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Just got my first road bike and I own no lycra at all :-). Ridden flats last few years so a little apprehensive about being clipped in, and by god the gyres look thin. Biggest question if I wear my baggies is this bad form and frowned apon or is it purely wind resistance?
do you care?
but yes.
Wear what you like.
Baggies on a road bike is all kinds of wrong though.
Get some lycra. Its more comfortable, its faster, its less annoying, it doesn't catch on anything, and people won't think what they've been thinking so far.
People who wear baggies on road bikes are worried about the size of their package. Embrace the tightness 😆
If we told you it was bad form would you then not do it?
Never seen Darth Vadar in a pair of baggies. Does that help?
The main problem with wearing baggies is that if you ride with other roadies, they'll probably read it as the typical "I really want you to know I'm an mtber and will wear these even though there's no practical reason to do so". You know - from the sort of numpty that posts on here saying that they overtook 30 roadies on the road while riding their DH bike and wearing baggies...
Get some lycra. Its more comfortable, its faster, its less annoying, it doesn't catch on anything, and people won't think what they've been thinking so far.
Don't know about the last point, and if you're riding on your own it's hardly a major issue, but the rest of what RealMan says is spot on. Get some.
Baggies look silly with overshoes.
I sometimes wear baggies on my road bike but just if I'm going a very short distance (to the shops or commuting). They flap about, cause chaffing and are generally quite annoying.
Its actually really good to ride in.
I now dislike wearing baggies when Im riding the mtb though 🙁
Is it really that small?
Cheers guys kinda what I thought, hope I look better than that chap mr P
I didn't wear lyrca before i started road riding, now a total convert, and as above, don't like wear baggies on the mtb/running now. Lyrca makes me feel faster which is a good thing. 8)
Baggies look silly with overshoes.
I've rocked that look before (not on the road bike though of course).
It did not look good. Shoes were clean at the end though.
Cheers guys kinda what I thought, hope I look better than that chap mr P
who cares, it's just riding a bike
baggies all time - I've never seem the need to look more of a ***** on a road bike than I do on a mountain bike.
As long as you are having fun I say wear what you like - even if it's a gimp suit!
I always wear baggies on my road bike it doesn't bother me remotely.
I do ride on my own on the road though. I just can't bring myself to wear lycra, especially with my legs. It probably is more comfortable but i still can't see myself wearing it at any time soon.
This threads 16hrs old, and noones complained about the use of "dark-side"?
This forum really is going downhill. Next youll be telling me the grammar pedants have all gone home too.
I don't wear lycra, wear baggies all the time, although they're not that baggy!
Wear what you want.
If your fat/worried about the size of your cock/a bit of a wimp, then wear your baggy shorts.
Real men wear lycra
youll
you'll
😉
I always laughed at the Lycra brigade, that was before I got a road bike. baggys & high speed on open roads can be a little bit drafty if you get me! 😆
Roadies don't wear baggies.
That's because it's harder to sniff each others bums when they wear baggies.
It's fine, it sends out a subliminal message that says:
"Yes, I'm a mountain biker but to achieve bad ass fitness I train on the road as well... Fear me and my funny non aerodynamic helmet and the fact I WILL NEVER, EVER, EVER shave my legs as I am a man with diginity!"
My first "proper" road bike will be arriving today and I have no intentions of wearing anything other than baggies (with padded undershorts for longer rides). I would look and feel ridiculous in lycra.
You'll look ridiculous in baggies too 😉
If you'd seen me you'd realise that lycra would be far worse 😆
No you won't, you'll just look like someone on a road bike.
[i]with padded undershorts for [s]longer[/s] all rides[/i]
fixed that for you.
you'll find road bikes aren't terribly cushioned.
Been riding a Langster since August with baggies + boxers, fine for around 15-20 miles.
"I would look and feel ridiculous in lycra."
You will look ridiculous on a road bike in baggies. So as you are on to a loser anyway why not go with the most comfortable option?
lol. I will feel more comfortable wearing baggies.
All MTB'ers start out like this (except XC whippets), I know I did. Eventually you will embrace the lycra, and will be glad you did.
Only time I wear baggies on a road bike now is commuting. I'm not quite ready for my colleagues to get a full lycra show every morning and evening.
I won't embrace the lycra in public, padded undershorts is as far as I go. But then I only ride my road bike to commute or on the turbo as a means to get fitter.
I'm not quite ready for my colleagues to get a full lycra show every morning and evening.
my colleagues are so used to it they will start a meeting with me in my tights - i often have to stop them and go change
I guess I must be getting old........Some of you newbies may not remember but....Back in the day (when I started mountan biking) we wore lycra - some was really gash bright stuff (I never went in for garish colours!!) Baggies came later.
Lycra on tarmac (IT WORKS) & baggies for dirt. Simple
Baggies on road are horrible. They ride up, drafts get up there, it flaps around and it looks naff.
Lycra is just so much more comfortable, it doesn't look *that* bad (unless of course you're 6 stone overweight and trying to get away with wearing a "King of the Mountains" jersey).
Road trip in America last year made me realise lycra definitely the way to go on road bike........but I still wear my baggies to commute on road bike as I gotta get the train too (too far to swim across the mersey or ride around it!)and I get embarassed at the ladies gazing at my crotch
Baggies on [s]road[/s] bikes are horrible. They ride up, drafts get up there, it flaps around and it looks naff.
Fixed that for you.
_tom_ - Member
Been riding a Langster since August with baggies + boxers, fine for around 15-20 miles.
15-20 miles makes you a commuter.
Roadies wear lycra not because it's fashionable but because it has, time after time, proven to be the most practical.
A quick question for all you lycra wearers:
I normally wear lycra padded shorts under my baggies (my least baggy baggies) on my road bike. However the other day I 'embraced' the lycra and decided to just go out in my 3/4 bibs (fleeced lined wintery ones) and my thighs and nuts were freezing, so...
What layers of lycra do you lycra wearers wear??
"I really want you to know I'm an mtber and will wear these even though there's no practical reason to do so"
no practical reason for mountain biking either!
go lycra! - if you did get some lycra - get bibbed shorts etc, bibs are sooo much more comfy, though going for a piss is an issue...
15-20 miles makes you a commuter.
Even though I only commuted once on the bike? 😛
(unless of course you're 6 stone overweight and trying to get away with wearing a "King of the Mountains" jersey).
Rule 16:
Championship and race leader jerseys must only be worn if you’ve won the championship or led the race.
However the other day I 'embraced' the lycra and decided to just go out in my 3/4 bibs (fleeced lined wintery ones) and my thighs and nuts were freezing, so...
MTFU 😉
I wear baggies on my commute as it provides extra storage: handy to reach for the security pass before the electronic gate.
Blimey - I been out on the road in -10 just in my tights (oh and 3 layers up top) - perhaps my balls are bigger 😉
I wear baggies over lycra on the road in anything less than +5 degrees to keep the wind chill at bay. If I don't my 'gentlemans sausage' gets very uncomfortably cold.
I don't parade around in my underwear when off the bike, so why do so on the bike? I find shorts useful for keeping phone, hanky and keys in, they're not exactly 'baggy' so have no problem with chaffing, drafts, catching or whatever.
Mrs BigJohn & I hired road bikes when we went to Majorca. Riding them with peaks, baggies, boots and camelbaks means everybody hates you.
Roadies look at your clothes and sneer, MTBers look at your bike and sneer.
If you started riding mtbs when I did you wouldn't have a problem with lycra - everyone wore it back in the day!! - However in the summer it's (not too) baggies for me these days - lycra on the road without a doubt - otherwise you'll look wrong!
Causal social ride (more of a day tour type thing) up to about 50 mile I quite often wear baggies, although baggies for me is cut off old work jeans, never bother with these padded baggies, if you need padding use lycra. Long ride or going out with the purpose of exploring the PAIN CAVE lycra.
Lycra is excellent but I do like being able to ride in causal shorts on relaxed rides, feels less formal in a sense. My arse is tough though by most peoples standards.
