# Lack of 'Metal' Cycling Apparel



## Vyn (Apr 4, 2019)

There's a few of us mad bastards who are both metalheads and cyclists, has anyone had any luck with getting metal themed lycra that's not shit/designed by someone who clearly isn't a metalhead? Just been doing the rounds on google, looks like the only option is getting some custom stuff made.


----------



## Bearitone (Apr 4, 2019)

Vyn said:


> There's a few of us mad bastards who are both metalheads and cyclists, has anyone had any luck with getting metal themed lycra that's not shit/designed by someone who clearly isn't a metalhead? Just been doing the rounds on google, looks like the only option is getting some custom stuff made.



I’m not a cyclist but, what about patches? Some bands do have patches as merch. In your case instead of putting it on a vest you’d be putting it on that spandexy thing cyclists wear


----------



## Drew (Apr 5, 2019)

Bearitone said:


> I’m not a cyclist but, what about patches? Some bands do have patches as merch. In your case instead of putting it on a vest you’d be putting it on that spandexy thing cyclists wear


If you'd ever worn full cycling kit, you'd know this isn't a good idea at all, lol. Cycling gear is supposed to stretch, and supposed to be breathable. Patches do neither. 

This is a little tricky because most metal clothing is black, and if you're riding on road you want to be clearly visible, so no black.  I can't find it for sale online, but I have a buddy who rides in a "Mexican day of the dead" style jersey, but with the skull assembled out of bike parts, a white jersey with mostly black and red line art. That's a pretty cool jersey and reasonably metal. 

Myself, I mostly stick to jerseys from rides I've done (which my Game of Thrones cycling buddy friends and I joke we payed the carbon price for them, making them metal), beer jerseys (which are always pretty metal), and fancy minimalist corksniffer jerseys (I've got some stuff from Ornot which I really like, and I have a Pactimo jersey from an organized ride I like enough that I've been eyeing one or two of their regular ones) which are decisively NOT metal. So, I guess I'm saying I've mostly given up.


----------



## MSS (Apr 5, 2019)

OMG! I never thought to ask if there were fellow cyclists here. I got out on my bike last week and hope to again tomorrow. I have a Pinarello Prince that I built in 2012. I got the frame for a huge discount. I ride about 75-80 miles a week so not a pro lol by any means. I have fun with it though.


----------



## Vyn (Apr 5, 2019)

Drew said:


> If you'd ever worn full cycling kit, you'd know this isn't a good idea at all, lol. Cycling gear is supposed to stretch, and supposed to be breathable. Patches do neither.
> 
> This is a little tricky because most metal clothing is black, and if you're riding on road you want to be clearly visible, so no black.  I can't find it for sale online, but I have a buddy who rides in a "Mexican day of the dead" style jersey, but with the skull assembled out of bike parts, a white jersey with mostly black and red line art. That's a pretty cool jersey and reasonably metal.
> 
> Myself, I mostly stick to jerseys from rides I've done (which my Game of Thrones cycling buddy friends and I joke we payed the carbon price for them, making them metal), beer jerseys (which are always pretty metal), and fancy minimalist corksniffer jerseys (I've got some stuff from Ornot which I really like, and I have a Pactimo jersey from an organized ride I like enough that I've been eyeing one or two of their regular ones) which are decisively NOT metal. So, I guess I'm saying I've mostly given up.



I'm a pretty terrible cyclist visibility wise as I'm usually always in all black haha, so if anything having a band logo on there is going to add some more colour 

Twinsix have some alright designs, about the only ones I can find at the moment:


----------



## MFB (Apr 5, 2019)

That jersey is pretty uh...


----------



## MSS (Apr 5, 2019)

I've had a few close calls so I wear Hi Viz yellow and HiViz orange. Boring I know...


----------



## Drew (Apr 8, 2019)

MSS said:


> OMG! I never thought to ask if there were fellow cyclists here. I got out on my bike last week and hope to again tomorrow. I have a Pinarello Prince that I built in 2012. I got the frame for a huge discount. I ride about 75-80 miles a week so not a pro lol by any means. I have fun with it though.


Hey, that's not half bad - on Strava I have a weekly goal of 75 in the offseason and 100 in the on-season (with an annual goal in years past of 3,000, which I'm upping to 5,000 this year), and if you're doing that kind of distance regularly, it adds up. My brother, who is a monster cyclist, swears consistency and just getting out there day after day matters way more than distance, and he's always been way faster than me so I've been following his lead on that, and riding 4-5 days a week I'm definitely seeing some real progress.

I'm on a '15, I think, Specialized Tarmac, but I want to drop from a 58 to a 56 (I have a Diverge 56 as well and it's super comfy) and grab something with discs, and, well, fiscal responsibility be damned, I've been eyeing the newly redesigned Venge _hard_.

And yeah - for visibility I mostly count on a tail light. I wear colored jerseys, but honestly that's as much for heat dissipation in the hot sun as it is for being seen.


----------



## Drew (Apr 8, 2019)

For whatever it's worth, I'd mentioned these guys earlier, but while they're not metal at ALL, I really dig Ornot's stuff - clean, minimalist, and with really intelligent design features. I have their Greyskull shell from a season or two back (which sounds way more metal than it is, they lited the color scheme from Castle Greyskull, lol - I grabbed the matchhing jersey as well and it's my go-to) and having a cold weather shell that zips from the bottom as well as the top is a total game-changer. 

https://www.ornotbike.com/


----------



## MetalHex (Apr 18, 2019)

Dude theres nothing even remotely metal about riding a bike.

Abbath can be riding a bike and.......just......no.

Not badmouthing bike riding at all but just saying it can never be metal.


----------



## 777timesgod (Apr 19, 2019)

MetalHex said:


> Dude theres nothing even remotely metal about riding a bike.
> 
> Abbath can be riding a bike and.......just......no.
> 
> Not badmouthing bike riding at all but just saying it can never be metal.



Rollerskating is hardcore though. 

Whatever you decide to do, choose something bright. No use in getting run over by an absent minded driver, just to get metal credibility. There is the option of getting a custom design with glowing flame skulls perhaps, tacky but it will keep you safe.


----------



## BornToLooze (Apr 21, 2019)

777timesgod said:


> Rollerskating is hardcore though.



This is true


----------



## Drew (Apr 22, 2019)

MetalHex said:


> Dude theres nothing even remotely metal about riding a bike.
> 
> Abbath can be riding a bike and.......just......no.
> 
> Not badmouthing bike riding at all but just saying it can never be metal.


I'm sorry. We can agree to disagree in the Politics and Current Events forum, maybe, but you're wrong, and you're a bad person for being wrong, and I feel sorry for you for not knowing better.

This is pretty fucking metal more or less by definition:






So is this, IMO the most amazing story from last year's Tour de France:
https://www.bicycling.com/tour-de-france/a22581028/lawson-craddock-lanterne-rouge/


----------



## MetalHex (Apr 22, 2019)

Drew said:


> I'm sorry. We can agree to disagree in the Politics and Current Events forum, maybe, but you're wrong, and you're a bad person for being wrong, and I feel sorry for you for not knowing better.
> 
> This is pretty fucking metal more or less by definition:
> 
> ...


Haha yes. I will admit that bike does look metal \m/...................until you sit on it! I think its the person and the attire that ruins its metal appeal.


----------



## Drew (Apr 22, 2019)

MetalHex said:


> Haha yes. I will admit that bike does look metal \m/...................until you sit on it! I think its the person and the attire that ruins its metal appeal.


You're wrong, but if you can live with that, that's cool, I guess.


----------



## MUTANTOID (Dec 7, 2019)

Plz don't tell me that my bike isn't metal.


----------



## Mathemagician (Dec 7, 2019)

MUTANTOID said:


> Plz don't tell me that my bike isn't metal.



Do a wheelie off the tank!


----------



## prlgmnr (Dec 14, 2019)

My other bike's a tank.

My other tank's a bike.

My other bike is also a bike, but I have a tank as well.


----------



## olejason (Jan 12, 2020)

I had a few made from a seller on AliExpress. Total cost was around $25 per jersey including shipping. It took about a month to get them. Quality is on par with the $20-40 jerseys you find on Amazon and the like.


----------



## Drew (Jan 28, 2020)

I don't know if you can order these as non-competitors, and if you're riding around in a Rasputitsa jersey and you've never ridden Rasputitsa you're opening yourself to ridicule... But this year's music theme for Rasputitsa is ACDC, and they have a couple jerseys. 

I'm not really an AC/DC fan, but I'm grabbing a t-shirt at least.


----------



## UV7BK4LIFE (Apr 4, 2020)

I got some Team Rock Racing knockoffs on Ali Express. The worst cycling team ever in cycling history but the logo is cool.


----------



## UV7BK4LIFE (Apr 4, 2020)

And here's how hardcore/metal/rocknroll/extreme or just plain stupid and risky road cycling can get. Red Hook crit racing. Flat track, no brakes, no gears.


----------



## devastone (Jan 18, 2021)

I ride a mountain bike, so I can wear any t-shirt I want with my baggy shorts, I just say no to spandex.


----------



## ResistentialAssultSquadron (Jan 18, 2021)

Yeah, the metal community were some of the earliesr adopters of spandex technology.


----------



## devastone (Jan 18, 2021)

William DeWolfe said:


> Yeah, the metal community were some of the earliesr adopters of spandex technology.



Ah, good point, so you're saying spandex cycling shorts with studs and a saw blade ala' Blackie Lawless is about as metal as it gets?


----------



## ResistentialAssultSquadron (Jan 18, 2021)

devastone said:


> Ah, good point, so you're saying spandex cycling shorts with studs and a saw blade ala' Blackie Lawless is about as metal as it gets?



Well, getting all Mad Max or Deathrace2000 with your cycles too, but yeah. None.More.


----------



## devastone (Jan 18, 2021)




----------



## Sumsar (Jan 19, 2021)

Biking can be pretty grim and frostbitten .. or at least muddy 


Anyone else here doing a bit of cyclocross / gravel riding in the winter months?

And on the topic, I also go for brighter colours, after getting hit by a car a couple of years back.


----------



## soliloquy (Jan 22, 2021)

you could wear all black. Its classy, metal, or anything you would like.

they do also sell tattoo sleeves to protect peoples tattoos from the sun. Some of them have dragons, or what not on them, that do look metal. 

or paint stuff on the helmet? or put stickers on your bike?


----------



## Drew (Feb 11, 2021)

Sumsar said:


> Anyone else here doing a bit of cyclocross / gravel riding in the winter months?
> 
> And on the topic, I also go for brighter colours, after getting hit by a car a couple of years back.


Cyclecross is just needlessly nuts. I don't get it.  

Gravel rules though, I have a preference for nicer weather and all, but two of the most type-2 fun events I've ever done were VOMAR and Rasputitsa, ans there were long patches of snow and mud to navigate there. 

I'm with you on color though. I'm not full neon, but when I look at a new jersey or shell or whatnot, my second criteria (after "do I like this color") is "how likely is it that this will catch a driver's eye? I've been hit in glancing contact with turning cars a few times, had a couple VERY close calls with cars pulling out in front of me, and got caught early 2019 by a car cutting through a gap in traffic when I was going 25 miles an hour in the other direction. No amount of color would have saved me from that one, but a lot of those other situations I'll take whatever I can get.


----------



## Drew (Feb 12, 2021)

soliloquy said:


> you could wear all black. Its classy, metal, or anything you would like.


Also, beyond visibility issues... 

...black kit looks classy as _fuck_, no doubt. But I would't wear it even if I didn't have to worry about drivers seeing me on the road - wait until the first time you're grinding up a 8-10% grade, a half hour in, on a 95 degree day in direct sunlight. You'll fucking roast.


----------



## LostTheTone (Feb 26, 2021)

Drew said:


> You'll fucking roast.



Insufficiently hardcore, clearly.


----------



## Drew (Mar 2, 2021)

LostTheTone said:


> Insufficiently hardcore, clearly.


----------



## R34CH (Mar 2, 2021)

Drew said:


> wait until the first time you're grinding up a 8-10% grade, a half hour in, on a 95 degree day in direct sunlight



Sounds like Mt. Lemmon outside of where I used to live in Tucson, AZ.


----------



## eaeolian (Mar 2, 2021)

R34CH said:


> Sounds like Mt. Lemmon outside of where I used to live in Tucson, AZ.


People who ride that are fucking nuts. My *car* wasn't happy about that hill.


----------



## Drew (Mar 3, 2021)

R34CH said:


> Sounds like Mt. Lemmon outside of where I used to live in Tucson, AZ.





eaeolian said:


> People who ride that are fucking nuts. My *car* wasn't happy about that hill.


Ha, I've actually ridden that one, this time of year two years ago, then spent the next day down in the valley and hit Mt. Graham (which of the two was the nastier climb) the day after that. 

Lemmon actually isn't all that bad from a grade standpoint (though I'd hate to do it in the summer), it just goes on for fuckin' ever at a pretty steady 5-6%. I don't think I hit 10% until after Summerdale and the ski center, on the way up to the observatory, but 10-12% at north of 8,000 feet above sea level is _murder_. 

I was thinking more east coast climging - in particular, strong flashbacks to riding the App Gap after blowing up on Lincoln Gap, but holding on long enough to make it to the top. If you thin Lemmon is bad, you really don't want to see the Lincoln Gap - it's mercifully short (by comparison, about 1.4 miles) and shaded, but averages 15% and stair-steps between "easy" 10-12% sections and steeper 18-20% grades, getting up to about 26% by the very top. I damned near quit biking up mountains and took up golf the time I actually cleaned it.


----------



## R34CH (Mar 3, 2021)

Drew said:


> If you thin Lemmon is bad, you really don't want to see the Lincoln Gap - it's mercifully short (by comparison, about 1.4 miles)



The name sounds familiar so I feel like I've probably seen YouTube videos or something. Not much of a cyclist but I try and get out at least a couple times a week.


----------



## Drew (Mar 3, 2021)

R34CH said:


> The name sounds familiar so I feel like I've probably seen YouTube videos or something. Not much of a cyclist but I try and get out at least a couple times a week.


It's reputed to be the steepest paved mile in America. Pictures or videos never really do a grade justice, but there's a couple points in here where you can actually sort of tell how laughably steep it is: 



New England can't match the sheer height and length of some of the midwestern and southern climbs, but what we lack in size, we make up for in sheer brutality. I happen to live within a couple hour's drive of what I think Bicycling Magazine ranked the steepest mile (Lincoln Gap) and the steepest half mile, Kingsley Hill Road, where the bottom stretches of that get damned close to 30% for, well, I have no idea how long because I was suffering too much to keep the bike moving forward.  I stopped coming back down (I had another climb near there I wanted to hit as well) for a picture, and I had a hard time putting a foot down because the pavement was falling off so quickly below me.


----------

