How old is too old for Lycra 🥴

[raleighnut]

You just know they gave him an extra small

Is that the same size as the Italian XXXL

 

[Gwylan]

A new, scientific (?) approach. The Lycra coefficient.
To qualify your LC has to be more than 1950.
Take the year, subtract your Eddington number and then subtract your age in years.
If the number is equal to or greater than 1950 that's fine.
If less than 1950 time to reflect on who is kidding who.

What you will find is that as time progresses the wearing of Lycra will decrease.
Individuals E number declines as their age increases making 1950 increasingly difficult to achieve a qualifying LC.

Example, rider is 50 and their Eddington number is 22.
2022 - 22 - 50= 1950, just OK!

Ex 2
Rider is 75 and their E number is 15, LC is 1932

Paradox is if at 75, in 2025 you have an E number of zero then LC is 1950.
In fact generally if you do not have an E number you can carry on wearing Lycra much longer
Suggests you don't give a toss and qualify for the FTLC club.

In fact I am excluded simply by being so old. Qualify for the VLC or the FTLC club. And rightly so.

 

[newfhouse]

Your Eddington number never decreases. Anyone that has ever ridden a bike more than a mile (or a kilometre) has E > 0.

 

[kingrollo]

59 - I still wear lycra - deep section wheels an all ......." if you can't be fast - look fast" is my motto !

 

[Milzy]

It’s not the age it’s the body fat percentage.

 

[Sharky]

You've confused me with science and mathematics.

I was born in 1950, so throughout my life, the year minus my age always comes back to 1950 and that's ignoring the Effington number. So throughout my life, I deduce that I've never been allowed to wear lycra!

 

[Gwylan]

You've confused me with science and mathematics.

I was born in 1950, so throughout my life, the year minus my age always comes back to 1950 and that's ignoring the Effington number. So throughout my life, I deduce that I've never been allowed to wear lycra!

I never said it was right or scientific .


So to meet that valid observation, I changed the formula

Take the year, deduct your age and add your E number.

That means in your case you have an E number above 75 you are good to go in Lycra. For a little while at least

Just have to work on your E number to keep the right to wear Lycra

 

[Gwylan]

It’s not the age it’s the body fat percentage.

Thought a out including BMI, but my life isn't quite that empty, yet.

 

[Sharky]

@Gwylan
Slowly getting my head round this, in a non serious mode.

So year minus age is the year you were born, so for me 1950

To calculate my Effington number, data from strava is
YTD miles - 591
Number of rides - 44

I'll assume that all rides are the same distance. In reality, they pretty much are as I nearly always ride the same training loop which takes just under an hour.

So my E no is 13, giving me a lycra number of 1963?

So is this high enough to ride in lycra?

Now, 120 of those miles were riding twelve 10 mile timetrials, with last few just getting inside 30 mins or 20mph+

I'd hate to be riding the 10's wearing my tweeds next year!

 

[Gwylan]

Hang on, I'll look on the spreadsheet.

Well it might have to go to the Court of Arbitration.

Nah! You are fine for a few years, as long as you keep your E number up. But the passage of time and a falling E number quietly erode your Lycra Coefficient.

As if it really mattered. 🤔

 

[Alex321]

Unless you race, lycra is hideous in my opinion. Bit like wearing a F1 fire suit to go driving.

IT doesn't look great, but I don't wear it for looks, I wear it for comfort.

 

[Alex321]

I will wear lycra, ONLY IF I am doing a ride from home and returning home again without stopping anywhere to visit, or going into a shop, a café, using the train for part of the journey, etc..

It is a rare occasion for me to be doing that, so the lycra stays in the drawer mostly. People have mentioned that it is comfortable. Personally I find a cotton T shirt and normal shorts just as comfortable. And I don't feel like an exhibitionist walking round shops or visiting friends/family!

I ride hard enough to work up a sweat. Which means something close fitting that wicks the sweat away is much more comfortable than a cotton T shirt. And even in rides of only 40 minutes to an hour, cycling shorts with pad are more comfortable than regular shorts.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

IT doesn't look great, but I don't wear it for looks, I wear it for comfort.

Get a comfortable bike instead, then you can wear what you like

 

[Alex321]

@Gwylan
Slowly getting my head round this, in a non serious mode.

So year minus age is the year you were born, so for me 1950

To calculate my Effington number, data from strava is
YTD miles - 591
Number of rides - 44

I'll assume that all rides are the same distance. In reality, they pretty much are as I nearly always ride the same training loop which takes just under an hour.

So my E no is 13, giving me a lycra number of 1963?

So is this high enough to ride in lycra?

Now, 120 of those miles were riding twelve 10 mile timetrials, with last few just getting inside 30 mins or 20mph+

I'd hate to be riding the 10's wearing my tweeds next year!

That isn't your E number, that is your average distance per ride this year.

OK, if you genuinely did always ride the same distance, they would be the same (provided you had done it enough times), but surely nobody actually rides exactly the same route every time they get on the bike.

And E number is over your lifetime (which is why it never decreases). You can get the actual number based on your strava data here.

Mine, based on age of 63 and eddington number of 30, comes out at 1989. Well within the above arbitrary limit

 

[Alex321]

Get a comfortable bike instead, then you can wear what you like

I have what I find to be a comfortable bike for the type of riding I want to do.