With Spring in the air, David Law, (edit: former) Product Manager for stolen goat, shares five easy ways to make sure you don’t fall foul of road cycling’s fashion rules and ensure you look like a pro on the bike this season!
Road cycling fashion rules – really?!
I don’t know about you, but I’m not a huge fan of being dictated to.
That said, even I have to acknowledge that there are some General Principles of Fashion that hold true for most people when getting dressed: the LBD is always a good bet for an evening event (gentlemen, if you have to google that one, you lose one point). An ironed white shirt and dark navy suit will generally flatter (black is for funerals and school leavers).
(Granted, if you are Vivienne Westwood, or Lady Gaga, these rules and principles are less relevant.)
The same is true for road cyclists riding a bike.
And it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Here I’ll stick to the five most important, most inexpensive road cycling fashion rules.
You can take them as guidelines or pointers if you don’t like rules!
1. Get your helmet right
Put your helmet on straight, so the straps aren’t flapping, but join together just below your ear.
This also has a serious safety element: not only will you look like a spam head if your helmet is poorly adjusted, but you risk it being pulled off your head if it hits the ground.
There is no more obvious sign of poor road cycling fashion sense than a poorly adjusted helmet (other than, perhaps, wearing a helmet with a peak – but that’s another story…).
Now this is what a straight helmet looks like!
2. Consider sock height
A pair of trainer socks is just a NO.
Never. Ever.
Never, ever, ever.
Now some of Sir Bradley Wiggins sock collection may also have pushed the boundaries of good taste in the opposite direction: you do not want knee high socks either. That’s great if you can run a 2h15 marathon like Paula Radcliffe, but not so great for the rest of us. A decent pair of mid to long height socks (look for 14cm – 18cm height when buying) always looks the bomb.
Try these: stolen goat Coolmax socks (solo blue)
A strong sock game is vital
3. Embrace tights and leg warmers
Much like pointer number 1, riding with bare legs in inclement conditions, is a fashion faux pas (as well as potentially adverse for your health!).
For starters, your legs are likely to be pasty white, because it’s been six months since they last saw sun.
Secondly, you’ll probably have a winter jacket on up top, so look like the Michelin man above the waist and Stick Man below the waist (if you’re not a parent, google Stick Man).
Your legs, and your knees, will thank you for owning at least one full pair of winter tights, and an additional pair of leg warmers that you can match up with your regular bib shorts.
You’ve gotta love a good pair of tights
4. Think about your overall look
If you go for a bold jersey design, which are, of course, brilliant fun (take at a look at our range (for example!)) – make sure you match it with a pair of more modest, lightly branded cycling shorts with minimal logos.
Do not pick that old pair of Team Sky emblazoned shorts out of the cupboard and put them with your nice new stolen goat jersey.
On the otherhand, do not think that matchy-matchy, screaming loud top AND screaming loud cycling shorts are a good look: what Lee “Hollywood” Turner gets away with, you will not (just check him out on Instagram and you will understand).
If you’re looking for a statement jersey, you know who has the answer!
5. Black is not quite back
Whilst the aforementioned LBD is great for dinner, an all-black get-up on a bicycle is simply unsuitable unless you run it with a full set of lights (even in the day).
“Reflective detailing”, frequently touted by cycling apparel brands, is useless on black kit in the daytime, and yet this is when you will spend most time riding your bike.
The stealth black look has been popularised in the last 15 years, but we would only recommend it if you use daytime running lights (of which there are many available) or combine it with very visible accessories (socks, helmet, gloves).
Stolen Goat’s new fluro, merino socks are an inexpensive way of making yourself much more visible if your main kit has a darker tone.
Remember, the best way of looking fashionable on a bike is to stay on your bike in the first place!
Fluro socks – keeping you visible!
Final words…
Big thanks to David for his tips on looking good on your bike this year. No excuses now!
If you fancy some new clobber, you know we wholeheartedly endorse stolen goat kit which we’ve found unfailingly good quality and beautifully designed (check our reviews here and there’s more information on our relationship with stolen goat, here).
They now also offer a custom service for those looking for something extra special… more details here.
Happy riding!
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Wearing suitable cycling clothing and using proper cycling accessories will make your cycling journey more fun and easier.