How not to look like a noob in cycling gear...

[mmoore]

Guys,

Came home yesterday from my commute and my other half told me I look like a total noob in the gear I was wearing. I totally agree but haven't really cared thus far.

Is there any tips, techniques or etiquette for cycling gear and not looking like the weird guy that rides a bike?



fwiw... I was wearing:
jeans with high vis band to keep my pants out of the big ring
red axiom jacket
high vis yellow/green helmet cover
black gloves
road shoes


Always feel like I look a bit awkward in anything technical, especially being that I have a large head and a helmet doesn't help look any smaller. I have been buying bargain cycling gear to cover the ranges of riding I do with one nice assos kit for my longer summer rides.

help?

[Britishbane]

We need photo evidence so that we might roundly mock your gear choices. Education through derision!

Seriously though, I wouldn't worry about it. We all look ridiculous out there.

[dashDustin]

minus the helmet cover, it reads like you're a commuter.

I can't do helmet covers, unless it's frigid, so I load up on lights. Not really load up. 2 blinkies (1 jersey, 1 seatpost) and a Garneau Spiderlock Vision on the helmet. i would, and have, done everything else you mention.

well, minus the jacket. i don't like jackets, again, unless it's really, really cold.

[mmoore]

it was -4C on the morning ride and +15c on the ride home.
translates to ~25f in the morning and ~60F in the afternoon.

Helmet cover was used in the morning to keep my noggin from getting chilly.... it wasn't a nicely fitted cover and it is pretty hefty. I still looked silly, but I was dressed as a commuter.

[defspace]

it was -4C on the morning ride and +15c on the ride home.
translates to ~25f in the morning and ~60F in the afternoon.

Wow. That's nuts. I would have no clue how to dress for that.

[dashDustin]

25 is jeans for sure. with something underneath. for me, at least.

if the helmet cover is for head warmth, have you considered a wool hat? i didn't have to commute too often in sub-freezing temps, but when i did, it'd be mid-50s when going home, so...

jeans
legwarmers with bibs
windproof winter jersey
thicker vest
SS base
wool hat with ear covers <- I did that as 2 pieces...especially if the temp range was broad...I'd wear a wool hat and ear warmers over the hat, that way on the way home I wouldn't be miserable.

gloves and shoe covers as needed

[dutchess]

Your first post was entirely long winded when all you had to do was leave the title in place and post the photo below. I think this bike is great because I own one very much like it. Reality is no amount of off the rack kit or well sorted positioning is going to move you out of random weird guy that rides a bike territory while you are astride that thing. The only way out of this hole is the unflagging ability to color coordinate mismatched custom race kit. Also the bike must be immaculately clean and tuned to match the conditions it's being used in.





Seriously, the best answer is riding the wheels off that thing and replacing it with something nicer that will fit you better.

[dutchess]

it was -4C on the morning ride and +15c on the ride home.
translates to ~25f in the morning and ~60F in the afternoon.

Helmet cover was used in the morning to keep my noggin from getting chilly.... it wasn't a nicely fitted cover and it is pretty hefty. I still looked silly, but I was dressed as a commuter.

For sure look into outdated custom race stuff. Designs and pricing schemes being cheaper elsewhere mean last years kit can't be worn. So it gets sold off cheap. Very thin lightweight layers are the way to go here. Embrace the need for six different vests and a dozen baselayers. Or at least a good selection of different weight stuff you know will get used. Rain jackets are the hardest to not look like a Fred in.

[mmoore]

Your first post was entirely long winded when all you had to do was leave the title in place and post the photo below.

so you do or don't like it?

:P
(total exercise in being cheap and functional, pictured)

Thing is, I look silly... my wife was jokingly saying wtf- directed at my helmet cover particularly since I took it off for the ride home and it didn't fit the helmet well- plus its fluo and has a built in light.

[72gmc]

We're dorks. Own it. Rethink the helmet cover, maybe.

I'm starting to see anti-noobs commuting in last year's team bibs. Bibs that are past their expiration date. I'd much rather see the outfit you describe than pressed hams in semi-sheer lycra.

[dutchess]

I do like it. The endless NOS or current top level group builds frankly get tedious and redundant. However, seeing you break it through honest labors and get something still equally individual is the gain of places like this. Lockable bikes are a very underrepresented category here.

In no way was I advising buying used bibs. Plenty of teams over buy plenty because they tend to get shredded or wear out. Arm,leg, knee warmers and different weight vests are very different. Even e-Richie has trouble selling off every bit of product from the last couple kit revisions that piled up inside ATMOquarters. There are plenty of smaller teams that can't give their unused stuff away.

[j44ke]

This for cold weather.



This for when it gets warmer.



And this for your helmet.



Done.

[j44ke]

In all seriousness, this guy:



this guy (tho' close the mouth dude):



this guy:



this guy:



They all look ok to me. I mean, if you are commuting to work, you kind of get a pass I think. You just want something that isn't going to end up in the spokes or chain.

Just wait until your better half tries on the first bathing suit of the season and suggest helpful critiques in return after expressing gratitude for the previous critique of your commuting attire. This is the sort of exchange that helps healthy relationships grow and flourish.

[dutchess]

Spoken like a man who's been married long enough to circle back around to some of the more exciting arguments for mutual enjoyment.

[j44ke]

Spoken like a man who's been married long enough to circle back around to some of the more exciting arguments for mutual enjoyment.

Actually in my case, it comes from being married twice.

[11.4]

If you are one of the legion of commuters riding to and from work every day in Seattle, you basically are in Showers Pass safety yellow jackets (or the equivalent from another brand and indistinguishable at more then ten feet distance), black nylon pants of some nondescript variety, and mountain shoes. Your helmet has a 50% chance of having a cover. If it doesn't you have a big-billed cap underneath it. In short, dorkiness and dweebiness are lost as everyone is reduced to the same kit.

Now if you live somewhere cool (in the hip sense of the word -- go git 'em, cowboy!), you have to wear something like this:

https://www.shinesty.com/collections...nt-summer-suit

There are other options, but this is the recommended one.

[Cookietruck]

i hate to say it, but a few years ago for cold weather i started wearing the levi's 511 jeans (yeah the semi tight hipster pants) because they have a very small amount of stretch in them. they cover my shins. sometimes i even wear them all day in the office.
warm weather, i just wear cutoff jeans or polyester pants (wrangler)...something with a kinda low cut in the front coz my fit is so pro (lol). in central texas there is no riding to work in the summer and just strolling in and wearing the same clothes...atleast not with me, i sweat alot.

[mmoore]

i hate to say it, but a few years ago for cold weather i started wearing the levi's 511 jeans (yeah the semi tight hipster pants) because they have a very small amount of stretch in them. they cover my shins. sometimes i even wear them all day in the office.
warm weather, i just wear cutoff jeans or polyester pants (wrangler)...something with a kinda low cut in the front coz my fit is so pro (lol). in central texas there is no riding to work in the summer and just strolling in and wearing the same clothes...atleast not with me, i sweat alot.

the 511's all have stretch, or the 511 commuters? I haven't looked at levis in a while. My wife has mostly done my clothes shopping and I have bought my cycling stuff.... so she notices right away when I have stuff I picked out. ;) thanks for looking up some cycling shots on pinterest for me lads. I don't use that app anymore.

[Matthew Strongin]

the 511's all have stretch, or the 511 commuters? I haven't looked at levis in a while. My wife has mostly done my clothes shopping and I have bought my cycling stuff.... so she notices right away when I have stuff I picked out. ;) thanks for looking up some cycling shots on pinterest for me lads. I don't use that app anymore.

511s don't have stretch. 511 commuters have a lot of stretch. At least they did a couple years ago.

[ryker]

Non-commuter 511s have different stretch depending on material. My blue 511s do not stretch, my black 511s do stretch.