Today after crushing some great hill climbs and a lot of rolling terrain I was relaxing on my journey home and passed by an old guy on a downhill flat section of bike-lane who was stuffed into tight lycra on a super expensive bike. I had my Hanes 2-dollar t-shirt on, discount bibs underneath, ankle socks, and cheap 80 dollar cycling shoes. My Giro Aether helmet and Project Rudy Spinshield Airs were the fanciest things I was wearing.
I had zero interest in speeding up. In Zwift I might have. There’s something about the way you dress on the bike that actually affects how you bike, your attitude. When I wear urban cycling apparel I’m more inclined to bike around town and take cafe stops and walk around in shops and string for street lights. When I wear lycra I’m more prone to tuck into an aero position and think more about how the wind is going over my body than hoe beautiful that corn field looks. In lycra you don’t really see the sky at all unless you are judging if it is going to rain or not. What a shame.
And let’s face it, nobody gives a shit what you are wearing unless you really stand out. If you don’t fit into lycra you really shouldn’t be wearing it. (Same with yoga pants, by the way.) Nothing proclaims to the world how little you have thought about your cycling attire decisions than stuffing 10 kilos of beer gut into a tight lycra top. After all, lycra only gets you aero gains and who the fuck cares about that if you are 10 kilos overweight. I have news to those who think they look cool wearing that over-priced, under-earned team cycling kit: you are sadly mistaken. It’s always better to be fast rather than look fast.
I absolutely love the feeling of light cotton flapping in the breeze while riding in zone two and taking in the landscape. It’s glorious. Gone is the annoyance of lycra around the neck or arms. I’m free! Do I need to make sure that everyone knows I just pushed 700 watts for 10 seconds up that last hill? Nah, I can let Strava do the talking while I’m comfortable and happy (and catching my breath).
There was a moment where I considered getting a skin suit. What the hell was I thinking? I watched a video short from a guy showing how to change out of your skin suit while at your car into other clothes. It was hilarious. All I can think of now is why. You can wear clothing that looks modest and normal while cycling anywhere that also performs just fine in terms of comfort on the bike. You don’t need lycra at all.
I still shave my legs because the possibility of a crash is worth being able to deal with it better. It’s also cooler, doesn’t attract pollen as much, and is more comfortable when wearing lycra bibs that pull on hair. Shaved legs are much easier to clean in the shower after 2-3 rides a day as well since they get the most dirty of any other place on my body. I only shave about once ever nine days or so.