When you lust over the fancy biking clothes in the catalogs, remember that it wasn’t always this way. I came across a video on You Tube that gives a look at cross-country cycling in 1975. Back then, JC Penney hired 12 college students to bike from New York City to San Francisco. It was called “The Great America Bicycle Tour.” They made stops at shopping malls along the way to perform “safety skits” in front of JC Penney stores.
The bikes were equipped with disc brakes, and were sold at JC Penney, although were originally made by Huffy. The biking outfits — tennis clothes. (!)
An interesting 14-minute look at biking 39 years ago. Some of us well remember those tube socks with the striped tops.
No helmets and no padded shorts … that must mean: Brooks Saddles 😀
You appear to be right.