When I started cycling I was against what I saw as 'cyclist paraphernalia' - I thought I would stick to cycling in 'normal' clothes as I did when I was a kid, and dismissing cycling clothing as show-off and unnecessary.
So, it takes a big man to eat humble pie and admit not all cycling gear is unnecessary, and that there's truth in the maxim about there being no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing.
So, like in all Western films where battle-hardened 'indians' seem to dress in a mixture of their own stuff and items taken from the enemies they've scalped, I have gradually acquired bits of kit which I've mixed in an unorthodox way. First I got 'normal'-looking cycling trousers (the baggy ones, which could pass for cargoes on a dark night). Then I replaced these with tighter lycra trousers - first big inhibition down. The I got the lycra tops, short and long sleeved so I could 'layer' in winter. And a micro-fleece for the really cold days. Then the Altura high-viz cycling jacket (what took me so long?).
And yesterday, as my multipurpose walking shoes' soles have grown as thin as rice paper, I acquired my first pair of proper cycling shoes. Normal-looking, you understand - and absolutely no intention of ever using anything other than 'normal' pedals (with half-toe clips, ok). Never...
