This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Well Rapha city wear is still cycling gear and not 'normal clothes'...

Yep, I've seen someone who I assume was training for CX leap off his bike at the lights, sling it over his shoulder, run across the junction and do a flying leap back on

Rapha is not 'normal clothes'

Don't let @HoKe hear you saying that

Cambiums seem particularly bad for eating through jeans.

Yeah it does seem to depend on the specific setup and saddle material / cut / softness etc., but I don't think you can get away without any marks at all.

They look like jeans and jumpers to me! Pair em with normal shirts and shoes and boom! Best of both worlds.

Pretty hopeless when it bins it down though.

No.
It was a man. On a specialized. With shorts on.
And a blue jacket.
And no mudguards.

Glasses?

Was it you?
Bellend.

It was a man. On a specialized. With shorts on.

And a blue jacket.
And no mudguards.

Not me.

How far is too far to commute in regular clothes? Where's the cut off?

I recon that after 4 or 5 miles I'd be hankering after the Lycra.
Probably less.

12 each way. Normal clothes.
But definitely hanker...

Probably @biarittz

For any reasonable commuting distance (≤ 15 miles each way) personally I find normal clothes are fine. The much greater factor for consideration is will the cyclist in question be hooning it or casually cruising in?

Definitely

This season's winter commuting boot for me: https://www.tkmaxx.com/women/shoes/boots/ankle-boots/burgundy-diamond-boots/p/39059938

TKMaxx always have a load of these cheap synthetic zip up boots and they make excellent non-sporty winter commute-wear. Assuming you wear ladies shoes, which I do.

Your final point is the key to this question.
I always think I can make the 13.5k commute without breaking too much of a sweat, do I ever achieve this? No, because it's inevitable that some other commuter be it cyclist or motor vehicle will aggravate me and I will then endeavour to speed ahead, as if desperate to flee the stupidity vortex.

True, ambient temperature also a factor here.

Really? I can’t ride anything more than about 5 or 6 miles at a decent pace without padded shorts, jeans just cut into me. I wear stretch jeans on the bike if I’m going somewhere, but if I’m commuting (26 miles a day) then it’s full bike kit. It’s just functional.

Entirely depends. I've sworn off lycra forever and do full on touring and off roading in jeans and t-shirts, let alone commuting. But then I work in a lab, not an office...

It's about a mile for me.

Even the 2 mile trip home from the pub after playing 5-a-side and I'll be sweating buckets, couldn't wear much less as I'm already in shorts/t-shirt and it's ~5degC.

The pace that doesn't make me sweat is under 10mph, which is just too slow.

Lockers and showers at work mean I don't mind getting sweaty.

@monkdagola Oh for sure and I definitely used to be exactly the same but for the last year or so I've tried the @Skülly approach to commuting and I have to say it's really reduced that kind of flight reaction to those situtions, although alas, not reduced the amount of them!

@jj72 aye, totally get that it's a very personal thing and I should probably add that I'll happily go on fully mtb ride in jeans without padded shorts so it might just be I've beaten my arse in to submission over this, although additionally riding position and saddle would have a big effect too on the (dis)comfort of jeans over any distance.

“...the odd short, sharp shower this morning” said the weatherperson on the radio.
Oh, so that would be the hours solid RAIN, so heavy at times the drains were overflowing. Is that a shower? No, no it isn’t.
#evenmypantsaresoaked