Riding Kit. The Early Years. What did you wear?

[WD Pro]

i did'nt get going until `87 so I was mostly wearing:

1. Gortex boots, that worked badly with toe clips
2. Lycra shorts probably fluro (hey it was the 80@ and i was a kid and did'nt know better!) they had a real leather chammis in which chaffed after 2 hours.
3. Cotton tee shirt +ski base layer (heli or buffalo) if cold
4. Bumbag with tools and a pack a mac (Again it was the 80's okay :¬))
5. Oakley copy shades made in china £3 for LBS
6. Fingerless cycling gloves (ski gloves in the winter)
7. White(when you start) school socks
8. Gormless smile on my face

i didnt get a helmet until 88/89 when i got a specialised one with mesh / lycra on (class)
err so I guess I was not a cool kid

This was me ! with one change, my "1. Gortex boots, that worked badly with toe clips" were cheap hocky (I think) trainers with loads of small rubber studs (like porcs !) and a small butty bag over your socks to take the wind chill away.

"5. Oakley copy shades made in china £3 for LBS" I still have - in neon pink to match my bum bag / fanny pack !

WD

 

[Rich34]

I had some fantastic grey Specialized boots with pointy hard rubber studs on the soles. Cost me a lot of money as I remember but I felt like a proper mountain biker and wore them everywhere, including to college every day. That was with jeans and a Smiths t-shirt of course. On the bike it was Panasonic lycra shorts, a white Specialized top, white Specialized cycling mitts, Specialized socks and a yellow Specialized helmet. (I had a Rockhopper...)

And when it was cold I wore the above with Ron Hills and a green pertex windstopper top. When it was sunny I wore the above with Oakley Frogskins and a neon neoprene sunglass strap.

If Steve McQueen was still here, he'd dress EXACTLY as I did then and he'd have a Rockhopper too. Man.

 

[Unclejack]

hi tech walking shoes, Polaris Salopettes, Fleece, rock n run bum bag.

 

[Neil]

You just put on what you had in the cupboard, stuff that was tough and you didn't mind getting damaged. If you had any special cycling gear you wore it but what was more important was the riding, not the posing in expensive technical fabrics and fancy labels. I need to get back to that, things were much better then.

This - I didn't have any dedicated cycling clothes.

Just stuff I didn't find wholly offensive getting covered in mud. So some trainers retired from gym usage. Jogging bottoms or maybe some Ron Hill tracksters. Cotton T shirts, and maybe the odd long sleeve hiking top, or some aging sweatshirt. Thin, barely shower resistant jacket.

Can't remember much in the way of sunny, warm outings, apart from the odd apres-gym evening bimble, and then I'd have just worn whatever I changed into after workout.

I very much suspect there was some bum-bag-gage occurring.

Truth be told, I was normally hopelessly prepared.

 

[biglev]

You just put on what you had in the cupboard, stuff that was tough and you didn't mind getting damaged. If you had any special cycling gear you wore it but what was more important was the riding, not the posing in expensive technical fabrics and fancy labels. I need to get back to that, things were much better then.

This - I didn't have any dedicated cycling clothes.

Just stuff I didn't find wholly offensive getting covered in mud. So some trainers retired from gym usage. Jogging bottoms or maybe some Ron Hill tracksters. Cotton T shirts, and maybe the odd long sleeve hiking top, or some aging sweatshirt. Thin, barely shower resistant jacket.

Can't remember much in the way of sunny, warm outings, apart from the odd apres-gym evening bimble, and then I'd have just worn whatever I changed into after workout.

I very much suspect there was some bum-bag-gage occurring.

Truth be told, I was normally hopelessly prepared.

ahh the beloved ron hills. i defo wore those loads in the winter, mine were always too short to get the foot loops on so they just draggged behind and got stuck in the chain,

 

[We_are_Stevo]

...ouch! 'Reebok Boy'

...but I'll never be this slim/fit again either :roll:

The only thing I have left out of this photo is the Specialized AirForce helmet...

Think I tick most of the relevent boxes in just these three photo's

And just to prove that I did actually ride offroad too..

You can just about make out the matching flouro-green cables...

 

[biglev]

nice use fo bum bags their fella. i was rocking a fluo cosmic one in orange. choice!

 

[We_are_Stevo]

nice use fo bum bags their fella. i was rocking a fluo cosmic one in orange. choice!

Had to have somewhere to put my comb!

 

[toons]

Although from the North East; I was spending every weekend in the Lakes and I was introduced to mountain bikes through the mountain rescue. So I was mainly wearing walking gear, I've got a photo somewhere and looking back it does make me laugh.

I wore Rohan type trousers, t-shirt, fleece and walking boots! Also like Biglev; I didn't get a helmet till late 80's and after shredding a few pairs of Rohan trousers and eventually switched to Lycra.

In 1989 I upgraded the walking gear to all matching Specialized shorts, helmet, gloves and boots!!!

 

[biglev]

nice use fo bum bags their fella. i was rocking a fluo cosmic one in orange. choice!

Had to have somewhere to put my comb!

Ha. that the real reason i did not get a lid untill 89. it would have wreck my quif!