BikeSnobNYC is a blogger I read every now and again. I tend to grow a bit drowsy when he dives into the Craig’s List swamp, but on the other hand, his take on much of cycling culture is spot on, or at least good for a laugh, and his sarcastic, biting, no mercy sense of humor is truly inspiring.

Still, something he wrote recently struck a chord with me, and as such, I’ll share it with you. To wit:

This journal [theridejournal.com] is nicely ecumenical in its approach to cycling, but one theme that came up and made me think was that of looking good on the bike. Not looking good in the sense of looking like a Euro-pro, but rather looking good in the sense of being able to wear street clothes comfortably while riding. In particular, in “Velocouture,” Patrick Barber points out that up until now in the US cycling style has been driven by sport rather than practicality, since riding here is traditionally seen as a recreational pastime and not as a means of transportation. “In a way,” he writes, “thinking about cycling in street clothes requires that you shift your thinking about why you are on your bike. Instead of being in workout mode, you are in going-somewhere-but-want-to-look-good mode: to work, on a date, to the coffee shop.” Ultimately, his point is that by being a normal well-dressed person on a bike instead of a peloton refugee in lycra you inspire other people to do the same and to integrate riding into their everyday lives.

He then goes on to basically say, in many more words than I’ll use here, that cyclists should be able to wear what they want, pretty much when they want. As long as it meets decency laws. Period.

I agree both with his final conclusion (to a point), and the idea that one would make cycling more accessible and agreeable by wearing normal clothes while out doing our thing. It’s obvious, when you think about it…

Seeing us out on the road tricked out in full kit presents an entry barrier. “I could never ride a bike,” one thinks, “because I could never look as good as HE does.” That’s what they think. Mark my words. However, if I were to be seen on a shiny new, say… Dew Drop, wearing what amounts to street clothes, then one would certainly think “I may never look as good as HE does, but I could get close. I think I’ll go out right now and buy a bike. But not like his. His looks way too cool for me. I’ll go dumpster diving for student cast-offs.”

I really don’t care what gets people to ride, so long as people get out and ride. The more people ride, the more we’ll be seen as a normal part of life on the road, and the quieter people like this might be.

If wearing normal clothes will help, I might consider it, but only if I can wear my full team kit underneath.