Pablo reviews knickers...

Pablo, who spends the majority of his day on his track bike as a NYC messenger, knows a thing or two about what feels right to wear. He reviews bike knickers for the NYtimes...

NY Times article with slideshow

Gear Test With Pablo Airaldi, Bike Messenger and Racer
Pants in a Twist? Try Some Knickers

By STEPHEN KRCMAR
Published: May 17, 2007
URBAN cyclists can’t win. Snug-fitting Lycra shorts offer a padded chamois and seams that don’t chafe, but lack style. Regular pants with rolled-up cuffs may be more fashionable but can become clammy for anything longer than a short ride.

Cycling-specific knickers can be a good compromise. These three-quarter-length pants stay clear of a rider’s bike chain and have a rear pocket to carry a U-lock. Some riders choose to wear bicycle shorts under the knickers and others don’t, even on 50-mile outings, said T. J. Flexer, an owner of Orange 20 Bikes, a Los Angeles shop that carries knickers.

“Urban cycling is no longer comprised of just bike people and messengers,” said Tim Parr, the president of Swobo, the company that first designed casual cycling knickers about a decade ago. The reasons vary, he said. Rising gas prices and the growing cachet of courier culture have more people saying, “Why don’t I just bike?”

Pablo Airaldi, a New York bike messenger training for the Cycle Messenger World Championships in August, tested knickers while delivering packages.