What Does MAMIL Mean? The Middle-Aged Man in Lycra, Explained
MAMIL stands for "middle-aged man in Lycra". Oxford Dictionaries lists it as a British informal word for a middle-aged man who is a very keen road cyclist, typically on an expensive bike. It began as a tease. Today plenty of riders use it about themselves, and we even named a jersey line after it.
In short
- MAMIL stands for middle-aged man in Lycra.
- Oxford lists it as British informal and says it was apparently first used in Australia.
- It started as a tease, and many riders now use it about themselves.
- MAMIL Apparel is our own retro-inspired line, named after racing greats.
What does MAMIL mean?
The letters spell out the joke: Middle-Aged Man In Lycra. The Oxford Dictionaries entry, as quoted by road.cc in 2014, defines a MAMIL as "a middle-aged man who is a very keen road cyclist, typically one who rides an expensive bike". The same entry gives the origin as "early 21st century: acronym from middle-aged man in Lycra".
Lycra is the stretch fiber in bib shorts and close-fitting jerseys, so the word paints a clear picture. Picture the weekend group ride that meets at a café at 7 a.m., a carbon bike that cost more than the family car's last repair, and a jersey in team colors from a race its owner watched as a kid.
Oxford writes it in capitals (MAMIL), while the Medical Journal of Australia writes Mamil. Both are fine, and the plural is MAMILs.
Where did the word MAMIL come from?
Oxford says the term "was apparently first used in Australia with reference to a particular type of male swimmer". Lycra swim shorts, in other words, long before anyone pinned it on cyclists.
The cycling meaning took off in Britain. According to road.cc, the first cycling use it could find was a Mintel consumer report on the UK bicycle market, published in August 2010. Wikipedia credits the same report and adds that the word spread further in the UK with the success of Bradley Wiggins, and in Australia with the Tour Down Under and Cadel Evans winning the 2011 Tour de France.
By December 2014 the word had made it into Oxford Dictionaries online. There is even a feature-length documentary called MAMIL, directed by Nickolas Bird, and a one-man play with the same title by New Zealand playwright Greg Cooper.
Is MAMIL an insult?
It started as one. Wikipedia calls it "a pejorative term", and the Oxford definition hints at the joke: men who take their riding, and their bikes, very seriously.
Things have softened since then, at least on the bike. Lots of riders we hear from call themselves MAMILs with a grin, and our own MAMIL Apparel line puts the word on the kit itself. My read is that the joke lost its sting once so many people were in on it. Riding three mornings a week at fifty is something to be proud of, and Lycra is simply the most comfortable thing to wear on a bike.
A good rule: use it about yourself and your riding friends, and you are fine. Shouting it at a stranger at a red light is another matter.
Why do so many middle-aged men take up cycling?
Australia has numbers on this. A 2018 study in the Medical Journal of Australia looked at men aged 45 to 64. The share who cycled at least once a week rose from 6.2% in 2002 to 2004 to 13.2% in 2016, and the rise was strongest in the most affluent suburbs. The same paper notes that bike prices and sales of high-end bikes went up sharply over that time.
Riders give their own reasons, and they are easy to guess. Knees that no longer like running. A sport you can do with friends and a coffee at the end. Kids old enough to leave home on a Saturday morning. The study also points to a qualitative piece of research that found mutual support and mental health benefits among Mamils. It found little sign that they were commuting more, though: the habit is mostly about weekend and early-morning riding.
There is no age limit and no required kit. A bright jersey and padded shorts make a long ride far more comfortable, and that is the whole case for Lycra.
What is MAMIL Apparel?
MAMIL Apparel is our own line of retro-inspired cycling kit, designed by the Online Cycling Gear team and sold only in our stores. Its tagline is "a brand designed for the inner rouler in all of us", and each design tips its cap to a racing great from the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
| Design | Named after | Why that rider |
|---|---|---|
| The Skippy jersey | Phil Anderson, nicknamed Skippy | In 1981 he became the first rider from outside Europe to lead the Tour de France |
| The Fausto jersey | Fausto Coppi | Il Campionissimo, who rode for Bianchi from 1945 to 1955 |
| The Franco Italia kit | Franco Balmamion | Won the Giro d'Italia in 1962 and 1963 |
| The Cannibal long sleeve jersey | Eddy Merckx, "the Cannibal" | Five Tour de France wins |
| 1977 Tour de France jersey | Bernard Thévenet | Won the Tour in 1975 and 1977 and ended Merckx's reign |
The short sleeve jerseys have three reinforced back pockets, a full-length hidden zip and a silicone gripper at the waist, and the Fausto adds mesh side panels for airflow. The Cannibal comes with or without a thermal fleece lining, which makes it the pick for November mornings. For the bottom half, the Men's MAMIL Classic Gel Padded Cycling Bib has a 9D gel chamois and wide 45 mm silicone leg grippers.
To finish the look, the Skippy cycling cap matches the jersey and sits under a helmet. More designs from the same decades are in our retro cycling jerseys collection, and the stories behind the real team kits are in our retro cycling jersey history.
How do you wear Lycra well at any age?
Fit matters more than anything. Cycling kit should sit close without pinching, so the jersey does not flap and the chamois stays where it belongs. Our jerseys have a club fit cut and run small, so size up if you are between sizes and check the size chart against your own measurements first.
The MAMIL Classic bib is 80% polyester and 20% Lycra, so the "L" in MAMIL is quite literal. Its shoulder straps carry the shorts, which means no waistband digging in on a long ride, and the leg grippers are wide on purpose so they hold without squeezing. Everything is made to order in sizes 2XS-7XL.
A darker bib with a bright jersey is the classic combination, and it is kind to every shape. If you are unsure, our cycling jersey fit guide walks through it. Non-customized items come with 60-day store-credit returns, as our returns policy explains, and customized orders are final.
MAMIL Apparel picks
Men's MAMIL Classic Gel Padded Cycling Bib
$63.99$74.99
Frequently asked questions
What does MAMIL stand for?
Middle-aged man in Lycra. Oxford Dictionaries lists it as British informal for a middle-aged man who is a very keen road cyclist.
Is MAMIL a British or Australian word?
Both, in a way. Oxford says it was apparently first used in Australia for a type of male swimmer, and the cycling meaning spread from a 2010 Mintel report on the UK bicycle market.
Is it rude to call someone a MAMIL?
It started as a tease, and Wikipedia still calls it pejorative. Plenty of riders use it about themselves, but it is safest between friends.
Can women be MAMILs?
The acronym says man, but nobody checks at the café. Our MAMIL Apparel designs are men's cuts, so check the size chart against your own measurements before you choose.
What is MAMIL Apparel?
Our own retro-inspired cycling kit line, designed by the Online Cycling Gear team. Designs such as The Skippy and The Fausto are named after racing greats.
Sources
- road.cc, MAMILs get Oxford Dictionaries seal of approval (2014)
- Wikipedia: Mamil
- Medical Journal of Australia, The emergence and characteristics of the Australian Mamil (2018)
- Wikipedia: Phil Anderson (cyclist)
- Wikipedia: Fausto Coppi
- Wikipedia: Franco Balmamion
- Wikipedia: Eddy Merckx
- Wikipedia: Bernard Thévenet
- Online Cycling Gear sizing charts
- Returns policy, Online Cycling Gear
