How come bicycle clothing looks so silly?
 

Actually, I kinda *like* men in tight, black panties... but, my
question has always been: How do you wear that stuff in public and
keep a straight face?

I recall when a decent bicycle cost a day's wages and you could ride
the damn thing in cut-offs, a T-shirt, and sneakers. If you were
*really* high-tech, you had a Bendix two-speed kick-back. It was
heavy, noisy, and difficult to ride; however, real *men* rode bicycles
in those days... and no self-respecting faggot would have been caught
in Spandex!

Nowadays, bicycles cost more than an African wage-earner can hope to
make in his or her lifetime! There's something wrong here!

Why can't I buy a decent friction shifter anymore? Indexed shifters
are OK until they wear a little bit, then they're useless. I can't
adjust my front cage with an indexed shifter...

.... but, mostly, how come I gotta wear these goofy-looking panties? I
simply cannot be seen in public wearing these things! I'd sooner ride
nekkid!

Eat yer heart out, Nitla!

Jones

How come bicycle clothing looks so silly?
 

On Jan 13, 10:34*pm, !Jones' Sock Puppet wrote:
Actually, I kinda *like* men in tight, black panties... but, my
question has always been: How do you wear that stuff in public and
keep a straight face?

I recall when a decent bicycle cost a day's wages and you could ride
the damn thing in cut-offs, a T-shirt, and sneakers. *If you were
*really* high-tech, you had a Bendix two-speed kick-back. *It was
heavy, noisy, and difficult to ride; however, real *men* rode bicycles
in those days... and no self-respecting faggot would have been caught
in Spandex!

Nowadays, bicycles cost more than an African wage-earner can hope to
make in his or her lifetime! *There's something wrong here!

Why can't I buy a decent friction shifter anymore? *Indexed shifters
are OK until they wear a little bit, then they're useless. *I can't
adjust my front cage with an indexed shifter...

... but, mostly, how come I gotta wear these goofy-looking panties? *I
simply cannot be seen in public wearing these things! *I'd sooner ride
nekkid!

Eat yer heart out, Nitla!

Jones

You tell 'em, Jones! What the devil is wrong with riding in a linen
shirt and khakis or, this time of the year in the northern hemisphere,
in cords and a flannellete (brushed cotton) workman's shirt? At least
in those you don't look like an escapee from the circus who stole a
bike for a getaway vehicle.

Andre Jute
Charisma is the talent for inducing apoplexy in losers by merely
existing elegantly

How come bicycle clothing looks so silly?
 

i know you are but what am i

How come bicycle clothing looks so silly?
 

On Jan 13, 4:34*pm, !Jones' Sock Puppet wrote:
Actually, I kinda *like* men in tight, black panties... but, my
question has always been: How do you wear that stuff in public and
keep a straight face?

I recall when a decent bicycle cost a day's wages and you could ride
the damn thing in cut-offs, a T-shirt, and sneakers. *If you were
*really* high-tech, you had a Bendix two-speed kick-back. *It was
heavy, noisy, and difficult to ride; however, real *men* rode bicycles
in those days... and no self-respecting faggot would have been caught
in Spandex!

Nowadays, bicycles cost more than an African wage-earner can hope to
make in his or her lifetime! *There's something wrong here!

Why can't I buy a decent friction shifter anymore? *Indexed shifters
are OK until they wear a little bit, then they're useless. *I can't
adjust my front cage with an indexed shifter...

... but, mostly, how come I gotta wear these goofy-looking panties? *I
simply cannot be seen in public wearing these things! *I'd sooner ride
nekkid!

Eat yer heart out, Nitla!

Jones

functional = funky looking ?

How come bicycle clothing looks so silly?
 

gnu / linux wrote:

On Jan 13, 4:34*pm, !Jones' Sock Puppet wrote:
Actually, I kinda *like* men in tight, black panties... but, my
question has always been: How do you wear that stuff in public and
keep a straight face?

I recall when a decent bicycle cost a day's wages and you could ride
the damn thing in cut-offs, a T-shirt, and sneakers. *If you were
*really* high-tech, you had a Bendix two-speed kick-back. *It was
heavy, noisy, and difficult to ride; however, real *men* rode bicycles
in those days... and no self-respecting faggot would have been caught
in Spandex!

Nowadays, bicycles cost more than an African wage-earner can hope to
make in his or her lifetime! *There's something wrong here!

Why can't I buy a decent friction shifter anymore? *Indexed shifters
are OK until they wear a little bit, then they're useless. *I can't
adjust my front cage with an indexed shifter...

... but, mostly, how come I gotta wear these goofy-looking panties? *I
simply cannot be seen in public wearing these things! *I'd sooner ride
nekkid!

Eat yer heart out, Nitla!

Jones

functional = funky looking ?

Yes, when funky looking = pretentious homosexual

How come bicycle clothing looks so silly?
 

On Jan 13, 5:34*pm, !Jones' Sock Puppet wrote:

I recall when a decent bicycle cost a day's wages

Really? When was that? I remember paying $40 for a 3-speed in 1970.
Wages were not very close to $5/hour where I lived then. Teachers made
about $18k/year, for example.

Why can't I buy a decent friction shifter anymore? *

You can. They're called barcons.

How come bicycle clothing looks so silly?
 

Brian Huntley wrote:

On Jan 13, 5:34*pm, !Jones' Sock Puppet wrote:

I recall when a decent bicycle cost a day's wages

Really? When was that? I remember paying $40 for a 3-speed in 1970.
Wages were not very close to $5/hour where I lived then. Teachers made
about $18k/year, for example.

In that case teachers would have been able to buy more than two bikes
a day. Most teachers only work about 200 days a year, the rest is just
weekends and long holidays.

How come bicycle clothing looks so silly?
 

"!Jones' Sock Puppet" wrote in message
...
| Actually, I kinda *like* men in tight, black panties... but, my
| question has always been: How do you wear that stuff in public and
| keep a straight face?
|
| I recall when a decent bicycle cost a day's wages and you could ride
| the damn thing in cut-offs, a T-shirt, and sneakers. If you were
| *really* high-tech, you had a Bendix two-speed kick-back. It was
| heavy, noisy, and difficult to ride; however, real *men* rode bicycles
| in those days... and no self-respecting faggot would have been caught
| in Spandex!
|
| Nowadays, bicycles cost more than an African wage-earner can hope to
| make in his or her lifetime! There's something wrong here!
|
| Why can't I buy a decent friction shifter anymore? Indexed shifters
| are OK until they wear a little bit, then they're useless. I can't
| adjust my front cage with an indexed shifter...
|
| ... but, mostly, how come I gotta wear these goofy-looking panties? I
| simply cannot be seen in public wearing these things! I'd sooner ride
| nekkid!
|
| Eat yer heart out, Nitla!
|
| Jones
|

How come bicycle clothing looks so silly?
 

!Jones' Sock Puppet wrote:

I recall when a decent bicycle cost a day's wages and you could ride
the damn thing in cut-offs, a T-shirt, and sneakers. If you were
*really* high-tech, you had a Bendix two-speed kick-back. It was
heavy, noisy, and difficult to ride; however, real *men* rode bicycles
in those days... and no self-respecting faggot would have been caught
in Spandex!

Nowadays, bicycles cost more than an African wage-earner can hope to
make in his or her lifetime! There's something wrong here!

In real terms bikes are /much/ cheaper now than they were in the past
thanks to mass production in Taiwan. I can actually buy a bike for a
day's wages: granted I wouldn't because it would probably be pretty
hopeless, but I can do it despite a public sector job.

Why can't I buy a decent friction shifter anymore? Indexed shifters
are OK until they wear a little bit, then they're useless. I can't
adjust my front cage with an indexed shifter...

The bar end shifters on my touring bike, and my wife's, can have the
indexing turned off just with a twist of a D-ring on the side. That
turns them into a pure friction shifter. I'm fairly sure these are
still available.

... but, mostly, how come I gotta wear these goofy-looking panties? I
simply cannot be seen in public wearing these things! I'd sooner ride
nekkid!

Plenty of folk ride in normal, everyday clothes. In fact ISTM in Europe
far more people do that than ride in lycra if you're looking at total
bike journeys rather than the weekend Chain Gangs. The great majority
of my journeys are made in whatever day-to-day clothes I happen to be
wearing when I need to go out on the bike, plus jacket and cap.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

How come bicycle clothing looks so silly?
 

Hi,

!Jones' Sock Puppet wrote:
Actually, I kinda *like* men in tight, black panties... but, my
question has always been: How do you wear that stuff in public and
keep a straight face?

Well, that's part of the fun - amuse yourself when watching other people
look at you ;-)

Well, you can wear decent clothes, nobody stops you. What I do like
quite much is Zip-Off-Outdoor trousers and a neutral (that is
single-color) bike jersey. Well, I usually go to the jogging department
for my bike clothes, because a jogging t-shirt doesn't have the
kangaroo's back pockets. All of that is very functional clothing but
it's quite ok for everyday use.

In the Winter you can get a "normal" long jogging tight pants and wear
it below your Zip-Off-Outdoor trousers - nobody'll notice and you'll be
warm. Same with the jersey, get a fleece pullover and a functional
jacket. Add a wool hat, leather gloves and a Buff (or similar) as scarf
(use it as face mask if it's really cold) and you'll look just like any
guy who pretends to be "sportive" ;-) At least you don't look "funny"...

I recall when a decent bicycle cost a day's wages and you could ride

No way, you couldn't get a *good* bike for that money. Oh, and you can
still buy used bikes for a few dollars/euros at garage sales...

the damn thing in cut-offs, a T-shirt, and sneakers. If you were

You still can.

in those days... and no self-respecting faggot would have been caught
in Spandex!

Well, I wear thights, at least when it's raining. They dry off really
fast, and they don't stick to your skin like wet jeans do, so they're
rather comfortable during the ride. That does not mean I feel
comfortable in these clothes when off the bike - I do feel "half naked"
which is something I do NOT like... But then I pretend I'm a "sportive"
guy ;-)

Why can't I buy a decent friction shifter anymore? Indexed shifters
are OK until they wear a little bit, then they're useless. I can't
adjust my front cage with an indexed shifter...

Try to buy a *decent* index-shifter. Not a cheap one. You'll see them
perform really well over extended periods of time. Really.

You know, I had a bike with Shimano A* (Acera/Alivio/Altus) parts and
the index shifter started to break after about 10.000 km, now I have my
complete gear shift from SRAM (the X.7 series) and after 10.000 km I had
to change the rear derailleur cable for the first time, everything else
is just working fine (as if it were new). You get what you pay for. Really.

You know what's the best thing? Ever tried to repair a modern car? No
way? Well, with your bike you could do everything by yourself - and you
can exchange a shifter if it has a problem - but you still should get
mid-range equipment if you want to save money. That's Shimano Deore
something or SRAM X.7 for example. Don't get the cheap stuff, it will
fall apart and cost you more in the long run ;-)

Have some fun!