout singlespeed, built up with largely old mtb bits with flat bars and flat pedals. On the rides, a few roadie types have scoffed at me on my 'road' bike in my MTB garb but I don't care. Once this is all over and the roads are full of cars again it'll be back to commuting use only.
you're gonna be dead soon. Commit or go home.
The loose one, did they really scoff or is this in your head?
I’ve ridden road for decades, with loads of different teams/groups/clubs. Generally the significant majority were always happy to see other folks out and about.
The roads are full of new riders on all sorts of bikes, each one gets a cheery wave from me.
I’m probably one of the saddest roadies in terms of “Lycra”. I’ve said this on here before but I’m a bit sad, my outfit has to match, helmet, shoes, socks, sunglasses and jersey. Quite sad I know.
Woodster - I have certainly seen a correlation between the bike I am riding and how I am dressed and the reaction I get from others on bikes.
Binners - got your skinsuit yet? You know you want to
jamminb - for goodness' sake, sort out the grass before you start thinking about cycling jerseys.
You could think about buying a size up as it will make you look slim - only problem is....that doesn't work with lycra.
Don't want to start a new thread so....on my early evening ride through villages near Lincoln lots of people out on bikes but one gent in particular had chosen some 'distinctive' clothes to wear; riding a sit up'n'beg type of bike wearing black frock coat, dressage style of top hat, steam punk goggles and a face mask.
In Bassingham, if you're interested.
Responded pleasantly when I called out...Evening, nice time to be out.
I grew up (that's not really the right terminology!) riding on the road, touring, reliability and time trials. I still enjoy it but no amount of saved bike cleaning is going to stop me being a mountain biker at heart.
I got my first MTB (a Cignal Montero) just as the scene was emerging from Ron Hills into flouro frame bags made by surf companies, the days of Dave the Lemming Hemming and John Tomac, Mint Sauce and when your magazine choice was MBi or MBUK. I've never really embraced the road since. I might enjoy the odd road ride but it never feels like it could be my main riding.
Right now some kind of gravel/touring bike probably has more appeal, a mix of local back roads and bridleways right from the door.
frankconway - I have scarified, aereated and top dressed my lawn this year and it still looks shXte! Suppose i should be grateful I have one.