Riding Clothes - In Praise of Clown Suits

[jabberwocky]

Whats funny is that most MTB shorts are fashion. They are just some sort of light baggy shell over a lycra liner with chamois that is functionally identical to your average roadie short. The only real purpose is to cover the lycra so MTBers can pretend they are different than roadies.

Oh, and the other reason "sit bones" is a bunch of bogus nonsense? The most comfortable seat in most houses that some people spend hours reading on.

Is there anyone that actually thinks the toilet is their most comfortable seat? My legs go to sleep after 10 minutes tops on any toilet. Which means bloodflow is being restricted to the legs. Which is quite undesirable when you're exercising those legs.

 

[mschwett]

crazy how the people who actually ride their bikes long distances, at decent speeds, powered or not, all agree with what those horrible experts making bikes for this purpose come up with

 

[MacCrackin]

I used to have one similar from a pub on Island near Key West.
Great Colors

 

[MacCrackin]

Whats funny is that most MTB shorts are fashion. They are just some sort of light baggy shell over a lycra liner with chamois that is functionally identical to your average roadie short. The only real purpose is to cover the lycra so MTBers can pretend they are different than roadies.





Is there anyone that actually thinks the toilet is their most comfortable seat? My legs go to sleep after 10 minutes tops on any toilet. Which means bloodflow is being restricted to the legs. Which is quite undesirable when you're exercising those legs.

Put feet up on bathroom scale or higher and blood cut off won't happen as severe.
Cheers

 

[Djangodog]

Whats funny is that most MTB shorts are fashion. They are just some sort of light baggy shell over a lycra liner with chamois that is functionally identical to your average roadie short. The only real purpose is to cover the lycra so MTBers can pretend they are different than roadies.





Is there anyone that actually thinks the toilet is their most comfortable seat? My legs go to sleep after 10 minutes tops on any toilet. Which means bloodflow is being restricted to the legs. Which is quite undesirable when you're exercising those legs.

There is probably some truth to that. I don’t use the liner and choose to wear the shorts over my bibs.

The shorts also add a little protection to me and my bibs while providing more pockets too. Unlike regular shorts, bike shorts tend to be high in the back which stops me from mooning anyone, (nobody wants to see that).

 

[rayray]

Put feet up on bathroom scale or higher and blood cut off won't happen as severe.
Cheers

Yeah, but that’d be a tough position on a bike.

Maybe this should be in the Throttle thread.

 

[J.R.]

Whats funny is that most MTB shorts are fashion. They are just some sort of light baggy shell over a lycra liner with chamois that is functionally identical to your average roadie short. The only real purpose is to cover the lycra so MTBers can pretend they are different than roadies.





Is there anyone that actually thinks the toilet is their most comfortable seat? My legs go to sleep after 10 minutes tops on any toilet. Which means bloodflow is being restricted to the legs. Which is quite undesirable when you're exercising those legs.

My favorite MTB shorts are from Tenn Outdoors, made in the UK. Sadly they closed up shop a couple years ago. Snug with cinch cords on the legs to keep debris and bees out, 4 zippered pockets, chamois - no pad so you can wear the liner of choice. I have several pair, don't know what I will replace them with when the time comes.

 

[jabberwocky]

My favorite MTB shorts are from Tenn Outdoors, made in the UK. Sadly they closed up shop a couple years ago. Snug with cinch cords on the legs to keep debris and bees out, 4 zippered pockets, chamois - no pad so you can wear the liner of choice. I have several pair, don't know what I will replace them with when the time comes.

My favorites were an old pair of oakley 2.1 shorts. Long discontinued. I have a few pairs of linerless baggies that I wear over my usual lycra shorts when I want to defer to fashion (or want pockets). I actually rarely bother with cycling specific clothing. Favorite gloves are mechanix carpenter gloves (super comfy and last forever). Shirts are basic athletic Ts (I like the Duluth Armachillo shirts a lot, but also like the 32 degree Ts you can find at costco or Marshalls). Socks, whatever generic non-cotton I find. Etc. Most of the basic cycling gear (gloves, socks, shirts) I have these days is event swag.

The main cycling specific clothes I consider a necessity are good lycra shorts and cycling shells/tights for cooler weather.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

You guys made me thinking... Have I been doing it wrong all the time? After my coming business trip, I'm going to find some narrow saddle in my inventory, pull the padded shorts on and give it a try!

 

[J.R.]

You guys made me thinking... Have I been doing it wrong all the time? After my coming business trip, I'm going to find some narrow saddle in my inventory, pull the padded shorts on and give it a try!

What saddle and shorts are you riding now?

My favorites were an old pair of oakley 2.1 shorts. Long discontinued. I have a few pairs of linerless baggies that I wear over my usual lycra shorts when I want to defer to fashion (or want pockets). I actually rarely bother with cycling specific clothing. Favorite gloves are mechanix carpenter gloves (super comfy and last forever). Shirts are basic athletic Ts (I like the Duluth Armachillo shirts a lot, but also like the 32 degree Ts you can find at costco or Marshalls). Socks, whatever generic non-cotton I find. Etc. Most of the basic cycling gear (gloves, socks, shirts) I have these days is event swag.

The main cycling specific clothes I consider a necessity are good lycra shorts and cycling shells/tights for cooler weather.

Funny, many years ago I had a light pair of mechanix gloves I loved for cycling in the fall/spring. For the last several years I've been using Pearl Izumi light gauntlet gloves. They have these great sticky pads that really grip. Paper thin, but warm. I also use their winter gauntlets.

 

[mschwett]

You guys made me thinking... Have I been doing it wrong all the time? After my coming business trip, I'm going to find some narrow saddle in my inventory, pull the padded shorts on and give it a try!

just make sure it fits, and is in the right place on the bike! and maybe the hand position of a flat bar bike naturally puts more weight on the butt rather than the feet or arms?

i had a bike fit on my creo and aethos and the movement was perhaps 10-20mm max of bars up down forward back, and ditto saddle, and cleats, and the results were VERY significant!

 

[jabberwocky]

Funny, many years ago I had a light pair of mechanix gloves I loved for cycling in the fall/spring. For the last several years I've been using Pearl Izumi light gauntlet gloves. They have these great sticky pads that really grip. Paper thin, but warm. I also use their winter gauntlets.

Back in my DH MTB racing days, lots of people ran them because they are cheap and durable. You crash a lot and tear gloves up so no point in spending big bucks on them. I have a few pairs that are probably 10-15 years old and faded but still functional. They also make insulated versions that work well for cooler weather (though truly cold I like my moose mitts). I also have two pairs of light cycling gloves that I got as swag from the Croatan Buck-Fifty a few years back that I like.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

just make sure it fits, and is in the right place on the bike! and maybe the hand position of a flat bar bike naturally puts more weight on the butt rather than the feet or arms?

i had a bike fit on my creo and aethos and the movement was perhaps 10-20mm max of bars up down forward back, and ditto saddle, and cleats, and the results were VERY significant!

Mark, I use SQlab Innerbarends, and my stem is slammed -6 deg, with the handlebar located as low as possible. It might work!

 

[mschwett]

Mark, I use SQlab Innerbarends, and my stem is slammed -6 deg, with the handlebar located as low as possible. It might work!

it might! but for the tradition position, probably need a very long stem given the much shorter reach of the flat bar bikes. i always find it hard to get weight forward over the pedals on my flat bar bike, unless i’m out of the saddle. at which point no worries about the saddle

 

[MacCrackin]

Yeah, but that’d be a tough position on a bike.

Maybe this should be in the Throttle thread.

A little wirefeed action,, could build alternative Barcalounger Series

 

[PDoz]

Can I just reignite the fire to open a bit more hopefully useful discussion?

Please try and put aside spandex clown suit ego , and have a good long think about ergo ( nomics) , and perhaps the expertise brought to this discussion by some who can write " As someone who's worked in accessibility and usability for a decade and some change, I know ergonomic bullshit when I hear it."

Surely on an ebike forum we can recognize that the prostate torturing masochistic crouch might not be the most anatomically optimal posture for anyone who has evolved to walk upright? If we accept this, then perhaps it might be worth wondering , just perhaps, the road rider nappy was designed to hide a problem rather than fix one?

Full disclosure - I can't think of anything worse than contorting this wreck of a body and grinding away at pedals whilst dodging cars. So my riding experience involves bouncing between rocks, and my saddle time is relatively limited - praise be to the inventor of the dropper post!!!! I love spending a full day on the bike, but saddle time is limitted.

I suspect many of you will snigger st my choice of shorts - troy lee ace, they're no longer available but we're talking super thin yet tear resistant slippery baggy things that do little more than protect your eyes from the torture of seeing my anatomy. Zero padding, baggy bee collectors that do a spectacular job of allowing my sensitive regions to slip across the saddle on those rare occasions I want a fifth contact point with the bike. They allow me to slude rather than grind on the seat, but also give LOTS of mechanical feedback , so I can still feel the argument over physics between rubber and gravel . I have zero interest in sacrificing that feedback by wearing a nappy. I've tried, but it just doesn't work for me.

I have spent way too much of my life pondering anatomy and pathology, both professionally and personally. So I'd REALY like to hear more from @Jason Knight

 

[jabberwocky]

Please try and put aside spandex clown suit ego , and have a good long think about ergo ( nomics) , and perhaps the expertise brought to this discussion by some who can write " As someone who's worked in accessibility and usability for a decade and some change, I know ergonomic bullshit when I hear it."

Surely on an ebike forum we can recognize that the prostate torturing masochistic crouch might not be the most anatomically optimal posture for anyone who has evolved to walk upright? If we accept this, then perhaps it might be worth wondering , just perhaps, the road rider nappy was designed to hide a problem rather than fix one?

Uh, no, I don't see why we should just accept that, because its bullshit. Look, everyones body is different, and what is comfortable for one person may be torture for another. If bike shorts and normal saddles don't work for you, thats fine. We live in an age with a veritable smorgasbord of choice, so find what does work for you and enjoy the ride.

However, the whole "bikes shorts/saddles are actually unergonomic and terrible and a conspiracy/whatever" flies in the face of a hell of a lot of real world evidence and experience. I can't help but feel like its mainly motivated by the fashionable dislike of roadies more than anything else. People who ride regularly for decent lengths of time very quickly figure out what actually works for them, because riding for 4+ hours with a short/saddle combo that doesn't is absolute misery. If you don't spend hours pedaling it matters way less. If you don't pedal much it likely doesn't matter at all.

 

[PDoz]

Uh, no, I don't see why we should just accept that, because its bullshit. Look, everyones body is different, and what is comfortable for one person may be torture for another. If bike shorts and normal saddles don't work for you, thats fine. We live in an age with a veritable smorgasbord of choice, so find what does work for you and enjoy the ride.

However, the whole "bikes shorts/saddles are actually unergonomic and terrible and a conspiracy/whatever" flies in the face of a hell of a lot of real world evidence and experience. I can't help but feel like its mainly motivated by the fashionable dislike of roadies more than anything else. People who ride regularly for decent lengths of time very quickly figure out what actually works for them, because riding for 4+ hours with a short/saddle combo that doesn't is absolute misery. If you don't spend hours pedaling it matters way less. If you don't pedal much it likely doesn't matter at all.

I recognize your cycling experience, but I'm coming from a different perspective. There are millions of cyclists in the world who use bikes for transport and don't choose the " sport" choices. Perhaps those of us who are not athletes any more have different needs, and perhaps someone with access / inclusion expertise MIGHT have some insight into those needs?

 

[fooferdoggie]

I would not spend as much has I do for nothing if I did not have to. I have to have enough to get me through the week riding every day year round. I had to spend extra just on pants for work that will hold up to riding.

 

[jabberwocky]

I recognize your cycling experience, but I'm coming from a different perspective. There are millions of cyclists in the world who use bikes for transport and don't choose the " sport" choices. Perhaps those of us who are not athletes any more have different needs, and perhaps someone with access / inclusion expertise MIGHT have some insight into those needs?

You don't really need anything special for short distance utility cycling, especially on an ebike. Wear what you want to be wearing at your destination. Get whatever saddle is comfortable. Don't worry about what athletes wear.

That doesn't mean that bike shorts and roadie style saddles are some bike industry conspiracy, or unergonomic. They just aren't necessary for a lot of people. Even if you're getting an ebike for exercise, you don't need fancy clothes for a while. Wear what you would wear at the gym or on a long walk. Like, not blue jeans and cotton underwear. Ride enough, you'll probably get to the point where comfort becomes a problem, but you can deal with it then.

The less time you spend on the bike each session and the less you pedal, the less this all matters.