I don’t like-a Lycra. Is there bike clothing I can wear that doesn’t make me look a dick?
AGuru is no MAMIL, and shuns ‘ technical’ cyclewear. Yes, it’s probably good for keeping the elements out, but do you REALLY want to resemble a colour-blind transvestite fetishist when you’re commuting to Hounslow?
An obvious alternative is to just wear, you know, clothes. Like a normal person. However, if you like to exert yourself a bit, you ideally want some stretch to the fabric. And, of course, a dinner jacket isn’t super-visible during these dark winter nights.
So Guru takes the third way: dapper clobber specifically built for riding.
His absolute favourite in this area right now is the the Raver Wave from Dashing Tweeds. This is a proper, three-piece tweed suit, but made using ‘Lumatwill’ cloth – a mix of Merino wool and 3M reflective yarns that looks normal in daylight but lights up like a Christmas tree when hit by headlights. Though, at £2,080 for the jacket, £1,040 for the trews and £940 for the waistcoat, this option is perhaps not for the more casual cyclist, and you’ll need a helmet shaped like a bowler hat.
For a look that’s less aristocratic and more hipster-sharp, try pairing the Fox Wilson Preston jeans (£89) with Giro Republic’s LX Road Shoes (£150). Fashioned from brown leather, the shoes are an unusually stylish mix of sports-casual and classic; and though they’re two-bolt SPD pedal compatible, they can be walked in. The jeans are your classic skinny kecks, but with flouro detailing on the inside of the right leg (just roll up and go!) and a loop for your U-lock. They’re made of Schoeller 3XDRY denim, so are water-repelling, stretchy and, crucially, odour-resistant, so you won’t stink.
For something a bit more mod, try Fred Perry’s Bradley Wiggins shirt (£75), which has stretchy bits and ventilation eyelets (plus a great big Perry logo, of course), or an ace-facefriendly Ted Baker Zipthru jersey (£95) from its Raising The Handlebars range.