Why are there so many spandex haters in the MTB community? 

do you even enduro bro?

I usually find that I can out run haters when I wear spandex due to the 2% reduction in drag from wearing normal mountain biker clothes 

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

What ever happened to hating on people based on what wheel size they ride?  If you want to shave your legs and wear your wife's leggins then go for it but for the love of god please stop hating people for it and get back to hating on 29ers.

I think I found the reason for the hate. I'd like to refer to the 95 commandments of Velominati, specifically rule 18

"Thou shall not be witnessed with the wearing of baggy shorts and thy jerseys while riding thy road cycle. lycra shall not be used when one shall ride the holiest form of two-wheeled cycle, thy mountain bike (unless thy shall race in the X-ing of C). Skin suits shall only be used on the crossing of cycle(cyclocross.)

a bit of paraphrasing but it's the same message

Confessions of an ex hater... I used to be one of "them", then I started riding 5 days in a row (with some recovery days of course) and set goals (weekly, daily, distance, speed) which led to some unpleasantries.  I switched to bib shorts for comfort, better fit, and extra padding and the compression they provide overall (I find the liners in mtb shorts are only tight on the bottom to hold it on your legs).   

I wore  them under baggies for the first few weeks, then we had a 85 degree day and I tried them without baggies and see the benefits.  Only problem I foresee is wrecking and riding in the buff lol.  I still cant wear the tight fitting jerseys; I'm just uncomfortable in them from a psychological and physical stand point (they are always too tight on my arms and chest to the point where I feel restricted).  I've recently bought some XXL jerseys that are more of a club fit and I'm happy with those (they are probably way looser than they should be, but my main reason I like them is the rear pockets).

As far as the hate - I have yet to have someone "make fun" of or give me a hard time; and honestly if they can't state their opinion in person I have no reason to care what they say on social media.  I'm a large person with tree trunk legs (6ft 2 / ~210 - down from 228 in January wahoo) so I fit in the category of probably shouldn't be wearing it.  If I know you're a hater there is a good change I'm probably going to purposely wear it.


If this upsets yall, blame Enoch and Barnes for spiking my curiosity and leading me down the rabbit hole.

In my experience the ones hating are the same ones who have no business wearing tight fitting clothing in general... 


(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)



I like spandex for long rides or on the road where it really helps moisture and temperature control

Plus I like to show off the goods haha...

IntheBush wrote on 04/19/17 at 4:29pm:


two years ago on a super humid day in New Jersey, I did a CX practice in just bibs.

also race a guy at Roth Rock with no shirt on, totally acceptable.

I've seen a couple of guys riding around with no shirt on. I always just assumed they were full of themselves but hey maybe they were just hot.   

I'm a large man, and don't particularly care for close fitting clothing either. That said, 




Bibs.



They might be under baggies 90% of the time, but it's IMPOSSIBLE to beat a pair of well fitting bibs.

Robert C. wrote on 04/20/17 at 4:33pm:

That works, more hate for that place than 29ers anyway

seems to me, the hate stems from the hate of roadies and mtbers that wear spandex remind folks of roadies.  I don't know if that's because people here don't know how to share the road with bikers and thus they hate them from the perspective of a driver or if it's a normal road vs. mtb rivalry.  I do both and most of my friends do also.  After riding many miles on the road, I find roadies to be easier to approach and get along with than most mtbers.  we seem to be a fickle bunch.

It's hot as heck here 6 months a year, why would you want an extra layer of clothing on? Besides the only one seeing me in the woods are other mtbers it's not like I walk around town in the diaper. As for the jersey, that zipper in the front is awesome in the summer,. I also have 3 jerseys I cut the sleeves off of, keep the zipper open and the winds flows right through and out the sleeves holes. Plus pockets are good

To me it makes more sense to wear the spandex and jersey. Functionality over fashion 

Time difference between spandex and baggy, would be fun.

On a side note, why don't Roadies use hydration packs? Drag isn't a reason because I'm sure multiple water bottles(and cages) on the frame induce similar parasitic drag and weight can't be it either. Surely it more practical to have a 1.5-3 liter bag on you than having to stop everytime you need a drink.

Sierra I assume you have never ridden a road bike with a camelbak - as someone whose made that mistake, as soon as you get a good headwind with that thing on you won't wear it again.

Sierra_bravo wrote on 04/24/17 at 11:11am:


Riding a roadbike into a headwind with a camelbak on definitely catches the wind a lot, I can tell you from experience. 

The other big reason is heat, and the hotspot it creates on your back and the shoulder straps. With you being leaned forward in a low road position, wind rolls off your shoulders and down your back helping to cool you. With a pack or backpack on you totally lose that benefit, plus the straps are uncomfortable when bent over like that for long periods of time. 

Another thing, depending on the size of the camelbak, is that it makes it hard to get anything out of the rear pockets. A major benefit of jerseys are those pockets, so if you cover them with a pack it defeats the purpose.

Sierra_bravo wrote on 04/24/17 at 11:11am:


There is little (if any) upside to wearing a pack. A road bike can hold two 25oz bottles. Those two bottles are in the slipstream of the bike, so there is minimal additional drag. Two 25 oz bottles can last 2+ hours on a bike. Roadies don't stop for a drink, only to reload the bottles at a store or spigot.

Given the forward positioning of the body at 18-25 mph speeds, a bag on the back is not comfortable.

Sierra_bravo wrote on 04/24/17 at 11:11am:


Yea it's annoying every time I need a drink on the roadie I have to stop, kills all the momentum.