Dirty Bike Clothes
The Team Chef
2 Comments
I recently came accross a typical heated exchange in one of the bike forums; this time discussing the pros and cons of bib shorts vs. regular shorts. I almost weighed in with my opinion, but decided to abstain. After all, anyone who is a real roadie already knows that bibs are the only way to go. To wear anything else would be to thumb one’s nose at decades of cycling tradition. Besides, that's what all the pro's use, so who are we to disagree? Yes indeed, bib shorts are for us serious cyclists, just like leg shaving and tubular tires. Case closed.
Yesterday, as I prepared for my ride, I was horrified to discover that my cycling clothes had not been washed in a few days and all my bib shorts were dirty. All I had left to wear were my regular shorts, which were strictly reserved for indoor riding on my trainer, not real action out on the roads. Cycling shorts, a topic that had once seemed so trivial and undeserving my attention, now dominated my thoughts. A crisis was brewing. Just what was I supposed to do, wear soiled and dirty bibs, or turn a blind eye, and violate one of the unwritten, long standing, rules of the peloton? In the end, donning a pair of bibs with week old ass sweat just wasn’t going to work for me. After all, who would know but me and the cycling gods; I decided to ride sans bibs and incur their wrath.
Cycling traditions aside, I was really expecting an uncomfortable ride. Certainly the waste band of the shorts would become so intolerable that I’d have to cut the ride short, or at the very least they just wouldn't feel secure. Maybe the back of the shorts would somehow catch the nose of the saddle during a remount from a stop at a red light, exposing my butt crack to the dozens of vehicles behind me. Of course, none of these things happened. In fact, hold your breath, I found the regular shorts to be more comfortable and practical; they were cooler, less restrictive, didn’t feel like they were riding up my crotch, and pissing was never so easy. I was now going to have to reconsider this whole bib short thing. The final nail in the coffin: the average pair of regular shorts usually cost about 20 bucks less than bibs, so for every three pair purchased, I could buy myself a new jersey with the money saved. Maybe more of these cycling traditions warrant further review...
Photo: George Hincapie, Johan Museeuw, and Servais Knaven at their dirty best in the 2001 Paris-Roubaix ©Fotoreporter Sirotti.
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Reader Comments (2)
Don't go to the dark side! Stay with the bibs. In the winter when we all add a pound or two, regular shorts may separate from the shirt causing the "plumber effect"
Not a way to impress the women :)
I think I agree. I love my bib tights for cool weather riding, but recently returned my first pair of bib shorts to the store. They were the creme de la creme Assos. And they pulled. So back to my crummy, worn-out Pearl shorts for a while. I freely admit the chamois ain't great. But when I upgrade again, I'll be looking for shorts, not bibs.