Riding a bike and wearing a kilt

[JockEleven]

There don't seem to be many photos around of men wearing kilts while on bicycles (although some motorbikes are to be seen).

Is this because the problems of kilted cycling are insurmountable? I've found I can ride in my Utilikilt okay, the front snaps hold everything together -- but a tartan with sporran is quite another matter.

I suppose one just has to take the sporran off -- otherwise it falls either to the left or the right of the crossbar, and its weight drags the kilt on that side up the thigh. It can even cause the kilt to open right up in front -- windy and unsettling for innocent bystanders!

Does anyone have any tips for getting around on a bike in a kilt?

Thanks

[Canuck]

snip
I suppose one just has to take the sporran off -- otherwise it falls either to the left or the right of the crossbar, and its weight drags the kilt on that side up the thigh. It can even cause the kilt to open right up in front -- windy and unsettling for innocent bystanders!

Does anyone have any tips for getting around on a bike in a kilt?

Thanks

Shift the sporran to the side, you don't have to take it off
Cheers
Robert

[macwilkin]

There was a unit in the Territorial Army during the First World War called the Highland Cyclist Battalion (They were a militia battalion of the Black Watch), but to the best of my knowledge, they did not wear the kilt whilst on the bike.

http://www.regiments.org/regiments/u.../vinf/bw-8.htm

http://www.huntscycles.co.uk/Chums.htm

I know that's not exactly what you are looking for, but it is interesting trivia! 8)

Cheers,

T.

[James]

In the pre motorised days it was normal for an orderly officer to get around camp on a bike-this could include kilt plus sword.

As for when shooting prone, move sporran to side, have saddle under kilt so as not to wreck pleats, and cycle-just keep smiling, and do not try to return salutes.

Possibly better than in a lowland regiment-with skin tight overalls-strapped under dress boots and sword.

In all an argument for there being times when it is best not to wear a kilt.

James

[GMan]

Every year at the Longs Peak Festival, many of the bicycle police of Estes Park ride around while being kilted. It is not really a very unusual sight.

[Rob Wright]

Every year at the Longs Peak Festival, many of the bicycle police of Estes Park ride around while being kilted. It is not really a very unusual sight.

I bet they have quite the fan following

Rob Wright

[Raphael]

I really don't understand why you guys would want to ride bike when kilted. May be it is just me.

[bear]

I really don't understand why you guys would want to ride bike when kilted. May be it is just me.

I think it's just that they want to combine two favourite things.

[Martin Fr]

I have been cycling around town in kilts (second-hand or home-made) for some years now and never found it inconvenient, even when it’s windy. I wouldn’t want to go out cross-country in a heavy kilt, especially in summer, and for a while I continued using lycra shorts for longer outiongs. Now, however, I have taken to wearing a short unbifurcated garment made from a pair of cotton trousers, and find this much more cool and comfortable.
As Bear said, it’s a way of combining two favourite things.

Since I no longer wear trousers or shorts walking, I see no reason to give up my kilts for cycling, but I’d better add, before any of the really keen cyclists retort that I’m wrong, that I’m not an energetic sports fiend, just a regular urban cyclist, who likes to have a few outings into the country when the weather is fine. There may well be reasons for not crossing the Alps in a kilt on two wheels, but that is not my aim in life.

I have not yet found myself in a situation where a was sorry to be unbifurcated.

Martin,
in Grenoble, France

[Martin Fr]

As it happens, I’e been watching a documentary about southern India, where men wear long unbifurcated wraps. When they have work to do, they grab the lowest edge and tuck it up into their waist line, making a slightly bulky knee-length kilt. Throughout the film, men could be seen cycling around town and country in these garments and looking perfectly comfortable.
Unfortunately, they did not show us how they kept these skirts from slipping; there was no sign of any belts -- or Velcro !

Martin