[Closed] Roadies and team kit

Who knows?
A couple of years ago CSC were giving away full team kits as [strike]bribes[/strike] corporate gifts, maybe he got it all free?

I got 3 lots of kit & some other stuff off them 🙂

You are a cycling God

I couldn't wear team kit, though I did when I was young then again there wasn't much choice then, basically your club or a teams kit.
Ti Raleigh
Magniflex Fufamicine?
KAS

not much different from the xc mincers rolling with the motocross look, i'm sure they wear full facers so people can't see their lips move as the make BBRRHMMM BBRRRRHHMMMM noises

maybe he had way more miles in his legs that day than you?

It's the equivalent of stormtroopers at Spooky Wood, or wearing Man U strip for 5 aside.

Replica team kits are generally the preserve of the idiot and certainly not the decent rider.

For full effect you should have full Radio Shack kit, riding a Specialized, or full Cervelo kit and riding a Colnago etc.

This chap seems to conform to the stereotype.

I'm with nonk on this its quite likely hes done 90 miles already and was shagged and appreciating the drafting for a bit. I did 101miles on sun and by the end there was no way I could anything except cling on to a wheel and stare at a rear brake (including crashing through holes!)

They do look cool

Even if he had done lots of miles you don't shout at some randomer for going too fast. He was an idiot, even if he had done 90 miles.

then had a pop at me for riding too fast...

WTF?

Yeah, it's amazing what people wear isn't it?

Just recently I've seen loads of people wearing parts of the England football team kit and most of them looked like they could barely walk to the park let alone get picked for the national team.

nickc - You'd better put together some kind of list for us so we know where we stand. I usually wear my club kit so I guess I'm exempt, but what do I need to do to (say) wear a Team Sky top?

For starters can you tell us what you wear and what your 10 mile TT is or how many BC points you've got - and what kit we get to wear if we're faster / slower than you.

Whilst I was out yesterday on the MTB I passed a chap (on an MTB) wearing HTC Columbia kit..

Here's a fine example.
I did a organised 100K ride, and a guy turned up with a Rainbow jersey and looked like he was giving it the big I am. His manner and jersey led me to believe that actually he was someone, after all no one has balls that big do they?
Then on the ride I came across him just as I was finishing a final loop before the dash for home. This guy and his cronies looked at the signs pointing to this final leg and totally ignored it and procedded to overtake us to finish before us.
He might be a nice bloke but to me he will always be a gonad.

I wear team kit when on my road bike

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What circuit is that, and why is that fella admiring the view instead of getting on a wheel?

Couple of tools out yesterday wearing their "I did the Marmotte" jerseys. One of them still had his race number on the bike.

No kidding

@oldgit, it's Redbridge AKA Hoghill. I think that guy was assesing the gap the break had got on us. That's the crest of a horrible steep climb.

[i]why is that fella admiring the view instead of getting on a wheel?[/i]
I reckon he's thinking of nicking the riderless bike 😉

Yeah I could see it was a climb. Don't know if I'd fancy hoghill, thought it looked new.
I suppose I should get over there for a race.

It's a difficult place to race. I'm not much of a climber.

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If we see flabby chaps who can't play football wearing football shirts we assume that they are expressing support for a team, not pretending to be a member. We may charitably assume the same of people who buy replica cycling team kit perhaps. 🙂

I wear a string vest and bloomers.

Without wishing to be rude, how can that pic be "the crest of a horrible steep climb."?
I can clearly see in the background that there are no hills for many miles 😛

Wear what you like - fast or slow, riding god or mere mortal why should it matter?

Though to balance things about a bit. We saw some people in Francais De Jeux kit and they were Francais De Jeux riders out training.

One thing you have to know about me, and that is I'm a terrible snob when it comes to cycling. It's learnt behavior from the 70s so some of the stuff I see today can often burst a blood vessel.

Without wishing to be rude, how can that pic be "the crest of a horrible steep climb."?
I can clearly see in the background that there are no hills for many miles

When the guy up front is giving it the berries at 32MPH it becomes steep!

Okay 32 is a bit of an exaggeration but you know what I mean.

These threads make me laugh, it's usually the same story 'why do people wear team kit when I don't and I'm so much better than them', or 'I passed them on my downhill bike up a 25% climb'.

nickc I don't understand why you care what people wear.

I wouldn't wear team kit, it's not my thing, but I couldn't give a toss what any other rider, fast or slow, wear what you like.

The difference with cycling pro team kit to football kit (and indeed corporate setup) is that footballerists have traditional club colours and then horrible marketing men adorn them with a few coportate logos (Man U and Aon next year for example). In cycling the actual name of the pro cycling outfit is virtually unknown to the public and the corporate sponsor takes the lead name, with kit colours designed around their corporate image. Therefore in my eyes your Sunday afternoon kick about footballerist is wearing his preferred club colours as a sign of homage and the Sunday rider is wearing a giant advert.

Wear club/team kit if your are in the team, otherwise choose something that actually looks good!

Gary_M I bet you would ride a bike in public with frayed cables you hippy.

I think it all went downhill when they bought out coloured bar tape.

I'm with GaryM, why care what people wear? Although I did work with a guy who rode a hybrid with child seat decked out in a full team kit, he had to ride in something, life too short for caring about what someone has plastered all over their lycra.

I rode in this morning;

on a lilac tourer

Wearing
Red/white/black top
Orange addidas football shorts
Skate shoes (brown, with red laces)

I do hope I didn't offend you :p

ife too short for caring about what someone has plastered all over their lycra.

I'm not saying I dress in gash kit, most certainly not, but I couldn't care less if other people decide to dress in horrible gear.

Frayed cables?, no way, things have to look right - for me. The devil's in the detail.

I don't really care what folk wear. The point I was trying to make was; he was obviously out enjoying his day tooling about on his bike minding his own business. I came past him [i]then[/i] he decided to chase me, but couldn't. Do you see what I mean? It was almost as if because he was in the kit...

I'm faster than some folk people are faster than me. It was just a bit of a weird experince is all. To be shouted at for doing a ride at my own pace by this random bloke.

Why don't people wear plain roadie kit?
MTB clothes aren't peppered with corporate logos

I remember when you had to remove the logos on race shoes.

Oh yeh the random telling you to slow down thing was odd, very odd.

I remember when it was all fields round 'ere.

Without wishing to be rude, how can that pic be "the crest of a horrible steep climb."?
I can clearly see in the background that there are no hills for many miles

The place itself is on the top of a hill the picture is fcing toward London which is flat.

I get told off for not wearing a club jersey on my club rides - I dislike fitting in.

I don't think that the snobs ever mind club kit - that's acceptable.

While I'll admit to a quiet chuckle to myself if I see someone kitted out in full Lance kit with matching bike, helmet, etc who is crawling along, I'll also still say hello and frankly it's better that they're out on a bike than not. The scenario (as many who've worked in bike shops will have experienced) is that someone buys their first proper road bike and wants some kit so logically buys whatever decent looking team kit the shop sells - particularly if it matches the bike's brand. Nothing wrong with that really, is there?

MTB clothes aren't peppered with corporate logos

Never been to an XC race then?

I know we're such terrible snobs, but it's nice that the peasants identify themselves for us.

Nothing wrong with using team kit, not my bag but if it motivates you to get on your bike then good the more bikes on the road the better. It's not affecting you or detracting from your enjoyment we are all different!

I know we're such terrible snobs, but it's nice that the peasants identify themselves for us

Exactly. Three or four years ago, if someone was wearing full Discovery kit you knew not to get anywhere near them because chances are they had no sense.

Not sure what the current equivalent is, maybe Cervelo, or Team Sky in a month or two?

MTB clothes aren't peppered with corporate logos

Never been to an XC race then?

Oh yes, once...they are actual sponsored athletes though.

I often wear a ben and jerries jersey, where does this fit into the scheme of things.

On the on hand it maks me as a corperate whore for wearing a companies logo all over my top.

On the other hand, Ben and Jerries don't have a race team?

I'm confused.

I've just ordered some team road jerseys. I'll mainly wear then to ride to work and maybe even for mountain biking. I bought them because I like the look of them and they were cheap.

I'm guessing most people buy team kit and "all the gear" because they are really into biking regardless of how good they are. Not a problem for me.

I often wear a ben and jerries jersey, where does this fit into the scheme of things.

It puts you up there with people who wear Marmite / Whiskey / Real Ale jerseys.

Make of that what you will.

wear national chanpions jerseys. the Italian one is lovely

There is a peculiarly British slant to all this, which stems from the history of cycling in this country, and one which is expressed even in mountain biking.

Wearing continental trade team tops in the days when all 'proper' cyclists rode for clubs marked you out as a loner, a newbie, and not part of the gang. There are different levels to the problem though; it's seen as acceptable, even fashionable, to wear kit from some obscure Belgian bike shop team; I saw someone wearing a hat from Plum Vanquers the other day, yet wearing a Sky jersey suggests to some that you might not be that knowledgeable.

It's the same as buying a Specialized bike; you get a sense that some might look down on you because it's not made by a man in a shed in BC.

It's like using Mavic factory wheels instead of Open Pro/Ultegra made by some greasy aproned artisan who once applied chamois cream for the brother of a man who was a semi pro.

It's part of being a cyclist in the UK, and it's funny that people take it so seriously. Ultimately it's similar to that 'I've been into them for years' thing about bands; as soon as everyone likes them, the cognoscenti drop them like a stone.

I've been droppped by a man in a parka wearing trainers while on a chaingang; its all good..

I usually wear either a Stiff Little Fingers sweatshirt, a Che Guevara t-shirt or a Decathlon cycling top whilst on the road bike.

I've never been in a Northern Irish Punk band nor have I been an armed revolutionary. The last time I tried the hurdles I nearly broke one.

I do like winding up snobs though, and teamed with an Alpkit rucksack and ancient Shimano MTB boots, I find it does the trick perfectly. 😀

I reckon crikey sums that up pretty well.

Never had the time / commitment to join a club because of my line of work.

Not overly keen on manufacturer / team tops, but like my Marmite, Ardbeg and event tops...

... Got to wear something on the bike after all.

(Quite liked the Morvelo tops I saw at MM, but was keeping a tight reign on the wallet)

Few crackers I see quite often near me:

- Guy who wears full Euskadel kit, including the matching Orbea bike.
- Older guy who wears full Bettenni World Champs kit. Socks, shoes, helmet, the works.
- Rather large gentleman in full Liquigas kit, with the matching Cannondale. Belly nearly touches to TT.

Always amuses me, but apart from the World Champs kit, doesn't annoy me. National or World Champs kit has to be earned.

What do you think of this then..

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So can I wear team kit on a single speed, with 3/4 length baggies, whilst using a mary bar with bar ends? Or only with interesting facial hair, whilst sipping a 3000 year old malt from an antique hip flask?

I suppose if it makes riding on a road seem more exciting then fair play to them

whilst using a mary bar with bar ends

I don't think you're allowed to do anything if you're doing that.

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I've got this, but I suspect wearing it might be a bit too retro trendy, and I would need a pair of my sisters jeans to complete the look..

There's also classic kit. The question is, how long does it take for an old team strip to be acceptable?

...I'm not Freddy Maertens either..

Guy who wears full Euskadel kit, including the matching Orbea bike

I suppose if it makes riding on a road seem more exciting then fair play to them

If what they are wearing has a bearing on their level of excitement they definitely conform to my stereotype of an idiot!

What do you think of this then..

Take the ****ing suitcase off the back of the saddle.

I reckon it's all a manifestation of the British obsession with class and putting / keeping everyone in their 'place'.

That's why I like racing so much, it doesn't matter what you ride or what you wear, the results speak for themselves.

Except apparently [i]my[/i] results should have me wearing cut-off jeans and trainers when I'm out on the road. Oh well, I guess I'm "over-kitted". My apologies in advance to everyone that is offended as they overtake me.

I'll try to remember to shout "Slow down!" so you can make a proper indignant forum post.

Real Man, a critic would say shorts look too short, and jersey looks a bit too big.

Realman - What do you think of this then..

Polkadot jersey while riding a triple? Fail.

Wouldn't even know what was or wasn't team kit & care even less what other people ride when out on their bikes, just find it mildly amusing when some riders do their darnest not to see my cheery wave as we pass by 😀

Plenty of sports provide people with the cash to equipe themselves with pro-level kit whilst maybe not having pro-level skills, but if it makes them happy then there is no harm. It's not my cup of tea, so I don't do it, nor have I got the cash. But if pointing and laughing makes you feel superior and better about yourself, well it says more about you really.

Possibly, the jersey was given to me as a present. Might not be complete right size, but I love it. Shorts [i]too[/i] short? Crazy talk.

Polkadot jersey while riding a triple? Fail.

Not being able to tell the difference between a triple and a compact? Do I even have to say it?

There is only on perosn that should wear the polka dot\yellow\rainbow\national champs jersey and that is the guy who won it, end of story...

I usually wear either a Stiff Little Fingers sweatshirt, a Che Guevara t-shirt or a Decathlon cycling top whilst on the road bike.

I'm curious.

Do you wear the SLF sweatshirt so people know you like that band? Presumably so they can say: "Oh, I like/don't like/have never heard of SLF". Or is there another reason?

Similarly, do you wear a Che t-shirt to show solidarity with the Comrades or something?

Like I say, I'm just curious. I don't really 'get' those sorts of designs. I'm guessing you're trying to tell people something - I'm just not sure what?

I wear a Cervelo jersey and jersey only, plain bibs/socks etc. But I ride a Cervelo... is that ok? Just thought I'd check.

I generally think if you want to wear a team jersey then fine. I even think if you want to wear a yellow jersey fine. Generally if you're in full kit, or a green/polka jersey, you better be quick and good.

Don't know why the green/polka bothers me though, maybe it's the yellow just says you like cycling, the other two are making some sort of statement about how good you think you are...

There is only on perosn that should wear the polka dot\yellow\rainbow\national champs jersey and that is the guy who won it, end of story...

It does sort of transfer to other sports though. You going to tell an 8 year old to take off his manchester united shirt cause he's not good enough to wear it? Nothing wrong with showing you support something. Nothing wrong with having a few aspirations.

the other two are making some sort of statement about how good you think you are...

If it makes you feel better, when I do wear that jersey, I do attack on every single hill. And I'm not what you'd call slow up the hills.

As long as you're wearing [i]something[/i] eh, that's the main thing. 😉

Agree with Crikey on this one.

When I started out I was not a member of a club and bought a Carrerra jersey (1992) as it was Stephen Roche's team mainly. Since then tended to go away from team strips (i.e. Rapha - but thats another thread!) except what I consider the classic Peugeot jersey I bought a couple of years ago. I do own a very old Dutch or Belgian possibly semi-pro jersey which is in my county colours so appealed to me.

I also have one of the first STW jerseys which I like - not sure if that marks me out as a knob or not though!

On balance rather people were riding.

I bought the sweatshirt outside their first Mancunian gig after reforming, back in the 'eighties. I like the design and it brings back a lot of happy memories.

It's got quite a few holes in it where the creosote I used to paint the fence ate away the fabric, but it's comfy, made of very light cotton, and functions perfectly well over a base layer. I've worn it at both the bike races I've ever entered and may wear it again at the third on Saturday.

The Che T shirt was a present, along with a book on photography, from my partner.
I love Alberto Korda and think it's a wonderful iconic image of a very different time.

I'm sure both may pigeon-hole me as a romantic old lefty who never quite grew up, which is absolutely fine by me. 😀

Not being able to tell the difference between a triple and a compact? Do I even have to say it?

Pretty hard to tell with such a small photo. Your mate has one, and looking at the bandage on your knee, you could do with one too.

If it makes you feel better, when I do wear that jersey, I do attack on every single hill. And I'm not what you'd call slow up the hills.

I would. 😉

I'm sure both may pigeon-hole me as a romantic old lefty who never quite grew up, which is absolutely fine by me.

You'll be pleased to know that they do <smile>.