Bicycle Riding Attire

Many people think that you can go out and ride your bicycle in your normal street clothes and you’ll do just fine but anyone who had ridden a bicycle for any length of time will know that this certainly isn’t the case and that proper bicycle riding attire is essential if you’re going to be riding your bike for more than a few minutes at a time.

The first thing to be aware of is the pants or shorts you decide to wear while bicycling. Because of the repetitive motions of bicycling it’s very important that your pants or shorts be built to handle those motions otherwise you can end up feeling very uncomfortable and even end up with some bruising or chafing on different parts of you. The best kinds of shorts and pants are made from a flexible lycra material sewn together from multiple panels, sometimes with different colors. The seat and front is padded with leather (hard to find and not useful) or synthetic chamois. Sometimes the padding contains gel cushions, but this is a bad idea because they do not let sweat evaporate to the outside, and they do not even improve comfort noticeably. Shorts come in male and female versions that are cut differently, and have different padding for obvious reasons and it should be noted that bicycle shorts are not used with underwear because that would defeat the advantages.

Long pants come with or without padding and have the same advantages over street clothing as shorts, with an additional one: in wet weather street clothing becomes heavy, inflexible, and clings to the skin. Bicycle pants remain flexible, and although they get wet they don't soak up water, and the reduced evaporation and the fact that there is no air between skin and pants make them feel much warmer despite the fact that they are made from thinner material.

When it comes to shirts the best thing that you can get is a Jersey which is also made from lycra or other synthetic material and they also come in lots of styles and varieties and many of them even have pockets to carry keys, a cell phone, and other small items.  It’s a mistake to wear a cotton t-shirt or anything like that because it won’t keep you warm in cold weather and if you sweat it will cling the moisture to your body instead of wicking it away like a jersey will which can make you too hot or cold and can even present a risk of hypothermia to you.

Shoes are mostly chosen to work with the pedals. Things to look out for are tighter than normal fit (the foot should not shift), compatibility with the pedal system, and a thick and molded (not flat) sole. Make sure they are not too tight though, or your feet go numb after a long ride. Avoid excessive padding that can take forever to dry after riding in the rain and make sure to wear appropriate socks with your shoes that keep your feet warm and are close fitting but not too thick.

Overall if you pick the appropriate clothing to wear while you ride your bicycle you’ll be much better off than if you just throw on a t-shirt and jeans.