Dapper Dandies on Bikes Get Wider Berths from Drivers

By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 17, 2011 6:20PM

Over the years we've come to a conclusion regarding wearing bike riding clothing, especially the jerseys and shorts that leave little to the imagination: it's not a right.

A story in Crain's Chicago Business suggests the scores of lycra warriors may have a Pavlovian effect on motorists hostilities to cyclists. The article covers the "Mary Poppins Effect," where bicyclists in street clothes riding upright bicycles get a wider berth on the street than the jackasses in padded bike gear working on their spin cadences within inches of SUVs on the boulevards.

Crain's interviewed Dottie Brackett of Letsgorideabike.com for the article, who offered experiential accounts of how motorists reacted to her in biking or exercise gear and dressed for work. “It helps drivers realize bicyclists are people too," she said.

The ChainLink's Julie Hochstadter suggested greater consideration is also given to bicycists wearing helmets (a non-negotiable requirement, in our opinion) and tows for children.