Cycling Trousers advice for novice

[bobbyg]

I have been trying to cycle 2 or 3 times a week to work over the summer (25 mile round trip). On Sunday I did the 50 mile Pedal for Scotland.
That gives you a rough idea of the level I am at.

I usually wear cycling shorts that I got from Halfords that are baggy but have the internal padding. However on Tuesday whilst coming back from work, a pedestrian decided that he didn't need to use his eyes and stepped out in front of me sending me sprawling on the road. Result one seriously bad scraped leg, arm, bruised ribs and black big toe! And very bruised ego!

Now my hands were spared by the cheap £3 fingerless gloves I bought in Sainsburys, gloves were rubbed away by the tarmac but my skin was intact.

I am now thinking that I should maybe look for some suitable cycling trousers to protect me in the event of any further similar incidents. However everywhere I look, I can either see shorts or if I want long (with integrated padding) then it needs to be the skin tight "tights" like trousers which, although look ok on a athletic cyclist, don't look so good on a chubby 40 year old wearing them into work!

Is there such a thing as trousers that are padded, suitable for cycling but are also less skin tight especially round the upper regions?
Or should I be looking to wear thin cycling shorts under conventional trousers which I don't think would be too comfy?
Or do trousers restrict you too much for cycling?
Or do I just accept that injuries and weeping wounds are going to be part and parcel of cycling the commute?

Any advice would be welcome and also worth saying that at is a pretty limited budget - maybe £30-£40 tops.

[saudidave]

I am now thinking that I should maybe look for some suitable cycling trousers to protect me in the event of any further similar incidents. However everywhere I look, I can either see shorts or if I want long (with integrated padding) then it needs to be the skin tight "tights" like trousers which, although look ok on a athletic cyclist, don't look so good on a chubby 40 year old wearing them into work!
.

Chubby 40 yr old? I'm a 5ft 9 in, 57 yr old, 200lb fat ***** and I wear skin tight cycling shorts in the summer and tights in winter. I work on the Nikki Lauda principle. If you remember, he suffered horrific facial burns in an F1 crash and has very bad scarring and not much, if any eyelids left. When interviewed as to how he coped with his looks, he replied "It is not my problem, it is your problem. You are looking at it, I am looking out from it"

Wear what you want and I would suggest that skin tight tights are as comfortable as it gets in winter. The odds on another serious accident are so remote it isn't even worth considering.

[Gearoidmuar]

No such thing as what you want.
You won't often cut your legs.
Shorts in summer, tights in winter.

[niggle]

You could wear lycra padded shorts or even padded cycling specific underpants under some tracksuit bottoms or similar. I would go for something made of man made fibres that dry quickly, like polyester, and bear in mind that the looser they are the more flappy they will be in the breeze etc., but you do need enough room in them to pedal comfortably. HTH

[julk]

For baggy cycling trousers you might find Ranchsliders from Ground Effect meet your needs.
I am a 38" waist and the L size goes on ok. Any larger waist would need the XL size.
The bad news is they are nearer £70.

[Si]

there are a few models on offer that are long, baggy and designed for cycling - they are normally sold to MTBers that have turned away from the tight lycra look. If you have a look at some of the big on line shops like wiggle you ought to be able to find some. They tend to be cut for cycle use so they don't leave a gap at your lower back, have reinforced knees that won't go out of shape, have zipped pockets, have ankle straps to stop them being caught in the chain, etc etc

But, as Julk has pointed out, they can be expensive. My solution is to wear some standard tight lycra cycling shorts with some cheap walking trousers on top. Mine are regatta ones that I got for a £10er or so. I got them in a size bigger than normal so that there is plenty of room for movement in them. They've reinforced knees, zipped pockets and are of a thin quick drying material. Only down side is that there are no ankle straps but bike clips are still widely available and work fine.

[james01]

My solution is to wear some standard tight lycra cycling shorts with some cheap walking trousers on top. Mine are regatta ones that I got for a £10er or so. I got them in a size bigger than normal so that there is plenty of room for movement in them. They've reinforced knees, zipped pockets and are of a thin quick drying material. Only down side is that there are no ankle straps but bike clips are still widely available and work fine.

I use a similar set-up, except that I found the combination of cycling shorts and trousers a bit hot and bulky. Instead, I wear lightweight padded cycling undershorts beneath conventional trousers. I use long socks instead of bike clips. Incidentally, it's never occurred to me to wear long trousers as accident protection, I don't think they'd be much use.

[Si]

My solution is to wear some standard tight lycra cycling shorts with some cheap walking trousers on top. Mine are regatta ones that I got for a £10er or so. I got them in a size bigger than normal so that there is plenty of room for movement in them. They've reinforced knees, zipped pockets and are of a thin quick drying material. Only down side is that there are no ankle straps but bike clips are still widely available and work fine.

I use a similar set-up, except that I found the combination of cycling shorts and trousers a bit hot and bulky. Instead, I wear lightweight padded cycling undershorts beneath conventional trousers. I use long socks instead of bike clips. Incidentally, it's never occurred to me to wear long trousers as accident protection, I don't think they'd be much use.

Yep, there is that - I tendto only wear the longs in the winter - use baggy shorts inthe summer.

Regarding crash protection - I've noticed that the last couple of times that I've come of in log skin tights that I've not damaged the material but have still taken skin off underneath. I suppose that the long prevent road dirt getting into the wound, but I'd probably rather have shorts and not have to risk forking out for a new pair.

[thirdcrank]

If I discount some youthful antics like trying to ride with my hands crossed, and racing crashes, I can only think of one tumble where I've lost much skin. I was knocked off my bike by a glancing blow with a car whose driver did a 'think once. think twice, think - oh blow, I've knocked another cyclist off." SMIDSY and all the rest of it. I slid down the road trying to roll into the gutter to avoid being run over by following traffic.

Deep midwinter and I was wearing racing shorts with ribbed tights, topped off with some ancient plusses. I also had some thick wool knee length stockings on. Exactly as described by Si, the layers of fabric prevented my skin from meeting the road surface but I had two scabs - a small one on the tip of the ankle bone and a huge one on my hip, perhaps 8" across.

So I'd agree with what others have said: try not to worry about crashes (not easy when you've just had one, it took me a long time to get over the feeling that every driver waiting to emerge was not going to see me) and just wear togs to suit the conditions and your style of cycling. As you have found, track miits give good protection for your palms - I know that goes against what I've just been saying but grazed hands are the one fairly minor injury which would probably prevent you continuing riding if you came off.

[Big T]

You may wish to wear longs in winter, not for crash protection but for warmth. I'm still in shorts, but it's getting chilly in the mornings and I'll soon be getting my longs out. At weekends I wear skintight roubaix (fleecy) lycra, but I've recently bought some Altura Winter Cruisers for riding to work. These are baggier than tights - they're a bit like Ronhill tracksters, but with a fleecy inner surface. The winter Cruisers are normally £29.99, but I got mine for £17 in the Evans sale. They don't have a seat pad, but I wear padded shorts underneath anyway.

The other alternative if you want something even baggier are Endura Humvees, these are bike specific baggy trousers, but they're about £40.

[rootes]

you could wear mtb knee pads like the lightweight ones from 661


like when I was at junior school and we were forced to wear shorts.....

teachers used to say:

"knees and skin grow back, trousers do not...."

great logic

[julk]

The other alternative if you want something even baggier are Endura Humvees, these are bike specific baggy trousers, but they're about £40.

Currently reduced to £35.99 at Wiggle and available in XXL size which fits my 38" waist ( I have the Humvee shorts).

[eileithyia]

Either wear lycra style cycling specific trousers or use padded undershorts with ordinary trousers. Personally I find ordinary trousers can be too tight around the bits that bend, so probably stretchy trackie bottoms would do.
I certainly endorse the fact that you will need longs for commuting in winter, indeed considering getting mine out after a chilly ride around the dales today.

[bobbyg]

Wow, wasn't expecting that many replies!

Many thanks for all the various bits of advice and recommendations. I will now have a look at the various links that have been posted and see what is available out there.

And thanks for the words of comfort re the accident!

Its pretty ironic, as I said did the 50 mile pedal on Sunday, was pleased with my time, watched enviously at all the proper cyclists in their racers and lycra thinking maybe thats what I should aim for! Its my 40th next month and wife is wanting to know what I want for my birthday. I was semi thinking of maybe getting a racer ( I currently use a Specialized Crossroads Hybrid) but not sure of the benefits, especially when commuting on Glasgow's roads.

But I decided on Tues that when I got home I was going to give the bike a right good clean and maybe even some polish on it to let it gleam again. Instead it ended up sprawled across London Road in Glasgow on top of me!

[danfoto]

Padded undershorts + Ronhill Bikesters work for me.