"Practical Skirt" Challenge #2 -- Skirt for bicycling

[Sasquatch]

I agree with Bob. Fenders are cheap, lightweight, and an essential to anyone touring or commuting on a bike.

Those who seek a skirted look cycling may find this of interest:

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=24456

Sasq

[Milfmog]

I found an entertaining (and definitely not serious) article about cycling in skirts here.

It does not really answer the question posed at the start of this thread but it was worth a read.

Have fun,


Ian.

[Charlie]

There's a thread about cycling with skirts at Youthink:
http://www.youthink.com/forums.asp?page_num=1&action=read&lp=0&ct=0&q_id=470758&ss=skirt&search_where=Subject

Some misguided unfortunate commented:

"pants are so much more comfortable and your leg movement isn't restricted in pants."

I beg to differ.

Charlie

[davereporter]

One of my clients does (she's of a religion that forbids women wearing pants) and she wears a home made broomstick style skirt just below the knees with heavy fabric and elasticised waist. The fabric is stretchy enough to allow movement but not flowing enough to get caught in the bike.

Personally as a man (referring only to me) I would not wear such a garment but it apparently works.

Anything else and you are flashing your knickers at the world (which in my part of the world means that some nice policeman may take you in for indecent exposure).

PLEASE avoid the thong (or g-string). The more research I do on the things, the more scary they are. For women that can lead to urinary tract infections, damage to the vagina and anus and abrasion and whilst men are less likely to contract urinary tract infections that can increase the risk of hemorrhoids particularly if coupled with sitting on a bike seat (further stress) for a couple of hours. I tried them twice and ditched them after finding out just how unhealthy they are.

Dave

[Departed Member]

Some misguided unfortunate commented:
"pants are so much more comfortable and your leg movement isn't restricted in pants." I beg to differ.
Charlie

Definitely have to agree with you, Charlie!

Looking at some of the other comments there (which mirror some views expressed here), there seems to be an unhealthy predeliction with 'exposure of body parts' as an excuse not to wear skirts. Personally, I don't normally wear an 18" skirt for cycling, but thought compelled to try an experiment as to whether this is a potential (hitherto unconsidered) problem. Camera placed 'low' (c.3'6") actually revealed, err, nothing it shouldn't(!) - not even the fact that for the purposes of the experiment, no underwear was worn! (Skirts sans underwear run the risk of 'trapping' wasps, bees, mosquitos, etc., but not to the extent that loose shorts do - ouch!)

[Big and Bashful]

One of my clients does (she's of a religion that forbids women wearing pants) and she wears a home made broomstick style skirt just below the knees with heavy fabric and elasticised waist. The fabric is stretchy enough to allow movement but not flowing enough to get caught in the bike.

Personally as a man (referring only to me) I would not wear such a garment but it apparently works.

Anything else and you are flashing your knickers at the world (which in my part of the world means that some nice policeman may take you in for indecent exposure).

PLEASE avoid the thong (or g-string). The more research I do on the things, the more scary they are. For women that can lead to urinary tract infections, damage to the vagina and anus and abrasion and whilst men are less likely to contract urinary tract infections that can increase the risk of hemorrhoids particularly if coupled with sitting on a bike seat (further stress) for a couple of hours. I tried them twice and ditched them after finding out just how unhealthy they are.

Dave

I thought broomstick skirts were similar to gypsy style as in a fairly large amount of fabric but crinkled, my gypsy style skirts are way too wafty to cycle with so I don't se how that can work but I would like to know.
I suppose she could try not being of that religion, but that seldom seems to work. Wish I had a similar excuse. The boarding school in Scotland that had kilts as a compulsory school uniform made me feel jealous years ago, but other skirts do feel better to me, so that would still have left me wanting.
Sad how I feel I would need an excuse to wear a skirt, but thats life, and I have had alcohol tonight. Oops, sorry, a wee alcoholic ramble.

[crfriend]

Sad how I feel I would need an excuse to wear a skirt, but thats life [...]

That's the magic of the thing -- one doesn't need an "excuse" to wear a skirt -- one just does.

Sorry to get pedantic about it, but the only "excuse" necessary is the desire to do so, and I suspect that lots of folks here will echo that sentiment. Go ahead, shove both legs "down one pipe", go out and about your business and be comfortable, confident, and happy. I suspect that other folks will be quietly jealous.

[binx]

PLEASE avoid the thong (or g-string). The more research I do on the things, the more scary they are... I tried them twice and ditched them after finding out just how unhealthy they are.

Dave

How can you get arrested for flashing knickers? That's indecent exposure? I like thongs for that next-to-nothing-but-if-kilt-checked-I'm-regimental feeling. Great also for short skirts not showing knickers.

binx

[DavidsSkirts]

Not for me...

Might be okay for short commutes or easy touring; but for more serious bicycling I prefer stretch shorts (a light poly-cotton is cooler in warm weather..) over skirts, and tights in cold weather..

When I get out in the bush, I prefer to go nude - actually a lot more comfortable than it might seem at first thought - especially for those who haven't tried it yet. And it gives me a chance to tan more evenly at the same time - just have to take it easy, and no fast downhills.

If I were to wear a skirt here, I think either a wrap-around skirt, or a netball or cheerleaders' style, could work best - with like-coloured briefs beneath (I don't know how a G-string will go - I might ride in a G-string alone, but simply haven't yet tried a skirt and G-string combo' on my bikes - might even be like nude cycling, where that actually works better than it sounds..).

[sapphire]

I tried bicycle riding in a skirt back when I was in junior high/high school. Didn't like it much.

Some years later, I got into bicycle touring (50 mi+/day) and didn't even consider skirts. Bicycling shorts were way more comfortable. In cooler weather, I wore full length trousers with ankle clips.

Interesting reading your experiences with skirts, but as a farther aggressive long disatncer, it just didn't work.

[Peter v]

Hallo there, I'm a Dutch man, live in the Netherlands where practically everyone has a bycicle and they are used on a daily basis by most of the population. I have become recently a skirt wearer in public.
( Many men wear skirts at home but don't dare to do so in public)
I often ride the 7 km's to the city near my own town. I ride on my men's bycicle which has fenders, saddle bags over the rear bagage rack, and a fully enclosed chain cover. A typical Dutch bycicle, at least when it's been cared for .

I wear mostly knee length denim skirts with some pleats or made of stretch denim. That works very well. Not so long that it gets cought on the saddle, and long enough to stay put over my thighs and keep me decent. As long as the skirt is not a very wide skirt there should be no problems. Of course when you have bikes with only wheels and a frame, then unless you wear a tight MINI skirt the chance of getting dirty, and or caught in something is very actual.

I find riding in a skirt fun to do. Ofcourse wearing a skirt on a bycicle has its drawbacks, holding the skirt down with one hand when it blows hard, when it rains ( wet and cold Netherlands) normally you put on a rain coat and trousers. When you wear a skirt putting on rain trousers is not a practical option. That limits the use of skirts when bycicling in rainy weather.

I would also like to wear skirts in the parks ( "bush land" ) here, but In the Netherlands, and other parts of Europe we have many Tics, which carry the disease called the Lyme disease. When Tics drink your blood, the excreet the Lyme disease into your system. To help prevent that happening you should wear clothing that covers your body like shirts with long sleeves and long trousers. So you can wear skirts on playing fields but actually not in bushy areas.

Peter v

[crfriend]

I would also like to wear skirts in the parks ( "bush land" ) here, but In the Netherlands, and other parts of Europe we have many Tics, which carry the disease called the Lyme disease.

Well, that's bad news. I'd thought that particular bit of nastiness was still confined to the New World. It was actually identified a few dozen miles away in a small Connecticut town named Lyme. I have a friend who's had it, and he categorically states that it's no fun.

I know that we've got deer ticks in our neighbourhood, so I find myself frequently checking my legs if I'm out and about in areas where I'd be likely to pick the blasted things up.

[jaycee]

I believe female cyclists had a hard time in the early days of cycle racing. One UK newspaper apparently had a sensational headline regarding a female cyclist stating "SHE WORE TROUSERS". The cyclist accused of this heinous crime was, by all accounts, shunned by her peers for some time!

Fancy trying the Tour de France in a skirt? No thanks! But I would like to try cycling locally in a skirt.

[Peter v]

I agree with Bob. Fenders are cheap, lightweight, and an essential to anyone touring or commuting on a bike.

Those who seek a skirted look cycling may find this of interest:

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=24456

Sasq

Nice shorts, pretty expensive, but love the sleeveless shirts, very stylish.

Peter v,

[Peter v]

Hello, it may be time ti import dutch bycicles, having enclosed nave seven or more speed gears in the nave, with nave roller brakes, up front nave roller brakes with nave dynamo, of course mudguards, and plastic coat protectors at the rear, with a bagage rack, and we also have bycicle saddle bags a assoire, which also protect against anything coming into the wheel, as well as fully enclosed chain guard.
http://www.batavus.nl/
http://www.gazelle.nl/
http://www.fastrider.nl/canvas.html

As I have lived in Australia, I know from back in the 70's that bycicles were not as well enclosed as dutch import bikes. It makes riding a bike in good clothes, skirts a little easier than on a sports bike.

Peter v.