I had not really thought much about what clothing to wear when going for a ride. During my commutes to work and while running errands around town, I just wear what I am wearing, normal cloths and shoes. When I am going for a long ride where I am going to push it and sweat a lot, I wear bike shorts, clipless bike shoes, and a jersey to be more comfortable.
While speaking with a couple of cyclists from the club this week at the bike shop, the topic of clothing came up and they both commented that they don't really ride their bikes "around town" to run errands and such because let's face it, who wants to "clip-clop" around Wal-Mart in bike shorts, a jersey, and bike shoes. It seemed to me that they thought that as "real" cyclists they always need to wear "real" cycling clothes while riding. But I think they are missing out on so much enjoyment from their bikes. I know that if I only rode my bike when I am wearing "bike" clothing, then I would only ride my bike about a third of the time that I actually do. Fully 2/3rds of the time/miles I spend on my bike are commuting, running errands, or just riding around town on a beautiful day.
Maybe the difference is that they have "real" bikes and I do not. Both of theirs were high end carbon fiber racing bikes and my bike is a touring bike; a heavy steel bike with a rack and fenders; a bike designed to ride all day and haul stuff on. I take it to Wal-Mart, to the library, to Starbucks with my laptop to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee early on a Saturday morning. It may not be fast, and it may not be fancy, but I think maybe I get more enjoyment out of it then they might get out of their bikes simply because I use it more. That is at least now that my knee is fully recovered and I am back on it again!
What do you think? Do you run errands on your bike? What kind of clothes do you wear while riding?
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