Pedalling Fashion or Function?

Sometimes function needs to overtake fashion.  Check out these stylish numbers top left. Last year it was one of those winter days when the weather bureau got it wrong and the afternoon ride home was not going to be as dry as expected.  The rain was bucketing down and I didn't bring my overshoes with me.  The desperate man in me scavenged the office for plastic bags to cover my shoes and these 3kg courier satchels were just the thing.  I placed one over each shoe, taped them firmly around my legs and the plastic was flexible enough for the cleats to clip into the pedals without causing the bag to break.  Needless to say that my feet were the driest part of me after my 18km ride home and I wondered how they would have gone on my hands.  I can see the headlines now "Crab Man rides bike in rain".  


The other family contribution is courtesy of my 12 year old niece in Canada who wrapped her socked feet in plastic bags to keep them warm and dry during Canada's own Roubaix style spring classic the Paris to Ancaster Bicycle Race.  The event organisers promise the roughest farm lanes, trails and gravel roads we can find combined with the unpredictable spring weather.  In the circumstances wrapping your feet in plastic bags seems like a reasonable thing to do.  For this year's event she upgraded to cling wrap.

Suffice to say Necessity is the mother of invention and there are so many ideas and opportunities out there to fill a blog with so here goes.  Warning, some of these ideas may be just plain daggy, (Aussie for unfashionable) and should only be used if the need arises.  That and your partner may not want to be seen standing next to you while you wear them, but you will have filled a vital need to be drier, warmer and possibly with a little extra cash left over.

Clothing 
  • Branded bike riding skull caps and headbands or a skiing headband or those neat pink ear warmers as worn by the Aldi Gang (second down on the left)
  • Thin gloves are great as liners to provide an extra layer on cold mornings and double as running gloves for winter or perfect to wear home later in the day once the temperature has climbed a few degrees
  • Winter riding gloves or woollen gloves/ski gloves are great for kids riding to school during winter (worked for me as a kid)
  • Branded spray jacket or the bright fluoro one purchased from a disposals store
  • Overshoes or toe covers for cold mornings or a pair of Explorer socks with a hole cut out for your cleats or two pairs of socks
  • High Viz vest day or night

Accessories
  • Mudguards on the bike or improvised re-use of something as simple as a drink bottle, stacked yoghurt containers or a plastic coated box 
  • Specialised cold weather gear you may only need for a couple of months a year or those thermals purchased for the trip to Europe 25yrs ago and my favourite Icebreaker merino tops for the coldest days
  • Cut the collar from the top of a rubber glove to place over the over shoe covers to stop water leaking into your shoes
  • An expensive pair of branded sunglasses with interchangeable lenses or buy a couple of pairs of clear and light adjusting safety glasses (from a work colleague who had broken or lost one too many pairs of expensive sunglasses)
  • A new riding top with a waterproof pocket or use a zip lock bags for your mobile phone and money (who hasn't done this)
  • A head torch which can be fitted to your helmet
Cleaning products
  • Branded bike cleaner or mix some dish washing detergent and water in a spray bottle (straight from the local bike shop and backed up by a recent episode of the Checkout on ABC)
  • Expensive bike degreasers or use automotive equivalents or make your own degreaser
Others
  • Expensive energy bars or make your own
  • Having trouble fitting in your work and training?  Setup your own wind trainer workstation
  • Annoyed by the drizzle and still want to ride? Install an umbrella mount or buy a poncho
The Aldi Gang conjures up images of criminals with tattoos brandishing sawn-off shotguns pulling an armed hold up on your local German owned supermarket and terrorising local shoppers.  Unless your ear is very close to the ground of Melbourne's cycling sub-culture, then you will know them as a group of savvy cycling women from the inner north who breakfast then ride on a Sunday morning and buy most of their stuff including cycling overpants for riding in the rain from Aldi.  You'll know you've spotted one when you see them in their distinctive Pearl Izumi Cherry Blossom tops (Myrtleford bike shop) and pink ear warmers (eBay).

I've bared my soul and shared my ideas on this topic.  What are your contributions to the inventive necessities of cycling?


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