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MrProper

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,321
Location
Europe
Thoughts? Does anyone here wear their leather on bicycles

207EEE88-4D2B-489F-BBCC-6A420DB3825C.jpeg
 
Messages
17,496
Location
Chicago
I don't know whether they're absolute garbage, but I can see that this is not an example of a well thought out pattern. It looks like a sack :)
View attachment 309819 View attachment 309820
The problem is probably not solely the jacket. To me that guy looks like a board. Narrow shoulders, thin, a tubular man. I mean that jacket isn’t doing him any favors, and he isn’t helping the jacket either. I suspect it would look better if the guy had a thicker upper body. This looks like a take on the original Herc, which was somewhat boxy to begin with. That said if I wanted the pattern, I’d look elsewhere just based on those photos.
 

dudewuttheheck

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Messages
4,403
@Superfluous Interesting question. I do not ride bicycles, but if I did, I probably would wear a leather jacket if it was cold enough to warrant wearing them. I used to take a lot of walks at the beginning of the pandemic and I wore my leather jackets when it was cold enough to wear them. Biking is more strenuous, but similar idea. I wear leather jackets when doing just about anything except for actual serious exercise when I wear workout clothing and when I'm driving because I don't want seatbelt fades. Personally, I never feel awkward about it.
 

dudewuttheheck

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,403
What are those? I wear leather jackets while driving all the time. That should result in some special fade?

It happened on my pigment finish RMC A2 jacket. I wore it while I was driving and over time, the seatbelt rubbed some of the pigment off of the collar the way I was wearing it. In my opinion, it didn't look very good. Now I just try to avoid that at all costs.
 

torfjord

Call Me a Cab
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2,781
Location
Sweden
I have a question. My wife and I regularly go on casual bike rides on weekends -- usually about 15-30 miles -- we ride cruiser style e-bikes (don't want to work too hard). It is chilly in our area during the winter and I wear a jacket when we ride. I have not worn a leather jacket when riding my bike. It seems like overkill and, equally important, I would feel awkward wearing a leather jacket on a bicycle.

I know some here where their leather jackets regardless of what they are doing, including gardening, painting, and auto repair. I, on the other hand, continue to attach a certain element of reverence to leather jackets and therefore do not wear them for manual labor. On the other hand, I will gladly wear a leather jacket for mundane outings, such as a trip to the mall.

Riding a bike does not fall into the manual labor category. Nevertheless, I cannot wrap my arms around wearing a leather jacket on a bicycle. Given that I do not ride a motorcycle, I am already a poser when I wear moto jackets. Wearing a moto jacket on a bicycle strikes me as the height of poser-ness -- as though you are trying to equate a bicycle with a motorcycle and/or trying to look cool on a bicycle. As I said upfront, I would feel terribly awkward doing do.

Thoughts? Does anyone here wear their leather on bicycles?

I used to ride my bicycle to the office every day (you know, before the pandemic) and 90 % of the time that meant I wore a leather jacket on the bike. I’ve never felt weird about it. I’m just a guy that likes to wear leather jackets and happens to ride a bicycle.
Tbh, for me leather does not have that strong of an association with motorcycles. I even have a vintage Swedish goatskin jacket that was originally produced to be a bicycle jacket. It’s a long jacket but has a two way zip so that you can comfortably ride your bike with it.
 
Messages
16,816
Thoughts? Does anyone here wear their leather on bicycles?

Literally all the time, whenever weather allows it of course but yeah, I do. I see a lot of people wearing leather jackets while riding bicycles, too. Bicycles became a serious alternative to cars so people often ride to work, dressed in their everyday clothes. I see people bicycling in suits, leather, uniforms... Girls pedaling in Loubotins. Nobody really notices.
I do get your reasoning on why you'd feel awkward and it is for that very same reason that I avoid wearing boots and leather jacket at the same time but I've no problem bicycling in a leather jacket.

And don't forget, bikers, as in people who go around on a motorcycle, are all about posing anyway. Anyone can buy a motorcycle.

Dbi_hFcW4AAtDzS.jpg
 

Seb Lucas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,562
Location
Australia
I have a question. My wife and I regularly go on casual bike rides on weekends -- usually about 15-30 miles -- we ride cruiser style e-bikes (don't want to work too hard). It is chilly in our area during the winter and I wear a jacket when we ride. I have not worn a leather jacket when riding my bike. It seems like overkill and, equally important, I would feel awkward wearing a leather jacket on a bicycle.

I know some here where their leather jackets regardless of what they are doing, including gardening, painting, and auto repair. I, on the other hand, continue to attach a certain element of reverence to leather jackets and therefore do not wear them for manual labor. On the other hand, I will gladly wear a leather jacket for mundane outings, such as a trip to the mall.

Riding a bike does not fall into the manual labor category. Nevertheless, I cannot wrap my arms around wearing a leather jacket on a bicycle. Given that I do not ride a motorcycle, I am already a poser when I wear moto jackets. Wearing a moto jacket on a bicycle strikes me as the height of poser-ness -- as though you are trying to equate a bicycle with a motorcycle and/or trying to look cool on a bicycle. As I said upfront, I would feel terribly awkward doing do.

Thoughts? Does anyone here wear their leather on bicycles?

As sportswear, leather jackets have a long association with bicycles. The Luftwaffe jacket is often described as the French Cycling jacket, betraying its origins as civilian sporting attire. Leather jackets were the staple wear of cyclists, golfers and outdoors's activities until the 1950's. I certainly wore mine when I used to cycle decades ago. However wearing a hard core cross zip on a push bike might look like the definition of wishful thinking...
 

dlite90

Familiar Face
Messages
93
Happy to see so many TFLers wearing leather on their bicycles.
I often wear my old lambskin jacket when I'm cycling in the cold. Thin lambskin breathes and keeps me from getting soaked in sweat.
When I'm in the South (where I'm from) you look obnoxious for doing any road cycling so it doesn't matter if you've got a leather jacket on or not. When I'm in NYC cycling's casual, just a way to get around, so there's no reason not to wear your leather jacket. Probably similar circumstance for our European posters.
I would only feel weird if I had on a crosszip moto jacket.
On a long/strenuous ride in the cold, merino wool is best. I avoid synthetic fabrics and that includes polyester bike kits.

One of the rare bits of good news from America is that our cities are building a lot more bike lanes lately.
 

jeo

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,066
Location
Philadelphia
I have a question. My wife and I regularly go on casual bike rides on weekends -- usually about 15-30 miles -- we ride cruiser style e-bikes (don't want to work too hard). It is chilly in our area during the winter and I wear the a jacket when we ride. I have not worn a leather jacket when riding my bike. It seems like overkill and, equally important, I would feel awkward wearing a leather jacket on a bicycle.

I know some here where their leather jackets regardless of what they are doing, including gardening, painting, and auto repair. I, on the other hand, continue to attach a certain element of reverence to leather jackets and therefore do not wear them for manual labor. On the other hand, I will gladly wear a leather jacket for mundane outings, such as a trip to the mall.

Riding a bike does not fall into the manual labor category. Nevertheless, I cannot wrap my arms around wearing a leather jacket on a bicycle. Given that I do not ride a motorcycle, I am already a poser when I wear moto jackets. Wearing a moto jacket on a bicycle strikes me as the height of poser-ness -- as though you are trying to equate a bicycle with a motorcycle and/or trying to look cool on a bicycle. As I said upfront, I would feel terribly awkward doing do.

Thoughts? Does anyone here wear their leather on bicycles?

I’ll wear my leathers for just about anything and have worn them on bicycles.

For me part of the whole attitude of wearing a leather jacket is not giving a f*** about what anyone says or thinks.

I don’t own a motorcycle and I don’t think I’m a poser when I wear my moto style jackets.

I know it’s really hard sometimes to get a certain thought or feeling out of your head i.e when you say you would feel awkward and like a poser wearing a leather jacket on a bicycle, but you really shouldn’t. You should wear what you want, when you want and to hell with what anyone else thinks!
 

navetsea

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Messages
6,851
Location
East Java
I don't wear leather jacket when cycling, I wear just long sleeve shirt or denim jacket I'm about to wash, cycling is just too sweaty to wear leather in my climate and topography here, and climbing uphill every kilo counts.

visually, with my mountain bike I find myself also looking weird wearing any of my leather jacket style, if I would have a lightweight short jacket like denim jacket style in tan color or suede, I probably would wear it.
 
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Messages
16,816
Those red undertones are interesting. Thedi also offers such a hide
View attachment 310131

That's Fidelity, maybe one of the early ones, made in Horsehide. Those jackets had the most stunning looking leather I've ever seen but have now become virtually impossible to find. Few that I have seen sold for no more than $300 and now they're all gone, but they were exactly like that, dark brown with bright red undertones showing through at places. Very heavy, too. Always makes me want to paint my Aero CR black.
 

Marc mndt

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Messages
7,314
I don't think that's that bad. The jacket is one size too big for the model. In this forum I have seen numerous poorly fitting jackets from well-known manufacturers too. ;) I also like the time period correct higher added halfbelt.
I don't think this is about sizing. The chest looks ok. The rest of the jacket however...
A1476155-5485-49BC-B943-9291424C8DDF.jpeg




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F73F65C2-6663-4D26-80E9-D6875901E05A.jpeg
 

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