Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Duppie on October 21, 2010 at 4:49am

You're able to wear your work clothes year round? Good for you!
You mind me asking how far your commute is?

I wear slacks and a dress shirt for work. There is no way I can do my 20 mile RT commute wearing that. And trust me, I've tried. It was a sad experience

In the summer, I would literally be soaking in sweat, and in the winter I would freeze my behind off. The only time I can wear my work clothes on my bike, is when I take the Metra in. But on those days, my bike ride is limited to about 2.5 miles RT.

If I had to wear my office clothes on my commute like you are suggesting I would never ride the 20 mile RT. I'd be taking the Metra every day.

Martha Williams said:

I have no problem biking through winter in my "daily clothes" with some creative layering. What is good about cycling in your daily clothes is that it makes cycling less intimidating to everyone. Studies have proven (see below link) that despite many different initiatives the main factor in reducing biking injuries and fatalities is how many people are riding. I personally bike in heels and a skirt 80% of the time. I have a job where I end up at a lot of fancy places and need to present myself well. I could totally hop in a cab and my work would pay for it, but I choose to cycle around Chicago. If I had to switch out my shoes and change outfits just to get on a bike I would never ride.
I've had many women come up to me and ask about commuting on a bike. I give them lots of tips and tell them that it is easy, because it IS. You don't NEED to wear anything special, just wear what you are wearing. (except slick bottomed shoes) So feel free to keep wearing your moisture wicking underlayers and athletic shoes. I'm wearing heels and a skirt till there is snow on the ground. Lets see how many people you encourage to ride a bike vs me.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=getting-more-bicyc...



Duppie said:

Having lived in the cycling chic's heaven (Netherlands) for nearly 30 years, I can attest that cycling chic even over there is a niche. What I (and everyone I knew) did was simply ride in their daily clothes. I wouldn't call sneakers and jeans cycling chic

Dr. Doom is right in that what might work over in Europe may not work here. Instead of trying to find those few people who attempt to copy this style in Chicago, why not focus on the US version of cycling chic: Hipsters. Regardless of your opinion about them, they often have a clear sense of style and are more closely aligned with US clothing trends, which tend to be more informal than clothing trends in Europe.

Lorena's picture is a prime example of what I mean. There is no way that can be called cycling chic (in the European definition of the word) but she has an absolutely crazy amount of style.

Dr. Doom said:

Well I don't mean to be rude, but if you're just looking for people to photograph and don't want to be bothered with backtalk you should probably take out an advertisement. Posting on a discussion forum tends to lead to... discussion.

There are two problems with the "cycle chic aesthetic." The first is that it assumes that what works in one culture works equally well in another, which isn't always true. Chicago, for example, is neither the size of a postage stamp nor a town that rarely sees temperatures much below 30 degrees. Thus practical cyclists here don't dress as they do elsewhere. The second, and more important, is that it purports to make cycling friendlier and more practical by offering the possibility of doing normal things in fabulous clothes while doing exactly the opposite. Cycling in heels and fedoras is simply not practical in Chicago for anything other than neighborhood jaunts or parades (not that there's anything wrong with either), and people who insist on doing so are cutting themselves off from a lot of what makes riding a bicycle fun and useful. "Cycle chic" is, essentially, a fetish.

What I'm suggesting is that there might be something to a notion of "cycle chic" that actually fits with life as cyclists live it in Chicago—something a bit less sexy, perhaps, than is on offer in certain European cities, but something that is at least our own. So sorry to be of any offense, but there really are places to take out advertisements and some of them don't even cost any money.

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Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on October 21, 2010 at 5:18am

See, this is exactly what I'm talking about, the presumption on the part of cycling chicists that the world is divided into fabulous people who can ride in dress clothes and sad Lance wannabes and that the way to get people on bikes is to tell them that they too can look fabulous and ride.

The point that a lot of people seem not to get is that appropriating form without appropriating function is kind of silly. In extremely dense and compact European cities with relatively temperate climates, it absolutely makes sense to encourage people to ride by pointing out that they can do so in fancy clothes. In a sprawling American city where longer commutes in more extreme weather are common, it really doesn't.

Telling people that they can, for example, commute from Hyde Park to the Loop in fancy clothes in August isn't going to get more people on bikes, because it's not actually true. Encouraging a native cycling chic by pointing out practical modes of dress that are both truly appropriate for demanding riding and don't make someone look like a tool might, though.

I don't mean this as some kind of attack, by the way—if heels and a skirt work for your riding, that's awesome, and I'd love to see cool photos of people dressed stylishly and getting around on bicycles. I'd just like to see the definition of "stylish" expanded a bit. You make fun of "moisture wicking underlayers," for instance, but they're pretty damn useful in Chicago, and what's so unstylish about a pair of wool tights? Not all truly practical cycling clothes are made out of spandex or NASA materials, and someone with a 20 mile commute doesn't need to either pretend that dressing like Audrey Hepburn makes sense or get geared up for cyclocross.

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Permalink Reply by Minh on October 21, 2010 at 7:34am

Screw you pretty lady and you pretty people wearing whatever you want only commuting 2-5 miles to work. Get a job that has a commute of at least 20 miles + through inclement weather all year round. I have a commute to work that's 40 miles uphill through a glass covered ghetto and I can't get anywhere without my bulletproof lycra suit. Now get off my lawn.

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Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on October 21, 2010 at 7:38am

I think this thread has pissed off Minh. :)

Minh said:

Screw you pretty lady and you pretty people wearing whatever you want only cycling 2-5 miles to work. Get a job that has a commute of at least 20 miles + through inclement weather all year round. I have a commute to work that's 40 miles uphill through a glass covered ghetto and I can't get anywhere without my bulletproof lycra suit. Now get off my lawn.

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Permalink Reply by Minh on October 21, 2010 at 7:52am

Well I can see both sides of this argument...This chick will probably lose her foot going 6 blocks...

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Permalink Reply by Lorena Cupcake on October 21, 2010 at 8:28am

Maybe everyone should just wear the clothing that feels right for them and they feel comfortable in? It doesn't make any sense for me to be wrapped from head to foot in Lycra when I'm just cruising 6 miles to Logan Square to meet my friend at the bar, and it doesn't make any sense for someone doing a time trial to wear a three piece suit.

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Permalink Reply by Liz on October 21, 2010 at 9:33am

Well said.

I ride 5.5 miles to work. In the fall and spring that means I wear my work clothes on my bike, in the summer and winter I change when I get to the office or take off layers I don't need. Some days I'm coated in lycra, some days I'm wearing a skirt and heels. Most of the time I keep the skirt on, through some lycra under it and trade heels for bike shoes. You can be more than 1 thing as long as at the end of the day you get on your bike.

Also wool tights rule.



Lorena Cupcake said:

Maybe everyone should just wear the clothing that feels right for them and they feel comfortable in? It doesn't make any sense for me to be wrapped from head to foot in Lycra when I'm just cruising 6 miles to Logan Square to meet my friend at the bar, and it doesn't make any sense for someone doing a time trial to wear a three piece suit.

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on October 21, 2010 at 9:51am

I hate sensible responses like this. If we all start following this advice, then soon we will have no trivial issues that we can argue ad nauseum. Then what will we do with our time? ;)

Lorena Cupcake said:

Maybe everyone should just wear the clothing that feels right for them and they feel comfortable in? It doesn't make any sense for me to be wrapped from head to foot in Lycra when I'm just cruising 6 miles to Logan Square to meet my friend at the bar, and it doesn't make any sense for someone doing a time trial to wear a three piece suit.

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Permalink Reply by Martha Williams on October 21, 2010 at 10:09am

teee heeeee! You know you CAN wear a fedora and a bike helmet at the same time http://www.yakkay.com/
two birds one stone


Minh said:

Screw you pretty lady and you pretty people wearing whatever you want only commuting 2-5 miles to work. Get a job that has a commute of at least 20 miles + through inclement weather all year round. I have a commute to work that's 40 miles uphill through a glass covered ghetto and I can't get anywhere without my bulletproof lycra suit. Now get off my lawn.

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Permalink Reply by Martha Williams on October 21, 2010 at 10:10am

Agreed!


Duppie said:

I hate sensible responses like this. If we all start following this advice, then soon we will have no trivial issues that we can argue ad nauseum. Then what will we do with our time? ;)

Lorena Cupcake said:

Maybe everyone should just wear the clothing that feels right for them and they feel comfortable in? It doesn't make any sense for me to be wrapped from head to foot in Lycra when I'm just cruising 6 miles to Logan Square to meet my friend at the bar, and it doesn't make any sense for someone doing a time trial to wear a three piece suit.

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Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on October 21, 2010 at 10:29am

But do they meet CPSC and/or ANSI safety standards?

Martha Williams said:

teee heeeee! You know you CAN wear a fedora and a bike helmet at the same time http://www.yakkay.com/
two birds one stone


Minh said:

Screw you pretty lady and you pretty people wearing whatever you want only commuting 2-5 miles to work. Get a job that has a commute of at least 20 miles + through inclement weather all year round. I have a commute to work that's 40 miles uphill through a glass covered ghetto and I can't get anywhere without my bulletproof lycra suit. Now get off my lawn.

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Permalink Reply by Martha Williams on October 21, 2010 at 11:48am

hmm, I smell a joke...

Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:

But do they meet CPSC and/or ANSI safety standards?

Martha Williams said:

teee heeeee! You know you CAN wear a fedora and a bike helmet at the same time http://www.yakkay.com/
two birds one stone


Minh said:

Screw you pretty lady and you pretty people wearing whatever you want only commuting 2-5 miles to work. Get a job that has a commute of at least 20 miles + through inclement weather all year round. I have a commute to work that's 40 miles uphill through a glass covered ghetto and I can't get anywhere without my bulletproof lycra suit. Now get off my lawn.

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