Categories: Accessories and GearKitLook Pro

The Tightness of Being

Diego Caccia demonstrates how to make tights work. Photo: Pedale.Forchetta

Sprezzatura. Leave it to the Italians to dedicate a word to trying to Look Fantastic without looking like you’re trying too hard. I’ve haven’t spent much time in Italy, but I automatically love a country where an entire nation holds aesthetics in the same high regard that I do. Not to mention their dedication to drinking espresso and wine. A bottle of wine at lunch? I can work with these people.

Sprezzatura for the Velominatus applies to every aspect of the sport; how we set up our bikes, our style and technique when riding, and how we select and wear our kit. Looking good in the summer isn’t very complicated; any fool can look good in short-sleeved kit adorned with tanned guns. Where things start getting tricky is when the cold and wet sets in and we need to add more kit to the equation. How does one control the chaos as leg warmers, long-sleeve jerseys, caps, gloves, rain jackets and overshoes are added to the mix?

The basic concepts have already been covered under the principles of wearing one’s Flandrian Best; always wear as little as possible, never wear an accoutrement below when a complimentary set is not worn above (i.e. no knee warmers without arm warmers), and never – under any circumstances – wear full-length leggings.

Which brings us to today’s lesson: how to wear full-length leggings and still look as Fantastic as possible. Sometimes it is simply too cold for three-quarters and there is no denying the Pro-ness of casually wandering about sipping a pre-ride espresso in sandals, full length leg warmers, and a long sleeve jersey – especially on a warm summer day. Sprezzatura is an art, and it should not be taken lightly.

The fundamental problem with leggings is that they make the guns amorphous; lots of fabric without any points of definition give the eyes nothing to focus on. If you have amazing calves (which I don’t) then you may be able to break up the monotony with your bodacious leg curves, but the rest of us are going to need some help.

Always go with leg warmers and not one-piece tights. The reason for this is simple: the legs of your shorts will provide the first visual delineation for the eyes to grab ahold of.
The leggings should also always have an elastic gripper around the ankle, not a stirrup. This is Cycling, not ballet. Better yet, the ankles should have a short zipper to ease pre-departure removal of said leggings and also to provide a little more delineation.
When it comes to materials, the more matte the better. In fact, I prefer wool. Thick materials are also handy, as they add some bulk and make the guns look less spindly. All good things.
Look for some leggings with good, thick seams. Again, this makes wool a strong candidate. Align the seams carefully to accentuate whatever curves your leggs can muster up, and make sure both legs are symmetrical. We are not savages.
Wear a contrasting color sock. White is preferable, of course, as demonstrated by Diego above but any color works so long as its not the same as the legging (which should obviously be black).

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

Next Look Pro: Stay Still »

Previous « Velominati Super Prestige: Milano-Sanremo 2015

View Comments

Sparty says:

Mar 23 2015 at 7:02 pm

I trained outside much of the winter either on my rain bike, cross-bike (studded tires), or fat bike (snow and ice covered roads). I found wearing some great Roubaix fleece lined shorts, to keep the bits warm enough, knee warmers under a pair of Pearl Izumi Pro leg warmers that block the wind was more than enough on the coldest days. If you double up that way to keep the knees warm, you will not have an issue with the cold. I now own four sets of knee warmers and four sets of leg warmers. No tights. They are not versatile when it warms up or you start to warm-up from multiple V efforts. If I started to feel the chill of the wind I would head toward another climb. I live in a valley, so cat 2 & 3 climbs are plentiful.
Lachlan McNeil says:

Mar 23 2015 at 8:02 pm

Leg warms under bibs goes without saying.
Dave says:

Mar 23 2015 at 8:29 pm

Another vote for socks under leg warmers. The line has to be drawn somewhere short of frostbite. Below 40 that means full coverage. Hate to admit it, but for long cold overcast or dark rides practical experience forces me to toe warmers (not visible of course) and shoe covers (smooth, tight well fitting ones). I have come back too many times not able to feel my toes.
Owen says:

Mar 23 2015 at 9:19 pm

So what's the ruling on toe covers for those days when it's too warm for shoe covers, but cold enough for knee warmers and wool socks? Those toesies aren't going to stay warm on their own.
tedg says:

Mar 23 2015 at 10:48 pm

Either that word is becoming strangely popular...or you picked it up from John McPhee's piece in the New Yorker. It's a very good word. Nice application to the style necessary for Rule V cycling.
piwakawaka says:

Mar 23 2015 at 11:29 pm

Spezzatura 101

https://youtu.be/iOe61Lbpn-Q?t=2s
Geordi says:

Mar 24 2015 at 12:00 am

Is Tafi wearing a visor. I thought they are only allowed for old women playing golf.
RobSandy says:

Mar 24 2015 at 1:59 am

I regularly wear full length non-cycling specific leggings. Under my shorts, obviously. I think it looks reasonably pro unless you look close. I tend to be a bit of a lone ranger on rides in the winter, and I'm always moving to fast for anyone else to get a good look.

Overshoes are very useful for covering the gap between base of leggings and top of chosen sock combination. Looking forwards to legging-free rides soon.
KogaLover says:

Mar 24 2015 at 2:46 am

Confusion all around: "...and never – under any circumstances – wear full-length leggings. Which brings us to today’s lesson: how to wear full-length leggings and still look as Fantastic as possible."

Maybe it's because English is not my first language and I am more of a visual guy but could someone post pictures of do's and don'ts? Btw, I fully agree socks should be white and worn under the leggings.
Tugman says:

Mar 24 2015 at 3:05 am

A fleeing wild Tugman, as captured in his native habitat, sporting winter coat and coloring. This specimen is partial to 3/4 length bib tights during Autumn and Spring, and can be seen only in shorts during the short, but extremely hot Summer months of the Great Lakes region. Due in part to the musculature of his guns, wearing full length tights would have him mistaken as a has-been obscure pro wrestler, fat ballerina, or Peter Pan wannabe.