Fashion Advice with Raam

Chips Lovell

Worried that your sense of cycling style may not be up to scratch? Post your queries here and Raam will answer them.

Idleater

What is Raam's take on wearing club gear outside training/racing for example commuting to and from work?
I am conflicted by the safety aspect and clear euroness of the bright colours offset by the constant pressure when passing a fellow commuter when all I'm doing is cycling faster/slower than they are.
Yours,
Conflicted

RobFowl

I'm a chubby middles aged man

Should I wear white shorts?

ROK ON

Is it ever acceptable to wear black socks. You see I have a matching fixation, in the I wear white socks with my white cycling shoes but think it looks ghastly with my black shoes.
Now I wear black shoes in the winter, and I have some lovely black and pink merino winter socks.
I particularly like this combo when wearing black 3/4 lengths or knee warmers. In the back of my mind I feel I might be breaching some style rules.
Pls advise.

DirkVoodoo

Raam,

I'm a typical male Irish cyclist, what colours and/or styles should I avoid on the bike? Can I just wear my Dunnes Stores socks, I mean they are basically all the same. I like to wear my normal clothes loose, I assume I can do the same with my cycling clothes, I like the jersey to be fully loaded with a small picnic so it hangs down below my waist, the looser the better, however I have been attracting odd looks and I'm wondering should my clothing be more snug and form fitting?

Yours,

LooseandEasy

Chips Lovell

What is your take on package visbility?

bcmf

RAAM,
what are your thoughts on black saddles. i know the euro rules state that white is the only way but can an exception be made if the black one is deadly looking.

Raam

Idleater wrote: »

What is Raam's take on wearing club gear outside training/racing for example commuting to and from work?
I am conflicted by the safety aspect and clear euroness of the bright colours offset by the constant pressure when passing a fellow commuter when all I'm doing is cycling faster/slower than they are.
Yours,
Conflicted

No need to be conflicted, Conflicted. My best advice to you is to continue wearing your gear. You're top of the commuting food chain. Everyone knows that cyclists are greater than cagers, well you're the greatest cyclist on your commute and what's more, you know it. Others see you (that is what you want, right?) and they want to be you. Enjoy the attention.

Raam

RobFowl wrote: »

I'm a chubby middles aged man

Should I wear white shorts?

No.

ThisRegard

RAAM,

What should one do when a good looking commuting lady is cycling towards you wearing her work clothing. Bear in mind her low cut blouse looked fine when she looked in the mirror that morning but she didn't take into account that the angle she'll be leaning over the handle bars will display her assets beautifully for every red blooded male cycling the opposite direction.

I guess what I'm asking is should I switch to baggys to make my ride in such a situation more comfortable, or should I stop her next time and advise of what kind of scarf would match her blouse beautifully and therefore save any future embarrassment for both parties involved ?

Caroline_ie

RAAM ... who is your fashion guru?

1/ El Tonto
2/ Gok wan
3/ Blorg
4/ I am my own fashion guru, I am simply awesome

Raam

ROK ON wrote: »

Is it ever acceptable to wear black socks. You see I have a matching fixation, in the I wear white socks with my white cycling shoes but think it looks ghastly with my black shoes.
Now I wear black shoes in the winter, and I have some lovely black and pink merino winter socks.
I particularly like this combo when wearing black 3/4 lengths or knee warmers. In the back of my mind I feel I might be breaching some style rules.
Pls advise.

There is only one answer here. Get rid of your black shoes.

Also 3/4 lengths are banned. It's shorts + knee warmers. You should know that by now.

Raam

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Raam,

I'm a typical male Irish cyclist, what colours and/or styles should I avoid on the bike? Can I just wear my Dunnes Stores socks, I mean they are basically all the same. I like to wear my normal clothes loose, I assume I can do the same with my cycling clothes, I like the jersey to be fully loaded with a small picnic so it hangs down below my waist, the looser the better, however I have been attracting odd looks and I'm wondering should my clothing be more snug and form fitting?

Yours,

LooseandEasy

Hello LooseandEasy, you should go kill yourself now. There is no redemption.

Raam

bcmf wrote: »

RAAM,
what are your thoughts on black saddles. i know the euro rules state that white is the only way but can an exception be made if the black one is deadly looking.

It is acceptable in certain situations. You already know them yourself.

Raam

Caroline_ie wrote: »

RAAM ... who is your fashion guru?

1/ El Tonto
2/ Gok wan
3/ Blorg
4/ I am my own fashion guru, I am simply awesome

Raam answers your problems, he does not talk about himself, except for when he is talking about himself.

Raam

ThisRegard wrote: »

RAAM,

What should one do when a good looking commuting lady is cycling towards you wearing her work clothing. Bear in mind her low cut blouse looked fine when she looked in the mirror that morning but she didn't take into account that the angle she'll be leaning over the handle bars will display her assets beautifully for every red blooded male cycling the opposite direction.

I guess what I'm asking is should I switch to baggys to make my ride in such a situation more comfortable, or should I stop her next time and advise of what kind of scarf would match her blouse beautifully and therefore save any future embarrassment for both parties involved ?

I fail to see the problem here. Go forth and perv.

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

What is your take on package visbility?

If it's wrapped in Assos shorts, no problem.

100Suns

RAAM

Is lycra fashionable acceptable in any of the following situations:

While riding a fixie
While riding a mtb
While riding a racing bike other than a Cervelo out of competition
In a sportive
In any place of work
In the company of regular church goers
In a closet in your own home or that of a like minded adult
In jail
In Dublin 4 or 6W

Yours

Bewildered and frustrated

Caroline_ie

RAAM ... I think i recently saw you NOT wearing a white helmet ... explain yourself.

Lumen

Dear Raam,

If a hair grows on a leg but no one sees it, is it still wrong?

jimm

Dear Raam,

I recently discovered that I fall into the cycling catagory known as MAMIL.
Can I request your fashion advice please. In particular, should I continue to wear my Boards gear or should I just tearfully drop it into my local Oxfam.

BTW, what is the collective noun for a group of us on our bikes.....insert appropriate word....."I saw a ...... of MAMIL grunting and creaking up stocking lane". I did a search here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_collective_nouns_by_subject_I-Z but no luck.

Yours sincerely,
Jimm

Raam

Caroline_ie wrote: »

RAAM ... I think i recently saw you NOT wearing a white helmet ... explain yourself.

Please see here

Caroline_ie

RAAM ... Triatheles wear speedos with man bra while cycling with knee high socks ... is it ok to know one of them?

Raam

Hello Bewildered and Frustrated, please see my inline comments for the answers you seek.

100Suns wrote: »

RAAM

Is lycra fashionable acceptable in any of the following situations:

While riding a fixie: I know I do, you can almost taste the vile looks you get from the hipsters.
While riding a mtb: yes, but if you are passed out by a person in baggies, feign death.
While riding a racing bike other than a Cervelo out of competition: I refuse to belief that anyone is riding any other kind of racing bike
In a sportive: the aim here is to wear a Gerolsteiner jersey with Cofidis shorts. Cos those colours definitely match :rolleyes:
In any place of work: If you work in the George
In the company of regular church goers: There is only one true church, The Church of the Big Ring
In a closet in your own home or that of a like minded adult: I'm a little frightened by this question
In jail: In my world, jail involves riding a full sus MTB from Smyths toy store, so I refer the good reader to my earlier answer on MTBs
In Dublin 4 or 6W: Is this near the Galibier? If so, yes

Yours

Bewildered and frustrated

Raam

Lumen wrote: »

Dear Raam,

If a hair grows on a leg but no one sees it, is it still wrong?

That should never be a problem for you because you will always be packing your emergency shaving kit. You do have one of these, don't you?

Raam

jimm wrote: »

Dear Raam,

I recently discovered that I fall into the cycling catagory known as MAMIL.
Can I request your fashion advice please. In particular, should I continue to wear my Boards gear or should I just tearfully drop it into my local Oxfam.

BTW, what is the collective noun for a group of us on our bikes.....insert appropriate word....."I saw a ...... of MAMIL grunting and creaking up stocking lane". I did a search here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_collective_nouns_by_subject_I-Z but no luck.

Yours sincerely,
Jimm

Sincere Jimm, wear your boards gear with pride. It's black, with pink and white. What more could a man want?

The collective you are looking for is: "rusty sprocket".

Raam

Caroline_ie wrote: »

RAAM ... Triatheles wear speedos with man bra while cycling with knee high socks ... is it ok to know one of them?

Yes. It's akin to hanging out with your ugly mates. People will think you are even hotter than you already are.

Gasco

jimm wrote: »

BTW, what is the collective noun for a group of us on our bikes.....insert appropriate word....."I saw a ...... of MAMIL grunting and creaking up stocking lane". I did a search here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_collective_nouns_by_subject_I-Z but no luck.

An abomination of MAMIL(s)?
A ubiquity of MAMIL(s)?
or rarely An ascension of MAMIL(s)

is the plural of MAMIL, MAMILs?

I have waited for this thread for a long time;

Dear RAAM,
While ascending a climb in the Sean Kelly at what I believed was breakneck speed, I noted that I was about to overtake an older gentleman. Nearing his rear wheel I was shocked / appalled to note that his lycra shorts had faded to the transparent side of opaque. Hurrying past I thought to myself, how did he let himself go out like that? But then I realised that he would not have seen how his rear looks like while leaning over a bike.

How can I possibly avoid this happening to me?

Best regards,

G'co

Beasty

Dear Raam

Is it ever acceptable for two people to wear the same gear on the same spin (Boards and Club gear excepted, of course)?

Yours

Beasty

Raam

Gasco wrote: »

Dear RAAM,
While ascending a climb in the Sean Kelly at what I believed was breakneck speed, I noted that I was about to overtake an older gentleman. Nearing his rear wheel I was shocked / appalled to note that his lycra shorts had faded to the transparent side of opaque. Hurrying past I thought to myself, how did he let himself go out like that? But then I realised that he would not have seen how his rear looks like while leaning over a bike.

How can I possibly avoid this happening to me?

Best regards,

G'co

Rookie mistake here. If you haven't already installed a fully mirrored room in your house, then there really is no hope for you.

On another note, you should subscribe to the Assos shorts program. Whenever you get a pair dirty, they send you out another pair. It costs more than you will earn in a year, but I think it's worth it.

Raam

Beasty wrote: »

Dear Raam

Is it ever acceptable for two people to wear the same gear on the same spin (Boards and Club gear excepted, of course)?

Yours

Beasty

Only if they are riding the same bike

Caroline_ie

RAAM

How do you kindly said to the rider in front of you that his/her arse is showing due to his/her shorts being a bit too thin ...

It is my own fault for riding with people wearing other gear than assos?

Raam

Caroline_ie wrote: »

RAAM

How do you kindly said to the rider in front of you that his/her arse is showing due to his/her shorts being a bit too thin ...

It is my own fault for riding with people wearing other gear than assos?

Yes it is kind of your own fault, but when you next find yourself in this ghastly situation, simply retrieve your fred poking stick from the team car and use it as you see fit.

Caroline_ie

RAAM ... I don't have a team Car ... should I retire from cycling?

mfdc

Dear RAAM,
In keeping with Euro traditions, I acquired a couple of white jerseys over the summer. However I discovered that to my horror they are basically seethrough - I am too embarassed to wear them and display my bib straps to all and sundry. I tried wearing a sleeveless base layer (white, of course) and thought that would be acceptable, but now I just look like Onslow with a translucent t-shirt on.

I love my white jerseys, but what can I do?

Yours,
Dejected in Dublin.

oflahero

Raam wrote: »

Only if they are riding the same bike

Sorry, what?

Raam

Caroline_ie wrote: »

RAAM ... I don't have a team Car ... should I retire from cycling?

This is your chance to be creative. When cycling in traffic, roll up to the nearest motorist who has their window down and demand to know where the f**k your domestiques are.

Whilst they are still in shock, just throw your eyes to heaven and tell them you want a bottle and a rain cape.

Raam

oflahero wrote: »

Sorry, what?

Raam regrets that he cannot enter into any correspondence on issues discussed on these pages.

Raam

mfdc wrote: »

Dear RAAM,
In keeping with Euro traditions, I acquired a couple of white jerseys over the summer. However I discovered that to my horror they are basically seethrough - I am too embarassed to wear them and display my bib straps to all and sundry. I tried wearing a sleeveless base layer (white, of course) and thought that would be acceptable, but now I just look like Onslow with a translucent t-shirt on.

I love my white jerseys, but what can I do?

Yours,
Dejected in Dublin.

Every cyclist needs a collection of rags with which to wipe his chain.

Beasty

oflahero wrote: »

Sorry, what?

You got there before me ....

Raam

Beasty wrote: »

You got there before me ....

Please stay on topic

thebouldwhacker

Dear Raam,

How does one best adhere to the Euro rules while using ones bicycle for going into town grocery shopping/ running errands on ones alternative bicycle, ie my hack?

I find meeting friends for lunch, shopping in the local veg market/butchers etc quite 'difficult' while sporting my second skin and strolling about in my Sidi's............. having to perform a complete wardrobe change every time I mount/dismount my bicycle a tad time consuming.

Yours in anticipation
Outfit outcast.

Beasty

Raam wrote: »

Please stay on topic

Sorry:o

Raam

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

Dear Raam,

How does one best adhere to the Euro rules while using ones bicycle for going into town grocery shopping/ running errands on ones alternative bicycle, ie my hack?

I find meeting friends for lunch, shopping in the local veg market/butchers etc quite 'difficult' while sporting my second skin and strolling about in my Sidi's............. having to preform a complete wardrobe change every time I mount/dismount my bicycle a tad time consuming.

Yours in anticipation
Outfit outcast.

Hello Outfit outcast,
the best solution here is find new friends. Friends who cycle.
Also, get your butcher to hand your purchases to you in a mussette as you cycle past the shop.

Beasty

RobFowl wrote: »

I'm a chubby middles aged man

Should I wear white shorts?

I think white shorts are the least of your problems Rob

Raam

Beasty wrote: »

I think white shorts are the least of your problems Rob

You have been warned once already. Next transgression will result in a confiscation of all your Assos clothing for a week.

Gasco

Raam wrote: »

Rookie mistake here. If you haven't already installed a fully mirrored room in your house, then there really is no hope for you.

On another note, you should subscribe to the Assos shorts program. Whenever you get a pair dirty, they send you out another pair. It costs more than you will earn in a year, but I think it's worth it.

Thank your for your advice, my wife will have no choice but to relent on her stand against a "mirrored room".

The phrase - Killing two birds with the one stone - springs to mind.

Now, where is my B&Q loyalty card?

G'co

Raam

Gasco wrote: »

Thank your for your advice, my wife will have no choice but to relent on her stand against a "mirrored room".

The phrase - Killing two birds with the one stone - springs to mind.

Now, where is my B&Q loyalty card?

G'co

I shall assume B&Q stands for Bikes and Quads.

velo.2010

Hi Raam,

I too am a brilliant climber who cuts a tall lean figure when out on the bike. However you seem to have the jump on me regarding appropriate cycle clothing by about 1-2 years.

Could you tell me what colours, other than the Kaiku gear you have and the predominantly black colours I usually wear, would be suitible for my finely toned, lean muscled and highly sought after body-shape?

Many thanks.

Raam

velo.2010 wrote: »

Hi Raam,

I too am a brilliant climber who cuts a tall lean figure when out on the bike. However you seem to have the jump on me regarding appropriate cycle clothing by about 1-2 years.

Could you tell me what colours, other than the Kaiku gear you have and the predominantly black colours I usually wear, would be suitible for my finely toned, lean muscled and highly sought after body-shape?

Many thanks.

Hmm, so much to debate there.

Any colour is acceptable provided it is worn with panache and the wearer is adopting an air of nonchalance.

That statement does not preclude socks and shoes rules.

velo.2010

Raam wrote: »

Hmm, so much to debate there.

Any colour is acceptable provided it is worn with panache and the wearer is adopting an air of nonchalance.

That statement does not preclude socks and shoes rules.

Thankyou, I'm trying to pull of that Alberto look of confidence at the moment. this is the friday fun thread so im slighty tongue in cheek but still a finely honed specimen:D