Yoga pants in Paris and Amsterdam (for biking)?

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KathleenKP
KathleenKP Posts: 580 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Does anyone who has recently (in the last couple years) been to these places have any input? I'm planning out our suitcase items.

We will be doing some bike tours through Paris as well as leisurely rides in and around Amsterdam on our own, and I want to know if I can safely wear ankle-length yoga or running pants for these outings? Or do I need to track down some more "pants" looking...pants?? I'm trying to find a balance between what is socially acceptable and comfort.

We have been a few times already, but I don't recall seeing many knit pants in Europe (in fact...any). It's also been three years, and maybe "permissible" styles have changed...
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Replies

  • MadDogManor
    MadDogManor Posts: 1,447 Member
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    Sorry, I don't know anything about the acceptable fashion, I just wanted to say Have Fun :-)
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    I'm not sure where you're from but I was recently in Paris and the clothes are the same as those in UK, as many of the high street stores are the same.

    Wear whatever you're comfortable in for cycling or running.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
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    For tours wouldn't you want padded cycling shorts or knickers ? Might not be mainstream fashion but they are standard cycling fair the world over.
  • KathleenKP
    KathleenKP Posts: 580 Member
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    Thanks, MadDogManor.

    KarenJanine - I'm from the US - and from a particularly "comfortable" part (the Pacific Coast). The East Coast and the South generally dress more formally than us. Close-fitting knit pants are seen everywhere. I don't notice just how poorly we dress here until I come back from Europe and sit in the airports waiting for transfers. Then it looks like nobody was bothered enough to get out of their PJs.

    Camo - I was thinking most of the (day) trips are only about 10 miles, so there can't be that prolonged of a time spent actually sitting on the bike seat. I don't always wear padded shorts on my bike rides of an hour or less (because I do longer triathlons). I thought we wouldn't need them and they'd be overkill since we are fitting our clothes into a carry-on. But I will take them if they would be necessary and make for a happier trip.
  • oORosadaOo
    oORosadaOo Posts: 97 Member
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    I live in Barcelona and here people wear just about anything. Especially younger kids wear jogging pants or leggings all the time.

    Just wear what you feel comfortable in. Generally people don't pay close attention to what others wear anyway. :smile:
  • Xiaolongbao
    Xiaolongbao Posts: 854 Member
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    Good grief. You're visiting Western Europe, not Saudi Arabia. Wear whatever the hell you want.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    What time of year? And what would you wear on the top half?
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    I've been to Paris loads of times, and Amsterdam once. I'm English and the clothes they sell there aren't massively different to what we have here. Seeing as Paris is supposedly home to lots of high fashion stores, a lot of French people have rather dubious dress sense lol. You can walk down the Champs Élysées and see Chanel, Louis Vuitton etc, and Naf Naf, Sephora, FNAC, Camaieu etc (very high street).

    Look on the Décathlon website to see the kind of sports clothes they sell in France.
  • wolfruhn
    wolfruhn Posts: 3,025 Member
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    I'm from England and I cycled in Paris less than two years ago, we have an office there. My cycling was for charity, and we wore proper cycling kit: logo'd cycling jersey, padded lycra bottoms, cycling shoes. There is a cycling dress code in Europe if you're road cycling in a cycling club or taking part in a sportif, basically people expect you to look smart, no clashing colours, wear proper cycling clothes: lycra and cycling jerseys. Basically the Tour de France look. For MTB the look is different, cycling shorts not lycra matched with a cycling shirt. For commuting cyclists I did see some ladies wearing expensive high quality stylish designer clothes, they were normal clothes not cycling clothes. For casual cycling you can wear whatever you want, what you feel comfortable in, what works for the weather at the time. I cycled on the canals going out from Paris, very quiet, not many people, loved it! By the way, in the UK pants and knickers mean underwear, so we would never be cycling with them visible to the public :)
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Hire bikes in France and the NEhterlands have wide seats, so padded shorts aren't needed.

    No issue with wearing what you describe in either.
  • KathleenKP
    KathleenKP Posts: 580 Member
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    Thanks, again everyone! I stumbled across a line of clothing that just came in at REI when I was there for other things - it's their Novarra brand, and this particular line is geared towards the casual cyclist who wants to look stylish when she stops at the local coffee shop. No serious cyclist would don this clothing, but it's perfect for this trip. The capri length pants have elastic shirring (gathering) at the knee and the padding is *just* a bit thicker than my tri-shorts. My tri-shorts only have a double layer of fleece for padding, but this is an actual molded padding. They are super-light - silk jersey weight - and can be stuffed into my purse or even pocket. That way I can wear my regular clothing and just change into these without having to go back to our apartment (really nice when we are out renting bikes at Versailles - you can't go back to downtown to change!) They are designed to be worn under a skirt or long shirt that covers your behind. They also have some camp-style cycling tops in the line that are long enough if you are not too tall. They would not last through a single triathlon, and probably not through one of my regular bike rides (because the fabric is so thin). I'm not sure if I am going to need them - it seems from responses here that my normal clothing will be just fine - but I will take them along anyway - simply because I did find them and they are so packable. I am nearly certain we will not need them in Paris, but we plan to do some all-day (casual) trips around the outskirts of Amsterdam. They are called Around-town cycling capri or Carytown padded legging.

    I wish I could go on a road-bike tour (and need my regular cycling clothes), but I will have to save that for another trip. Either by getting my husband up to speed on the road bike, or by going with other people.

    Going along the canals in Paris sounds wonderful, and I will look into that when we get there. I know we are doing a day and an evening bike trip of the sites through Paris, and the same company rents bikes for use while not on their tours. I don't want to put one of the "resident" rental bikes (or three..) on my credit card in case something happens to it (them)...though maybe it's no different $-wise than renting from that company. It seems to me the deposit on the street rental bikes was pretty high for non-residents.
  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 874 Member
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    Xiaolongbao wrote: »
    Good grief. You're visiting Western Europe, not Saudi Arabia. Wear whatever the hell you want.
    That was worth a chuckle. Thanks :)

  • jonnyman41
    jonnyman41 Posts: 1,031 Member
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    yoga pants or nice sweat pants (the sporty ones) are fine but since both cities have a huge amount of world wide visitors you will see all and everything in dress sense. Just wear what you want and dont worry about it
  • HillOE
    HillOE Posts: 61 Member
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    Novarra stuff is nice. If you're just looking for a comfortable/breathable pant that can be comfy to cycle in try Prana Sage Convertible Pants. I love them, I had 3 pairs for a job where I had to climb many MANY flights of stairs multiple times a day, they kept me cool in the summer, moisture wicking and washed well and dried quick.

    Not everyone likes Lululemon, but they have a few pants that also work really well fore bike and city life.

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Sorry, I travel through books. From what I hear, it's the shoes that matter in Paris.
  • HillOE
    HillOE Posts: 61 Member
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    Oh, I have the monarch, the sage pants look like you get 3 length options in 1 pant. Either way, excellent.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    jonnyman41 wrote: »
    yoga pants or nice sweat pants (the sporty ones) are fine but since both cities have a huge amount of world wide visitors you will see all and everything in dress sense. Just wear what you want and dont worry about it

    This^

    I went last summer (no biking involved) - but I saw all kinds of clothes. We all wore yoga pants for the plane trip. In July, Paris was cool & rainy. You might think about length options as HillOE mentioned.

    Re: Amsterdam. As a pedestrian we were warned, bikes "have the right of way." Good luck!
  • Heartisalonelyhunter
    Heartisalonelyhunter Posts: 786 Member
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    Amsterdam has a famous red light district with naked women ( and men) standing in the windows of store fronts letting everything hang out. Trust me, no one there will think your yoga pants are risqué. Europeans in general are much less conservative than Americans.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,941 Member
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    I've spent several months cycling in Europe over the years ... and I wear padded cycling shorts, mostly ... but I might pull on stretchy capris or basketball shorts over them if I'm going into a cafe or bakery or something.
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I am from Europe ( now live in Central America ) and am mostly familiar with Paris, München, Berlin and the cities in the South of Spain and always have black Yoga pants in my suitcase. With a ( decent cut ) T-shirt I am set for a bike tour and with a slightly fancier top/blouse, some jewelry, a scarf or anything similar, like different shoes I am set for all kinds of situations that keep me in my one-suitcase-only limit. I personally find ( depending on one's age ) that color is much more important in Europe than style. In the big cities even in summer most adult women wear darkish/muted colors and not so much the bright and pastel colors which are the summer style in quite a few other countries.


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