Knickers

[Dirt]

Endura 3/4 are awesome and extremely durable. They are not, however, casual clothing. They’ve got Endura logos on them. I wear bib shorts under them. Short rides are around 30-40 miles, longer ones go upward of 150.

I tend to wear casual shorts or pants on the outside and bib shorts underneath. That has worked pretty well. We are all a bit different in the way that we ride and how we do in different short/pant combinations. My rides in casual clothing tend to be 10-20 miles with street clothes and regular underwear, 20-80 miles with casual clothes and bib shorts underneath. The limiting factor for me is dealing with being sweaty. Casual pants and jeans don’t breathe as well as cycling-specific gear.

[Slosurf]

I second the recommendation for Giro’s New Road line. I commute 25 miles to work and the shorts and shirts are performance oriented but presentable walking down the hall at the office after the ride in. Excellent quality.

[vvill]

@TwoWheelsDC 83891 wrote:

Endura also has an urban line. I have the merino polo shirt, which is pretty awesome. I’ve also been buying cheaper, non-bike specific polo shirts that are synthetic and/or wool, rather than cotton, and I wear those to class and on Fridays. Really the only bike-specific detail you don’t get is the pockets, which don’t really need anyway when I’m carrying a backpack or messenger back and wearing jeans.

I do prefer to ride clipless, so I picked up a pair of Chrome spd shoes…I wear them to work and class and they look like regular shoes.

My problem with casual pants/jeans is that the “sit bones” area always seems to wear and pill much faster than other areas. I tried some Rapha trousers for one or two rides, and noticed they started wearing them straight away – ended up exchanging them for a merino layer (I was also between sizes apparently). With jeans it’s not that big a deal since jeans are relatively cheap and no one cares too much about jeans wearing.

I do love merino or synthetic shirts/polos. Anything with a little stretch and blend other than pure cotton works so much better even on a casual ride.

I also love my Chrome 2-bolt shoes, but those things are HEAVY! I was amazed at their weight when I first got them (probably not a big deal when you’re riding fixed though). They also have a lot of padding in the insoles which is comfy for walking but a little much I think. I’ve since swapped those out. (Chrome’s merino socks are also great imo.)

[TwoWheelsDC]

@vvill 83978 wrote:

I also love my Chrome 2-bolt shoes, but those things are HEAVY! I was amazed at their weight when I first got them (probably not a big deal when you’re riding fixed though). They also have a lot of padding in the insoles which is comfy for walking but a little much I think. I’ve since swapped those out. (Chrome’s merino socks are also great imo.)

Oh yeah, and they aren’t stiff at all. Definitely a looks vs. performance compromise, but they do allow me to ride to work without having to change my shoes. I love the look of Giro Republic, but they seemed a little too bike-y, in the sense that the soles don’t look to be as optimized for all-day walking. If they would put the Terraduro sole on the Republic upper, it would be the ultimate commuter shoe.

[culimerc]

I’ve got a pair of the Levi’s jeans, which are ok, but barely fit. Apparently they thought only 150 lb hipsters were going to buy them.
I’ve also got a pair of the endro knickers. I like those much better and they almost look like regular clothes. I should wear them more often.

I dont like riding much over 10-12 miles without some sort of bike designed clothing, I havent developed the appropriate calluses for that. The wool shirt are only so-so in my world, they stretch way too easy.

[Author]

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