[Closed] Why do people wear baggy shorts?

I won a pair of expensive Fox baggies at a race, I wear them as casual shorts, very nice they are too!

Sorry Grum, I didn't see your post. There is no true defintion of a mountain, so it's a hard one to answer really! Been a while I guess though, but I've not spent time not cycling on mountains either 🙂

I wrap myself in a layer of cling film. I'm so fast I'm giving myself a hard on.

Cling film is rubbish if you fall off, I prefer a good wrap of duck tape.

*deafening silence*

😀

You don't see sunday swimmers going to the pool in skin suits do you?

This is the thing, what some (not all, but most of the ones in this thread) lycra wearers are really saying is 'look at me, look at me, I'm a SERIOUS cyclist, not like those other guys'.

njee20 - Member

I won a pair of expensive Fox baggies at a race, I wear them as casual shorts, very nice they are too!

'Extreme casual' use only I hope?

Not read the 3 pages inbetween 1 and 5 but the reason I (thats me, not anyone else) wears baggies instead of lycra is because of my answer on page 1. I don't want to look like some kind of oddball deviant whilst sitting having my coffee and cake after/during a ride. That and I find the pockets useful. And the utter rubbish some people spout about people wearing baggies only because everyone else does... no. I suppose you walk around starkers purely because everyone else wears clothes?

Any serious mountain bikers will wear lycra whilst posting on STW.

I'm wearing Skins compression tights with POC knee and shin guards right now. This is because I'm better than you. FACT.

This is the thing, what some (not all, but most of the ones in this thread) lycra wearers are really saying is 'look at me, look at me, I'm a SERIOUS cyclist, not like those other guys'

To be fair there are quite a few MAMILs out there who think wearing the latest team strip will give them a couple of extra MPH but they annoy even us lycra wearing types.

They always seem annoyed when a rotund bloke in ill fitting lycra on an old touring bike passes them on an uphill section of road...

Sorry Grum, I didn't see your post. There is no true defintion of a mountain, so it's a hard one to answer really! Been a while I guess though

Thought as much.

Maybe if you were a 'real mountain biker' you'd understand the need for normal shorts (and a Camelbak). It can get pretty cold up on an actual mountain so you need some spare clothes, you can be in remote places so you might need spares/tools/first aid kit, and you might be riding difficult, steep, rocky trails where you might want pads/baggies (especially if you like to ride rather than just walking down tech sections).

Of course when you are just [s]running with your bike[/s] riding round and round a field in Sussex it's a bit different.

🙂

mountain: a really big hill, steep, with rocky bits.

Look! not a piece of lycra in sight. And I bet he's a damn sight faster than all of you...

BRB - off to get hob-nobs.

Is it just my silly memory or haven't skinsuits been banned in DH despite the top riders wanting to wear them?

Maybe if you were a 'real mountain biker' you'd understand the need for normal shorts (and a Camelbak). It can get pretty cold up on an actual mountain so you need some spare clothes, you can be in remote places so you might need spares/tools/first aid kit, and you might be riding difficult, steep, rocky trails where you might want pads/baggies (especially if you like to ride rather than just walking down tech sections).

Spare clothes and bits yep, can understand that, makes sense. Pads and baggies? Nah, you're alright!

Let's be honest though, most people aren't talking about mountains, and most people don't ride on mountains, most people are, at best, riding trail centre-esque trails, be them actually at a trail centre, or in the 'wilderness', and people make a judgment based on their feelings about armour.

Were I wearing armour, I'd probably go for baggies too, but that's well out of my comfort zone!

Not too sure where the stuff about my walking down tech sections comes from, just because I engage in the (numerous recent) debates about XC racing. I'm not one for walking down (or up) things unnecessarily at all, what's the point? Where's the fun!? I can't remember the last thing I did walk down whilst riding. Doesn't mean I deem armour necessary for my riding though. Plenty of people do, which is fine. Maybe I just don't plan to crash, it's not like armour helps until you do 🙂

I don't want to look like some kind of oddball deviant whilst sitting having my coffee and cake after/during a ride

Take note lycra wearers, think of the children!!

Is it just my silly memory or haven't skinsuits been banned in DH despite the top riders wanting to wear them?

lycra's a billion times cheaper, comfier and more practical than baggies.. especially when riding down rocks..

However.. for the sake of propriety I have recently invested in baggy shorts 'cos if I'm honest, my budgie smugglers made even me feel a bit queasy..

I'm 28 and so have been riding for around 26 ish years Lycra has never stood out as something I want to ride in so I ride in standard plain baggy shorts, not because I am or ever have been fat but because I've never felt the need for Lycra, I'm not out riding to look like a cyclist of mtb'er, I'm not after a certain image to fit in, im not a weekend warrior ( whatever one of those is, we all ride weekends right!?)and I don't think if my shorts snag my seat I'm going to lose valuable seconds in a race, I'm not a pro athlete, I just enjoy riding my bike as often and as fast as possible, and when I stop of for a pint of milk on the way home in my normal shorts and a t shirt I don't look like I've wandered off from some olympic village. Why would you want a replica jersey anyway these companies aren't paying you to wear their shitty shirt made to look like a baked beans can.

hilton83 +1
nail on head

Lycra is more practical when going fast 18mph+, nothing flapping around etc.

baggies just look better and for a lot of people are more comfortable and mean you can put stuff in your pockets.

Road + Mtb Racing = Lyrca
Casual + fashion concious = Baggies

I don't want to look like some kind of oddball deviant whilst sitting having my coffee and cake after/during a ride

i do so i wear old worn out lycra that you can see through if the sun is out 😈

Nobody deserves to see their fellow man in skin tight lycra. Jesus.

double post

Wear baggies if you want.

I'll wear lycra and I'll go up real mountains wearing it. What I look like isn't really a consideration when I'm picking my riding kit out of the cupboard.

i do so i wear old worn out lycra that you can see through if the sun is out

Quality!

While we're at it

What's with the 'pop socks' things I've seen some people wearing?

don't want to look like some kind of oddball deviant whilst sitting having my coffee and cake after/during a ride

Us lycra wearers don't stop for coffee and cake, we're out training, taking things seriously, it's a serious business.

I've ridden a lot in Italy and Spain dontchaknow, and roadies there take a great deal of pride in what they wear, even to the point of white lycra kit. Well when you've been sitting behind a group on a long days ride in blazing sun and 40C, the last thing you want to see is the arse of some dark haired italians pubes all sweaty and almost see through...

Baggy shorts look better end of! Not too keen on just wearing Lycra and having a bit of tight tissue paper under my arse crack and around my legs. Though Lycra is good for cutting through the wind. The type of riding I do though makes no difference if I get there 10 mins earlier due to less drag. I would rather get there and not look like a total mincer with a scrunched up nob sack poking out of some shiny things that make you look like the extra member of the village people!

Not to mention Lycra is about as good as rice paper when you fall off or stick your leg in a thorny bush. Chuck them in the bin after! Lycra to me only as a place on the track or the TDF, or club races etc.

I would rather get there and not look like a total mincer with a scrunched up knob sack poking out of some shiny things that make you look like the extra member of the village people!

If thats how lycra makes you look, then I cant imagine baggy's do you many more favours.

Thankfully I look like an athlete when I wear lycra.

I ripped the arse out of my baggies in a crash once and had to complete the ride in biblongs. It was horrible, I felt naked, never again.

Also a decent pair of baggies give you another layer of something before your skin which is useful when you inevitably fall off as above saved me a fair bit of lost arse cheek on that occassion.

Can we wind this up. It's stopped raining, I want to go out and I still don't know what I can wear.

Road ride on knobbly treaded mtb if that's any help.

you'll need mudguards then...

Thankfully I look like an athlete when I wear lycra.

[img] [/img]

? 😉

😀

To be honest I had to start wearing them. The bloody women were throwing themselves at me in my lycra one piece. I couldnt stop at traffic lights for being thrown from my bike and pinned to the floor by at least a dozen at a time..............

sorry, wrong forum!! 😉

i love this we all look like ****ts to the public anyway arguement, but at the end of the day when the helmet comes off and your standing at the bar you're just bloke in shorts, tshirt and trainers. Now the merits of this look is debatable but at least you don't look like you're queueing for the Powerrangers booth comicon 2005.

I think lycra is better for long distance and muddy conditions as its more comfortable. However 99% of the time I wear baggies as I dont think people need to see just how huge my package is 🙂

Looking back through this thread it also seems to be a common trait for baggy short wearers to consider themselves to be endowed with horse sized wangs.

I wear lycra coz baggies get in the way and I get too hot mostly. I also wear knee and shin pads - I look ridiculous 😕 but not as stupid as I'm going to look this weekend 😯

but not as stupid as I'm going to look this weekend

wow, this one has gone on a bit! CBA to read all 6 pages so im sorry if this has already been suggested but is it something along the lines of

cyclists= happy to wear lycra

mountain bikers= prefer to wear baggies

im sure the guy who said you arent a proper cyclist if you do less than a 100 miles a week, you are just buying in to a lifestyle was trolling but there probably are plenty of folk who think more distance= more serious cyclist, like being serious is something to aspire to. ive been mtbing for 20+ years and have never been serious about it in so far as trainig or competing but i try to ride 2-4 times a week and fit my work and life around this. ill ride rain or shine, get up ridiculously early to fit a ride in, lose sleep over getting excited about an upcoming ride etc. fwiw i ride a bit of everything from jumps and dh to a couple of hours blast to an all day epic. but i wear baggies so im only buying into a lifestyle...

Looking back through this thread it also seems to be a common trait for baggy short wearers to consider themselves to be endowed with horse sized wangs.

When I'm cold, wet and knackered, my gentlemen's vegetables practically disappear, so wearing baggies hides the lack of bulge....

Looking back through this thread it also seems to be a common trait for baggy short wearers to consider themselves to be endowed with horse sized wangs.

No 'considering' to be done. It's fact. 😉

Let's all stop the silly bickering and go and read this inspiring thread instead (it even features nipples).

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/with-pics-the-best-adventure-best-ride-ever-gr5-transalp

If it's hot and I'm not going near a shop just endura Meryl 3/4 lycra. Good knee stinger protection. When its a bit cooler baggies. When its warm no one wears a t shirt then puts an expensive non breathable nylon coat over the top, even though it would offer more protection ,cover beer bellies and scrawny arms.
When swimming I got fed up with baggy shorts bunching up and falling down.So I got some cycle short swimmers and immediately went from the slow lane to medium.