why is it that people who just go for a casual ride thru the city insist on dressing up as if they're biking the Tour de France? I'm doing the same ride at the same speed. I mean, I don't wear shoulder pads while playing flag football. what gives?

some people have money to spend and think that looking the part means being the part. tho there are certain comfort issues for people, like those padded bike shorts.
personally, i rock the bathing suit in the summer and jeans inthe winter, with ratty t shirts and slip on vans rounding out my ensemble.
i am a fucking dirtbag.

how do you know they're just on a casual ride?

Because of the Hawaiian print on their racing suit.

i guess i don't really know they're on a casual ride, good point. it just seemed odd to me is all.

i'm running out of things to care about

And what's the deal with chicken fries? Are they chicken, or are they fries?

some people have money for all of that fancy gear and shit that makes them look like a "real" bicyclist. almost all of the serious riders i know (people who bike to work, do 50+ mile rides quite often, etc.) don't wear that fancy stuff. shorts and a t-shirt work just fine.

reminds me of debbie in the movie singles when she hooks up with peter norton's character and goes overboard on the bike gear.

haha, great reset. (i read that as "hooks up with peter north's character" first.)

and that reminds me of the scene in super troopers where foster and ursula meet at the restaurant and he's dressed as a cyclist whereas she's dressed as a biker. ("ah, biker... i'm an idiot.")

i picture lara flynn boyle going over the hood of a car.

nice! much hotter.

ryan, i feel the same way, though. i'm running out of things to look at and say, "what the fuck?". nothing surprises me anymore.

you guys need to invest in buddha machines. very soothing.

I wear a suit and tie when I bike to work, just to not look the part. And then I throw on the torn jeans, holy NBs, and an age-old Springsteen tee.

Hmm, I'm going to have to politely disagree with you, red. I consider myself a "serious" cyclist, and while there are times I just toss on a t-shirt and fatigues to go places, for the most part, I do wear cycling gear. The whole point of wearing the cycling gear is (a) to be comfortable-- esp. on long rides (padding does help, and clothing and fabric that moves with you helps), and (b) to wick moisture away from the skin (cotton just holds it in). I also wear riding gloves because the heel of the palm does get sore after riding long distances, and gloves are padded. I also typically wear something underneath my helmet, like a wicking layer, and in wintertime, definitely to keep my head and ears warm.

Yes, I have some nice cycling stuff, but I didn't spend a fortune on it. You have to buy things in pieces.

Also, robotboy, they do make skins for people to wear under regular shorts-- padded underwear so to speak.

i'll 2nd you on those gloves. got a pair a few weeks ago & they help tremendously. i bike minimum of about 20 miles a day and the amount of shock yr hands/arms/elbows take on a fixed road bike in nyc is damaging, to say the least.
plus, when you wipe out and stick yr hands out to protect yrself, the gloves keep ys hands a bit more protected.

you don't count as a "serious" rider. you count as an "oh my god, she's almost pro" rider.

i wear gloves, too. my wrists hurt like a mofo after any amount of riding these days. i probably look like a tard wearing them, but they feel good.

i do have a friend who always wears bike gear when he bikes, but he's also educated about that stuff. i guess i'm pointing out people like the guys who wear north face vests and have never even been in the snow. shit like that. people who treat it as fashionable instead of practical.

I have bad weather gear. It's in my bag. I put it on in bad weather.

But biking through chicago snowstorms became much more pleasant with it on.

I don't know if i'll ever need to wear that microfiber balaclava down here, but i've got it.

I can't wait to move all my stuff from chicago, especially my bikes.

normal shorts + long ride = sore taint.

dude i rode 25 miles a couple weekends ago in just a t-shirt and shorts and my taint felt magnificent

that formula only applies where you're not mounted directly on the post, ryan.

why you son of a bitch

he shoots he scores!

this post is the only good thing that happened all day.