Comments on: Bike commuting forces fashion dilemmas

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:38:55 +0000

It gets hot in Europe as well.

I commute every day and yes, on a hot day I do sweat, but there are some things you can do to keep cool:

1. Ride in an upright position. If your leaning forward your shirt will stick to you back.

2. Get a big front basket where you can put your jacket or even trousers without getting them wrinkled.

3. ride slow.

4. Avoid pack packs

5. If you ride slow and carefully you wont need a helmet either.

By: bikeman

bikeman — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:54:26 +0000

Look around at the options available for bike shorts. Summertime, I wear baggy shorts with a chamois, I don’t get as many stares at work as I do with regular spandex bike shorts. Wintertime, I wear Patagonia expedition weight capilene pants, they are not as tight as spandex, and much warmer, they keep me warm down to 30 degrees.
For shirts, any sort of quick dry t-shirt works, they can be purchased at Target, etc.
I change at work into dry clothes.As long as I have showered prior to leaving the house, I am reasonably dry a few minutes after my arrival at work.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:17:46 +0000

Chafing? Spandex? How fast are you guys riding?

By: Juan

Juan — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:50:47 +0000

My commute is 37 round trip, so I wear real bicycle clothes. I have a rack and trunk that I use to bring my regular clothes into work….no sweaty back pack for me. I’m lucky enough to wear shorts and T-shirts at work, but I’d rather not wear them while riding.

By: jamesmallon

jamesmallon — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:46:02 +0000

Two ideas:

Merino undershorts eleminate chafing, dry quickly, are not as warm as you’d think, and don’t funk-up like most else.

Vaude makes a pant’s saver with more coverage than a strap. Either that, or make your own.

By: Stuart M.

Stuart M. — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 04:21:36 +0000

I regulary bike-commute to the different schools I go to teach at. Somedays I have to wear a suit, somedays casual is okay. I have a European style bike with a chain guard, but my pants still get dirty. They keep touching the sides of the rear tire while I am spinning.

I usually wear casual pants on the ride and switch to fancy pants when I arrive at the schools. I have to tuck my casual pants into the tops of my socks to avoid getting them dirty, but this sure looks dorky! I need those skirtguards that Dutch-style bikes all have. Where I live (Japan), no one has ever heard of pants-clips. Can’t get them here.

Some of my commutes go about 10 miles one-way and I can get a bit sweaty. But I wear cotton undershirts/underwear which seem to absorb sweat well without making me stinky.

I wish knickerbocker suits would make a come-back. Then one could advertise that one is a bicyclist and still wear a suit. I have searched the Internet far and wide for knickerbocker suits, but there are only knickers for women and countless entries in historical “the way we were” websites. A market opportunity?

By: Stephen in Salt Lake City

Stephen in Salt Lake City — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:01:46 +0000

I’ve been riding to work for about a year now and am lucky enough to live 2 miles from a light rail station. I ride down hill to the station, board the train for an 8 mile ride, then have a short .5 mile ride to the office. I do this in work clothes – no sweat;-)

I mix the ride up in the evening, taking routes that range between 10 and 15 miles. I broke the 30 minute barrier today on the return ride, which means that my commute is officially faster on my bike! On a related note, I just sold my A4!

Winter commuting was easier than I expected in in SLC. A good pair of tights, gloves, goggles, lights and toe warmers is all it takes.

By: Paul in Minneapolis

Paul in Minneapolis — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:47:06 +0000

In hot weather, even short 2 mile rides to the store, I wear padded spandex. I do wear a lite pair of shorts over the spandex. In cooler weather I sometimes ride upto 50 miles in jeans with little problems. Over all, I love padded spandex bike shorts. I should point out, I started bicycling three years ago or ~14,000 miles of car-free bliss. I also carry rain gear and a reflective vest in my panniers on my main bike.
I don’t know if I am stylish I am, but I love it the way some women smile at me…

By: matthew booth

matthew booth — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:28:38 +0000

I dont know how much of this is a factor but I have hairy thick/chubby legs, so chafing has always been a problem, even with walking for extended periods of time… its usually the moisture that does it. Maybe I can build up some thicker skin… Im still new to this commuting thing.

Thanks for the feedback so far though!

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:38:22 +0000

@ Matthew

This is just my opinion but I don’t think that you will have problems with chafing on a 12 mile commute. Long-distance cyclists probably have more of a problem with this. I plan on buying a safety reflective vest and a cycling rain jacket long before I invest in special shorts.

Other more experienced cyclists might have a different view.