Retro bike kit

In some kind of weird Pavlovian reaction to the sun coming out, I've started to want to don shorts when I'm out on my bike rather than the thermally insulated, waterproof, mud-proof items that have been shielding me from frostbite for the past six months. I'd like some that don't look daft with the seventies bikes I ride, so lycra's out. Has anyone got any recommendations for something that looks period and wears well? I could do with a less lurid crash hat as well...

Endura Humvee shorts are fairly conservative and super comfortable with a padded lycra inner.

I'm sure I was riding Lycra in the 70's? The late ones anyway.

Or is it as usual, my memory playing tricks.

I just use plain black lycra with retro tops, the comfort is main reason over saggy wool etc.

Old Ned":tgwd4nur said:

I'm sure I was riding Lycra in the 70's? The late ones anyway.

Or is it as usual, my memory playing tricks.

I just use plain black lycra with retro tops, the comfort is main reason over saggy wool etc.

Click to expand...

The Santini website puts the first use of Lycra in cycle shorts at around 1976 so your memory's not wrong.

David

David B":2c3u77zw said:

Old Ned":2c3u77zw said:

I'm sure I was riding Lycra in the 70's? The late ones anyway.

Or is it as usual, my memory playing tricks.

I just use plain black lycra with retro tops, the comfort is main reason over saggy wool etc.

Click to expand...

The Santini website puts the first use of Lycra in cycle shorts at around 1976 so your memory's not wrong.

David

Click to expand...

Thank you David. I can relax a bit now, my mind is at ease..................

Or as close to ease as it gets these days.

Try Vintage Velos - they do some wool-mix shorts with a modern synthetic seatpad - not cheap though

lycra

Old Ned":9t0qq0er said:

I'm sure I was riding Lycra in the 70's? The late ones anyway.

Or is it as usual, my memory playing tricks.

I just use plain black lycra with retro tops, the comfort is main reason over saggy wool etc.

Click to expand...

I was the first person to wear a skin suit in the uk in Dec 1980 and then coloured shorts in 1981 and nearly got banned for them, so had to go back to black.

Re: lycra

orbeas":2bzjyufq said:

Old Ned":2bzjyufq said:

I'm sure I was riding Lycra in the 70's? The late ones anyway.

Or is it as usual, my memory playing tricks.

I just use plain black lycra with retro tops, the comfort is main reason over saggy wool etc.

Click to expand...

I was the first person to wear a skin suit in the uk in Dec 1980 and then coloured shorts in 1981 and nearly got banned for them, so had to go back to black.

Click to expand...

Eee, the good old days! The regular call of 'Ban Him' from on high. Well, not very high as most of the 'banners' were small men.

Didn't Lloydy try to wear a skinsuit in a TT around that time and they wouldn't let him start?

lycra

Lloyd'y says he was the first, but not in the UK, after I rode a muddy North of England champs at Keighley I weighed my muddy wool jersey and shorts, 4 ibs in weight, and I was spending hours drilling and milling out my X bikes to save weight. So went to Stan Hughes at Gibbsport and he had wanted to make one but no one had ordered one, ordered on the monday collected on the wednesday raced at Sheffield on the sunday, was really embarrasing the first time, as it left noting to the imagination so my wife was told !!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
The rule said dark coloured shorts, so Molly at Beenbag clothing , who made my new Trumanns Steel kit, did the shorts Red as it was darker than the yellow top, but the BCF would not see it that way.So it was black or banned !!!!