# Bicycling clothing and accessories for the fat man **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 24, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-clothing-and-accessories-for-the-fat-man/497487 "2009-05-24T19:39:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-clothing-and-accessories-for-the-fat-man/497487/21 "2009-05-25T18:12:49Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > I know “opinions can’t be right or wrong”, but they can be misinformed. Suggesting that technical gear is primarily to look pretty for other cyclists is not presenting particularly good information for a GQ rather than IMHO thread. You’re missing the point. You said I was wrong and then more or less agreed with me. I dunno if you misread my post or what. I just said the people who go out and buy every accessory to look like Lance Armstrong and then ride maybe 30 or 40 miles a week are just doing it for looks “as far as I’m concerned.” Maybe it’s just more trendy around here and you haven’t met those people. I know a guy who only rides in his Discovery Channel jersey, bike shorts, high-end “cycling” shades, high end helmet, etc, and he rides maybe twice a month, if that. My philosophy is to just enjoy turning the cranks; the gear is nice if you’ve got the scratch to blow but it is not necessary to have a good time on a bike. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-clothing-and-accessories-for-the-fat-man/497487/22 "2009-05-25T18:18:28Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > If you are uncomfortable with the tight spandex look you can either throw a cheap pair of regular shorts on top or get double-layer bike shorts (often aimed at the mountain biking crowd, they’re basically baggy shorts with a built-in bike short liner). Nike makes a specific kind of undershort “Pro”+something-or-other which, for me, does everything to prevent chafing as the heavier spandex shorts, and I’m prone to leg chafe. They’re about $25. Spandex/spandex-blended polyster-based tight shorts and nipple-taping (no fake electrical tape works best compared to what I’ve tried) get me through any endurance-type activity (walking more than 15-20 miles is the worst for me in chafing terms – the slow motion sliding of skin on cloth or skin on skin is psychologically wearying and physically unsustainable once the skin pustulates) and I’m a large guy (6’3" 235). +1 on poly shirts – although I find when they’re dirty or wet they can and often do chafe as severely as wet cotton. If I were biking mucho miles I’d be inclined to go shirtless instead (although probably not – if I had the balls, though, it would be the way to go unless under sun). ---
**Author:** ![PBear42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PBear42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PBear42)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-clothing-and-accessories-for-the-fat-man/497487/23 "2009-05-26T06:52:04Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > I’ve been shopping around for bikes. I found a fancy bike store where everything starts at about $1,200. Then I went to Walmart, Kmart, and Target, where the prices are lower, but they don’t seem to have any kind of variety. Kmart doesn’t have anything for adult men. Target has one “commuter” bike. Walmart has only mountain bikes. Where do people go for reasonably priced general-purpose bikes? One bike worth looking at and test driving is the [Marin](http://www.marinbikes.com/) “street” bike, which is basically an old-style mountain bike with no suspension. It’s not a particularly fast bike, but sturdy and well made. The website will tell you whether there are any dealers in your area. Another thing to consider is whether to upgrade to heavy duty rims. I use Sun Rhyno Lites, which are nearly impervious to potholes. IME, the stock rims on moderately priced bikes (including Marins) aren’t strong enough. But, that’s the opinion of someone who uses a bike for everything (don’t have a car). You could try the stock rims first, then switch to Suns only if you have problems. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-clothing-and-accessories-for-the-fat-man/497487/24 "2009-05-26T14:30:38Z")
Have you looked into recumbents? BIIG seats on some of those. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-clothing-and-accessories-for-the-fat-man/497487/25 "2009-05-26T16:37:58Z")
> [@redshift](#): > > you might wanna try [Bikeforums.net](http://Bikeforums.net) and post in **the Clydesdale section** Seriously? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-clothing-and-accessories-for-the-fat-man/497487/26 "2009-05-26T16:46:35Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > …my large size makes it uncomfortable, in particular, most bike seats cause significant pain in that in-between space. I too think you should consider a recumbent bike. I heard Walmart started selling a cheap recumbent bike for under $300 on their online store. I don’t know if it’s any good, probably comparable quality to their $100 bikes. The cheapest recumbent bike I’ve seen myself and can vouch for is the Sun EZ-1. You should be able to get it for under $800 through your local bike shop. The chafing and moisture can still be an issue though. On my recumbents, I usually wear light athletic pants (track pants, I think) for short rides (\<20 miles or so), but chafing can be a problem on longer rides. So I wear either Lycra cycling shorts or athletic tights for longer rides. There’s no need for padded shorts on a recumbent, but it doesn’t hurt and it does offer some, uh, modesty. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-clothing-and-accessories-for-the-fat-man/497487/27 "2009-05-26T16:50:57Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Seriously? Over 200lbs is considered a clydesdale in the triathlons I do. It sounds a lot more noble than, well, pretty much anything else you could call a fat guy. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-clothing-and-accessories-for-the-fat-man/497487/28 "2009-05-26T16:51:59Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Seriously? Oh yeah. Big interest in Clydesdales. Huge. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycling-clothing-and-accessories-for-the-fat-man/497487.md?page=1)