The bicycle dilemma

[borrowedTime]

Why not use the "Penny In Yo’ Pants" trick? https://vimeo.com/98808131

However, I frequently ride my (regular men's hardtail) mountain bike wearing skirts, normally short or knee-length. The best ones, in my experience, tend to be those which find a good balance between rigid enough not to fly up and being pleated / loose enough not to make it difficult to pedal or get on & off. I often wear tights, especially with shorter skirts, so that helps too.

[moonshadow]

Well, went on a practice run today with a denim skirt I purchased yesterday at the Christian thrift store here in Damascus.

Wasn't too bad. Wore my sparkly tights for extra security. However no flare ups... a couple of close calls, but I think I was just being overly cautious. I rode the bike all the way to the grocery store and back. I could probably go a little shorter on the skirt, but there was no danger of it getting caught, and I was checking.



Yes I know I'm slightly oversized for the bike, I've had it since I was 16. But I like it all the same.
If I ever do break down and get a new bike, it will be sized for me, and will probably be a girls bike for the skirts.
But it's got to be red, have white wall tires, and chrome fenders... no other will do.

[skirted_in_SF]

If I ever do break down and get a new bike, it will be sized for me, and will probably be a girls bike for the skirts.
But it's got to be red, have white wall tires, and chrome fenders... no other will do.

Don't want to be PC, but they're not girl's bikes any more.
The step-through bike I bought, from Public (http://publicbikes.com/p/PUBLIC-C7-2015 ... le-Reviews), is called a Dutch bike by them (though I notice they use the word Womans in the URL for the page). They even have it in red now and chrome fenders can be added. Not cheap though.

[moonshadow]

If I ever do break down and get a new bike, it will be sized for me, and will probably be a girls bike for the skirts.
But it's got to be red, have white wall tires, and chrome fenders... no other will do.

Don't want to be PC, but they're not girl's bikes any more.
The step-through bike I bought, from Public (http://publicbikes.com/p/PUBLIC-C7-2015 ... le-Reviews), is called a Dutch bike by them (though I notice they use the word Womans in the URL for the page). They even have it in red now and chrome fenders can be added. Not cheap though.

Truth be known, I will probably just ride my wife's bike, only trouble is, it doesn't have fenders. Fenders are nice not only for aesthetic reasons, but if you go through a puddle, it keeps from putting a mud streak up your back. My daughter also has a bike that's practically a carbon copy of mine, just a difference color, and has the low crossbar, but it's only a single speed, and I like a few speeds to shift through.

Regarding PC... that's right.... it's not a "girl's bike" if it belongs to me...

I forgot...

But my wife's bike is a "girls"s bike (she is a girl, and it belongs to her). So if I ride it, I would be essentially riding a "girls bike". This sounds familiar!

[straightfairy]

Purely co-incidentally, I came on here today to post about skirted bike riding and my recent experiences.

As a recent, returned to cycling in my middle age, I have acquired a passable mountain bike for the easy trails near me.
I've quickly turned to wearing a kilt, rather than long trousers.
The one I'm currently using is the American made Tactical 5.11, which seems to be the right weight for avoidance of indecent exposure.

I think to most people, I appear to be wearing baggy cargo shorts, no problems with getting on/off, and in today's windier conditions there is a push stud to keep the flaps from flapping too much.
I'll let you know when I try my other kilts/skirts.

[partlyscot]

Seeing this thread pop up again, it reminds me that I was going to ask if any of the issues that some have is to do with too low a seat height? Having the saddle too low is a common error, it isn't conducive to efficient riding, and would tend to make exposure a higher risk. When the saddle is the right height, your knees are guided into a nice vertical track by the skirt, and this keeps everything neat and decent.

No, not the whole answer, but I think it may have something to do with it.

[beachlion]

I'm from Holland so riding a bike is 2nd nature. The proper height of a saddle is when you can stretch your leg with the heel on a pedal. The pedal should be in the lower position of course.
Riding a bike with a skirt is not much of a problem when the skirt is not too short and wide enough at the hem and the wind is not blowing too hard. The hem one or two inches above the knee is about the limit. When riding you cause your own headwind. This headwind pushes down the part of the skirt that is between your knees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjGHrFC ... =SandyHook

[dillon]

I'm from Holland so riding a bike is 2nd nature. The proper height of a saddle is when you can stretch your leg with the heel on a pedal. The pedal should be in the lower position of course.
Riding a bike with a skirt is not much of a problem when the skirt is not too short and wide enough at the hem and the wind is not blowing too hard. The hem one or two inches above the knee is about the limit. When riding you cause your own headwind. This headwind pushes down the part of the skirt that is between your knees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjGHrFC ... =SandyHook

At maximum pedal extension, the knee should still be slightly bent, about 20 degrees at the max, no less or else you risk hyperextending your knee. Painful.

[neiljerram]

I have a bike with a step-through frame, and ride it wearing calf-length fullish skirts. There is occasionally a problem with those blowing up a little, but I don't go fast enough for that to become a modesty problem.

I do get the problem, though, of material getting caught in the back brake - need to get a dress guard for that.

Apart from the general delight of wearing a skirt while cycling, I do it to protect my trousers' knees. The trousers that I do wear sometimes tend to be formal, and the cycling action - especially if weather is a little damp - tends to stretch the fabric around the knee and make it baggy. So it's nice not to do that.

[Kirbstone]

Ah! The answer to baggy cyclists' knees is bear/bare ones!, shaven or otherwise. My cycling exploits are nowadays confined to using my unisex foldable to get me home or to work, having left my trusty old Mercwagon in for servicing.

Around our narrow lanes habitual cycling is a dice with Death and I do it as seldom as possible. No problem with skirts as mine are all knee-length or shorter.

Tom

[Sinned]

Reminds me that I dreamt the other night that I was fighting the man in black with the scythe using vacuum cleaners but then I was Dyson with Death.

Ducks under chair and sneaks out the back.

[Caultron]

Reminds me that I dreamt the other night that I was fighting the man in black with the scythe using vacuum cleaners but then I was Dyson with Death.

Ducks under chair and sneaks out the back.

Have another toke.

[hoborob]

Is it time to nock up the arrows and let the archers loose??????

[crfriend]

[...] Dyson with Death.

Which is worse, "Dyson with Death" or "Dancing with the Stars"?

I got a pretty good guffaw out of that amazingly bad pun, so it definitely gets a pretty loud, "Sssssss." from me.

[neiljerram]

Reminds me that I dreamt the other night that I was fighting the man in black with the scythe using vacuum cleaners but then I was Dyson with Death.

Ducks under chair and sneaks out the back.

LOL!