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Why are cycling clothes important when riding a bike?
AllieDen - Dec 2020
The world of cycling can sometimes seem a little alien, especially when you see all of the specialist clothing that people wear. But please don't let that put you off! You can get on a bicycle and go for a ride without needing any special cycling clothes (apart from the helmet, of course), but you will be able to get much more out of your ride if you do take the plunge and invest in some cycling clothes.
Cycling clothing isn't just about creating a "look," or to make you feel part of the cycling crowd (although it can do that!). They also serve a purpose. So we are going to take you through the importance of all the different pieces of cycling clothing, and how they can help you to get the most out of your ride. There are three main areas that cycling clothing helps with: protection, efficiency, and comfort.
1) Protection
Of course, one of the most important things is that you stay safe while you cycle. A lot of the pieces of cycling clothing that you see are designed to offer protection when cycling and will help to lower your risk of having an accident, help to prevent injury if you do have one, and to keep you protected from the sun.
Helmet
This is the most vital piece of cycling clothing that you can own.
A Cochrane review found that wearing a helmet reduces the risk of brain injury following a bicycle crash by 65-88% and injuries to the head and face by 65%. Wearing a helmet could, quite literally, save your life.
When you start looking into which helmet to buy, you will probably be surprised by just how many different types there are. Whatever type of cycling you are planning on doing, there is a helmet that is specially designed to work best for efficiency and safety. For example, road, commuter, enduro, women's road (with space for a ponytail!), aero road, downhill mountain biking, mountain, BMX, chrono, and skate.
Fluorescent and reflective clothing
A hallmark of cycling clothing is how brightly coloured it is. Again, this isn't just to stand out from the crowd. The bright colours and reflective strips are there to make sure the rider can be seen.
Fluorescent clothes in bright colors such as red, yellow, and orange make you more visible to car drivers in the daytime because they contrast most strongly with the riding environment. The more you contrast with the environment, the better able car drivers are to see you, and the less likely you are to get hit.
At nighttime, fluorescent clothing doesn't help you to get seen because it relies on the sun's rays to give it its glow. What works at night are reflective strips. These look like dull grey lines during the daytime but at night, they reflect the light from the car's headlights which allows the drivers to see you. In a study, people could identify 90% of cyclists who wore reflective vests and reflective strips on the legs and ankles, 50% of riders who wore the reflective vests alone, 15% of the riders who wore fluorescent clothing, and only 2% of riders dressed head-to-toe in black.
Sun Protection
Cycling is an outdoor sport. This, of course, has all sorts of benefits, but it also means that you can be exposed to the sun for long stretches at a time. We all know the dangers of being out in the hot sun for too long and so making sure that you are protected while you are cycling is important. Most cycling jackets and jerseys are long-sleeved to protect your arms from sunburn, and they also have a high neck collar to protect your neck. When you are leaning over in the same position for hours on end, the back of your neck can easily get sunburnt. Keeping it covered will stop the sun's rays from beaming down directly onto your skin.
You can also get special cycling sunglasses that will stay fitted to your head as you ride, and will also protect your eyes from the sun. This will help you to be able to see properly while you are riding, which will help to prevent accidents. People who spend a long time outside in the sun can end up with damage to their eyes, such as cataracts and "surfer's eye". Sunglasses that reflect back UV light can help to protect your eyes from this damage.
2) Efficiency
Tight clothing
Another hallmark of cycling clothing is how tightly fitted it is and, again, it is tight for a reason. Tighter fitting clothing makes you more aerodynamic. When your clothing is loose and flapping around in the wind, this means you have to work slightly harder to push yourself through the air because the clothes act like a kite. When your clothing is fitted tightly to your body, there is less resistance because it doesn't catch any of the air.
Cycling shoes
Cycling shoes are very different from normal shoes. They have stiff soles that don't bend with your foot. While this makes them difficult to walk in, they also make your cycling more efficient because you are not wasting energy bending your foot to grip the peddle.
Some cycling shoes are known as clip-in shoes. With these, you attach a compatible peddle to your bicycle and the shoes can clip into place. This has two benefits. First, your foot will always be in the most efficient position to be able to push the peddle with the most power. Second, because your foot is attached to the peddle, you can use the power from the upstroke when you're peddling as well as the downstroke.
Quite possibly, the function of cycling clothing that is going to make the biggest difference in your day-to-day life is how it affects your comfort. At first glance, comfort when cycling might just seem like an indulgence, but when you cycle every day or when you go on very long rides, it really does start to become a necessity.
3) Sweat handling
When you cycle, you sweat. It is as simple as that! And this sweat can seriously affect your comfort levels if you don't wear the right clothing.
Materials
When you wear materials like cotton, they will absorb the sweat and hold it next to your skin. This means that you will first get very wet, and you will then get very cold. Cycling clothing is made from materials that have a wicking effect. They draw the sweat away from your skin and it evaporates from the clothing instead of from you. This stops you getting wet and it stops you getting cold.
Toweling
It isn't just your body that sweats, your head and face will also sweat. This can feel very uncomfortable and it can also mean that sweat gets into your eyes (which is also a safety issue). Thankfully, you can get cycling clothing that is designed to help with this issue. Headbands and skullcaps can stop the sweat from dripping from your head onto your face, and into your eyes. Some cycling gloves have toweling on the back of them for you to wipe the sweat from your face
4) Chafing prevention
The constant movements that you make when cycling can cause chafing if you aren't wearing the right clothing. Another reason why cycling clothing is so tightly fitted is that it moves with your body and doesn't bunch up and cause chafing.
You will be thankful for this at the end of an all-day ride!
Padding
Cycling shorts have foam padding which has two functions. First, it provides an even layer of material between you and your bicycle seat, which prevents rubbing and chafing. Second, it provides shock absorption. This means that some of the power of the bumps you experience while riding will be absorbed by your shorts, so you won't feel them as strongly.
Cycling gloves also have padding for the same reason - to protect your hands from bumps that come through your handlebars.
Fit
Cycling clothes are designed to fit properly when leaning over your handlebars. The jerseys and jackets have a longer back to make sure your lower back stays covered and longer arms to make sure your wrists do as well. This will help you to stay warm and comfortable. On the jackets, there is usually an adaptable front zipper for ventilation. If you are feeling overheated, you can lower the zipper which will allow air to circulate inside your jacket. This helps to take the heat away from your body and will cool you down. In all, cycling jackets and jerseys are perfectly designed to keep you warm or cool, depending on what you need.
Whether you are hoping to improve your cycling times and efficiency or if you are just hoping to be more comfortable while you ride, investing in some decent cycling clothing will help you. A lot of thought has been put into the design of these clothes to make them perfectly suited to making your cycling more efficient, keeping you safe, and keeping you comfortable. Once you start to feel the benefits of wearing cycling clothing while you ride, you won't look back!
