{"id":8774,"date":"2023-07-12T17:14:22","date_gmt":"2023-07-12T21:14:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joyfultriathlete.com\/?p=8774"},"modified":"2023-07-12T17:16:34","modified_gmt":"2023-07-12T21:16:34","slug":"how-to-bike-in-a-dress-or-skirt-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joyfultriathlete.com\/how-to-bike-in-a-dress-or-skirt-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"4 must-know tips to bike in a dress or skirt"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the summer, the greatest way to let loose and enjoy yourself is to wear skirts and dresses when you are out and about. After all, with the heat glaring down on you, what better way is there to cool off? But many cyclists struggle with wearing these types of outfits on a bike. So, how can you stay safe on a bike while wearing a skirt or dress?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can mitigate the risks of wearing a dress by using the penny method, tucking it in, wearing shorts underneath, or simply tying a knot with the extra fabric. All of these methods will help reduce the risk of injury (and exposure) on a bike!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready to learn more about biking with a skirt on? You are in the right place! In this blog post, let’s take a look at what risks are present when riding with a skirt or dress, along with four ways to mitigate this problem!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The risks of biking in a dress or skirt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While many cyclists prefer the feeling of comfort that comes with biking in a dress, there are some risks associated that can place you in danger. After all, a dress or skirt can get stuck in the bike’s moving wheels and machinery, and this can cause severe accidents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, you might not want to expose too much of yourself accidentally when cycling \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my case, I almost fell off a couple of times when dismounting the bike due to the dress. When you hop on and off the bike with a dress, it generally gets stuck with the saddle, stopping your movement halfway unexpectedly. Of course, this depends on the type of bike, how high is your saddle, and the way you dismount.<\/p>\n\n\n

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My dress getting stuck with the saddle when getting off the bike<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Luckily, there are a few solutions that can help prevent these risks, but all in all, it is much safer to get on a bike with some pants on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that being said, there are some nifty tricks you can use to keep wearing a skirt and still enjoy the wonder of cycling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tips for biking in a dress or skirt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you are cycling and wearing a skirt, you don’t have to completely change your outfit in order to be safe. In fact, there are four ways that you can look great and still ride your bike without the risk of running into any skirt-related accidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a penny and an elastic band<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you are wearing a skirt that is at the length of your knee or longer, this is the trick for you. What you need to do is use a coin (a penny works very well) and a rubber band (note: a hair tie is a good solution as well). <\/p>\n\n\n

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What you need: a penny and a hair tie (or elastic band)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

To carry this out, you will need to follow these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Place the penny on the backside of your skirt, close to where the hem is.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Push through your legs, and gather the fabric on the other side of the dress.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Quickly, grab the rubber band, bind it around the penny, and make sure to get both sides of the skirt or dress into this loop.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
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    About to tie the elastic band on the piece of fabric with the penny inserted from the back of the dress<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    Your dress or skirt will now look like a pair of pants. There are many benefits to this. For one, this will prevent the skirt from blowing around, and it will also keep it weighed down so it does not get latched onto your bike in any way.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    Feels like a short once its tied with the penny method<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
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    See how the dress does not move back and cannot get stuck in the rear derailleur or the wheel spokes<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    Layer up underneath<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Another way that you can get away with skirts on a bike, especially if you are worried about showing unwanted skin, is to wear an extra layer underneath the skirt or dress. One of the best options, in this case, is to wear a pair of bike shorts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Then you can tuck in the cloth to avoid the fabric to get caught in the wheel or derailleur. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The benefit here is that it will help keep your privacy under control, and keep you safe at the same time. It’s also very easy to take off once you arrive at your destination if you do not wish to keep the shorts underneath. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tuck the dress or skirt in<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    An effective strategy to stay safe in the situation that you need to cycle and have a dress on is to simply tuck the excess fabric in when you get on the bike. This way, you don’t have to worry about any extra clothing flying around, or getting stuck in the bike when you don’t want that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How this works is that you get on the bike. Once you are comfortable where you are sitting, tuck the excess fabric under you and around your legs, giving yourself just enough space to move around and keep pedaling. You can even use a few safety pins to maintain the tuck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The inconvenience with this method is that every time you stop pedaling, you will have to redo it all over again. Because when you put your feet on the ground the dress will come loose again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Make a knot with the extra fabric<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    In a similar vein to the last tip, you can go for a more hardy solution by gathering the extra fabric and creating a knot. This will last much longer and you won’t need to keep adjusting it while you are riding your bike, as there is little chance it will come undone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The best way to do this is to gather the fabric around three-quarters of the way down your leg, which will give you the flexibility to keep moving and avoid any risk of fabric getting stuck in the bike. The best part is you can simply untie the knot when you get off, and no one will ever know!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This technic is not suitable for all types of skirts as you need enough fabric hanging to make a knot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    When it comes to wearing a dress or skirt for cycling, there are many ways to make sure you are as safe as possible. But in my opinion, the best solution is the penny and elastic method. It’s fast to put in place and easy, and it works very well. Depending on the fabric of your dress, it might end up a bit creased afterward but to keep safe all options will crease the fabric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In Holland, the country of cyclists, women use a dress guard on their bikes to prevent the dress from getting trapped in the wheel or derailleur. This is an option that works well on Dutch bikes but is not as common on other types of bikes.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    Dutch bicycle with a dress guard <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In the summer, the greatest way to let loose and enjoy yourself is to wear skirts and dresses when you are out and about. After all, with the heat glaring down on you, what better way is there to cool off? But many cyclists struggle with wearing these types of outfits on a bike. So, how can you stay safe…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,8,11],"tags":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":15,"label":"Commuting"},{"value":8,"label":"Bike"},{"value":11,"label":"Tips"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/joyfultriathlete.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/tips_for_cycling_with_dress_or_skirt.png",1200,800,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Constance Garnier","author_link":"https:\/\/joyfultriathlete.com\/author\/pti_avion\/"},"comment_info":15,"category_info":[{"term_id":15,"name":"Commuting","slug":"commuting","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Everything about commuting, from equipment to tips. Learn everything to help you with your rides to work or to get groceries!","parent":8,"count":6,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":15,"category_count":6,"category_description":"Everything about commuting, from equipment to tips. Learn everything to help you with your rides to work or to get groceries!","cat_name":"Commuting","category_nicename":"commuting","category_parent":8},{"term_id":8,"name":"Bike","slug":"bike","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":8,"taxonomy":"category","description":"In this category, you will find articles related to the practice of cycling. It will cover topics about hybrid bikes, road bikes, triathlon bikes, mountain bikes and even cover indoor cycling (smart trainers, apps, rocker plates and Peloton bikes for instance).","parent":0,"count":89,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":8,"category_count":89,"category_description":"In this category, you will find articles related to the practice of cycling. It will cover topics about hybrid bikes, road bikes, triathlon bikes, mountain bikes and even cover indoor cycling (smart trainers, apps, rocker plates and Peloton bikes for instance).","cat_name":"Bike","category_nicename":"bike","category_parent":0},{"term_id":11,"name":"Tips","slug":"tips","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":11,"taxonomy":"category","description":"In this category, you will find our best tips and tricks to improve your performance for triathlons. Reducing your transition times, good habits, racing in the rain, etc, these are the kind of tips you will find here.","parent":0,"count":53,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":11,"category_count":53,"category_description":"In this category, you will find our best tips and tricks to improve your performance for triathlons. Reducing your transition times, good habits, racing in the rain, etc, these are the kind of tips you will find here.","cat_name":"Tips","category_nicename":"tips","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joyfultriathlete.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8774"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joyfultriathlete.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joyfultriathlete.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joyfultriathlete.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joyfultriathlete.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8774"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/joyfultriathlete.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12157,"href":"https:\/\/joyfultriathlete.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8774\/revisions\/12157"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joyfultriathlete.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joyfultriathlete.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joyfultriathlete.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joyfultriathlete.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}