Wise Words - Cycling in Normal Clothes
We're all busy. We almost pride ourselves on our busy-ness. We have conversations with each other, trying to 'out-busy' each other. So there's precious little time to ride a bike, right? Even less time to faff around getting in and out of 'proper' cycling gear to do the job.
Just to be clear, we're talking about everyday cycling here, not racing, specific training rides, sportives and suchlike. We're talking about the kind of riding with the primary goal of getting you from one place to another. And when you're doing that kind of riding, you normally need to get there on time, not looking like a TdF wannabe, and ready to do your thing.
A swift look at those cities and countries in which cycling has a strong toe-hold will reveal that everyday cyclists wear everyday clothes. Go to Copenhagen for example, and you'll see businessmen in suits, leather briefcases bungeed to rear rack, pedalling in brogues to the office - women in heels and skirts pedalling 'Black Widows' (the ubiquitous upright 'Dutch Bikes' seen everywhere in cycle friendly northern European cities). www.copenhagencyclechic.com
For sedate, short distance stuff, you can indeed wear anything you like. But for more briskly paced, longer commutes (3-5 miles), you can still wear clothes that'll fit in at work, or at the pub, or wherever. Just because you commute by bike doesn't mean that you're fashion choices are confined to the 'cycling specific' aisle. A judicious eye can reveal cycle friendly gear pretty much anywhere in the High Street, from fashion stores to outdoor shops. What I'll do here is go through each item of clothing you're likely to need and give pointers as to what to look for. Here we go, from the top down:
Tops - base layers - this is the layer that goes next to your skin. Rule number one is to avoid cotton. When you sweat in cotton, your sweat cools fast, making you feel cold and clammy. Polyester is better, but pongs even after a few hours of wear. It dries quickly, but doesn't wick too well (polyester has very low absorption qualities). You can get polyester base layers with treatments to minimise odours, but many of these use toxic metals in their production, which in planet-hugging terms, is not a good thing.
King for performance and everyday looks is ultra fine Merino wool. A good quality merino base layer will regulate your temperature, keep you warm even when wet, and will just bluntly refuse to pong, even after days of wear. You don't need to go cycling specific - the best ones I've found are for general outdoor wear. Look for extra long sleeves if you're going for the long sleeved options and look for a longer back to keep your lumbar region covered when in 'bike' position. My advice would be to go for a couple of long sleeved and a couple of short - you can then layer them up and regulate your temperature in varying conditions. Personal recommendation is Icebreaker - they're super quality, wash well and you can even track the sheep flock that produced the wool for your top - gimmicky but very cool (www.icebreaker.com)
Tops - Midlayers - dependant on the weather. If you don't need a jacket and you've got your base layer sorted, you can wear pretty much anything. However if you're cold a good old fashioned sweater works really well and you can layer a rain jacket over the top without ending up looking crumpled and clammy when you reach your destination. Again, wool is best, from a low-pong point of view - however, because it's next to your skin, you don't need to go for Merino - standard vanilla-mode sheep will do just fine. Again, look for a longer cut on the arms and torso if you can get it.
Windproof/Waterproof - this is one area where cycling specific stuff really has the edge and it's probably not worth compromising. Cycling jackets have a unique fit, longer at the back, with longer arms, reflectives and pockets in the right place. Shop around and you can still find something cool enough to wear off the bike. However, if you know what to look for, you can find some great jackets in outdoor shops that have the required features. A good tip would be to go for something really breathable and probably a lot thinner than you'd choose for everyday wear. Even on moderate commutes, you can generate bucketloads of heat inside a jacket. Something that packs down small is also really important.
Trousers - NEWSFLASH - you can wear jeans when riding a bike! Gasps of shock and horror from 'serious' cyclists everywhere, but in cooler conditions, jeans work just fine on a bike. Shock news is that any normal pants that don't restrict your movement are fine. Perhaps the best compromise between performance and everyday-ability are lightweight travel pants in dark colours - they are light enough to wear even in the summer, dry fast and don't show the inevitable bike grime that you're likely to pick up on the way.
Undies - very important since they're next to your skin and on the front line - the interface between you and your saddle. Stretchy boxer styles with a fairly long leg work best. They don't bunch up in all the wrong places after a few minutes riding. Look for designs where the seams are out of the way of your saddle contact points. Once again Merino wool is best, but pretty hard to find - Icebreaker and a few other brands do a range, but merino is pricey.
Socks - pretty much anything goes, provided they fit well and don't ride down under your feet when you're pedalling. Merino wool again is king in this department, for comfort, wicking and odour control.
Shoes - dependant on pedals - but if you're serious about keep it normal, fit flat pedals and look for a shoe with a good grip, one that gives you good pedal 'feel'. Look for something light that won't restrict the movement of your ankles when pedalling.
It's not (just) about the clothes
Key to this normal clothes idea is a bike that's set up to facilitate it, which means:
Mudguards - no point trying to ride in normal clothes if they end up liberally spattered with road grime. Full length is best, and SKS are the best of these.
Chainguard - a bike with a chainguard of some kind means yes to normal jeans, trousers and the like. These range from simple discs that fit on the chainwheel to fully enclosed chaincases. Belt drives are slowly trickling onto the market and promise an end to oily chain marks on your slacks...
Flat pedals - with a good grip and a supportive shape. Personal favourites are BMX style 'DX' pattern pedals - a parallelogram design with a concave foot bed and grip pins. Available from a huge range of manufacturers. DMR V8s are particularly good, as they have a grease port built in - making for a long, long service life.
Luggage - get it off your back and keep it sweat free. A good rack and waterproof pannier is all you need. Carradice's SQR system is also great for smallish commuting loads.
