This blog has moved

This blog has re-located to Chester

Wednesday 19 October 2011

Cycling in a Suit

Once a common sight, people in suits are now seldom seen riding bicycles in the UK. The only possible exceptions I can think of are some of the users of the London Cycle Hire and possibly some in Cambridge. 

Recently, I have had cause to wear a suit more frequently. Despite this change of attire I have still had to get around, which for me means cycling. Generally I find formal wear to be a bit more restrictive than I like, although a decent suit makes a big difference. On the sorts of bike I used to ride, cycling in a suit wouldn't have been feasible, the rider posture combined with the restrictions on the arms and shoulders conferred by a suit jacket would be difficult, at least for me. I can imagine this situation would be made worse by a racing or touring bike, with the popularity of sport-oriented bikes, likely a contributing factor in the declining number of cyclists-in-suits.

The Brompton and Yuba Mundo, despite sporting reasonably upright riding positions, are both not ideal for cycling in a suit due to their exposed transmission. Trouser clips are a potential way to avoid the problems associated with an exposed transmission, but if it is essential that you make a good impression, a chain-guard or preferably a chain-case is the best way to ensure you reach your destination suitably smart. Cycling in a suit, just like almost all other cycling, is best done using a bike fitted with mudguards. 

For this reason, the DL-1 has been my bike of choice for riding in formal wear. The upright posture prevents the suit jacket coming into conflict with the arms and shoulders, the chain-case prevents the trousers getting covered in chain filth and the generally relaxed feel of the bike prevents you from working up much of a sweat on your way to that important meeting. Plus it has a briefcase clip too. Now I just need a briefcase.

4 comments:

  1. Cheers to that MrC!

    Great post, and I have had a similar positive experience too since starting my blog. You've inspired me to do a post on it too!

    See you next Saturday at Wheelers' Brunch/TweedRide!

    ReplyDelete
  2. If the reason for the dapper riding attire is what I think it is then here's wishing you the best of luck ;>D

    And nice choice of bike - loved the test ride I had on it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I this post really needs photos ;-)

    Here in Edinburgh we do get people gentlemen riding in suits, for examples see here and here, and there are more on the blog.

    ReplyDelete
  4. pics! http://tinyurl.com/7bydpeh (ok they are all Boris Johnson)

    ReplyDelete

This blog has moved to Chester. All the old posts can be found at Chester Cycling where I invite you to continue the discussion instead

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.