quibble: European based marketing for utility cycling clothes that look good on the bike and at work is all the rage. <http://bicyclechic.com/>http://bicyclechic.com/ . just google european cycling chic. in the united states, the hipsters whine about and hate the spandex mafia - road bicyclists with the expensive bikes.
spandex is because, if you ride fast (greater than 12 mph) on the lighter bikes that are 18 lbs or less, then you automatically fight the wind, even without a headwind. I've forgotten the formula, but the faster you ride, the more wind resistance. Thus, the clothes that are fine on a utility bike at 11 mph are Teh Suck (tm) when you are riding 20 mph.
thus the lycra or spandex:
1. are tight and form fitting: don't flap in the wind, making the ride harder.
2. when you do wipe out, your clothes don't catch on pavement, gravel, etc. it slides over them. i know this from experience.
4. slippery clothes are easier to peddle in when you get sweaty. thighs don't rub as badly. i once wore regular clothes on a fifty miler, on a utility bike with a fat seat. the wrong kind of bike and clothes to wear on such a ride. i was sore and rubbed raw in more places than need be discussed here.
i
At 07:59 AM 5/11/2012, Wojtek S wrote:
>Shag: "The problem with the helmet = safety thing is that helmets
>aren't worn in bike heavy European countries. "
>
>[WS:] Indeed. I was cycling quite a bit when I lived there and never
>had a helmet. Nor did anyone else. In places like Copenhagen or
>Amsterdam, which heavily depend on bikes, you seldom see anyone
>wearing a helmet., or for that matter, bike gear.
>
>My own view on the subject has two points:
>
>1. In the US cycling is often seen as a fashion statement whereas in
>Europe it is just a means of getting from point A to point B. Hence
>the biking paraphernalia - helmets, fancy spandex clothes, expensive
>bikes, etc - are more prominently used in the US that they are in
>Europe. Of course, not everyone in the US sees cycling that way, I am
>just talking about statistical probability.
>
>2. The use of safety gears, such as helmets, has an element of magic
>in it akin to, say, powdered tiger whiskers or rabbit feet that are
>supposed to keep people from harm's way. They role is to provide
>peace of mind, but not necessarily actual safety.
>
>
>--
>Wojtek
>
>"Modern conservatism is just a neoliberal gloss on medieval domination."
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