Best and Worst National Champs jerseys

[jaylew]

Some nations do the band across the chest - almost invariably on a simple white jersey. Germany, Great Britain, Austria, Portugal.

Ugh. Those are just awful.

Italy can do the big tricolore or can do the bands across the chest. But the problem is not bands across the chest. It's that the jersey is basically an Astana jersey with some bands across the middle.

That's what's cool about it. The Astana jersey actually looks good with the Itaian colors. It looks much better now that it goes all the way around. And the bands are wide which looks nice. Those Movistar and Leopard/Trek ones were awful, I agree.

Should be full tricolor (see Santaromita's from BMC and Orica), and what Netserk said, also...band across chest jersey's are horrible no matter what.

I liked those Santamorita looks, mostly because they incorporated the entire kit. Those white jerseys with a couple of flag colored bands and normal team bibs are just boring and nondescript.

 

[roadbiker]

Skinsuit/critsuits are totally unnecessary IMO. The pockets are generally too tight and don't fit enough to be useful for a long race and they're a b!tch when you need a nature break. I've tried a critsuit twice and gave it away, I don't get the fascination with the stupid things.

Just use a jersey and knicks that are slightly too small.

Maybe you've tried the wrong suit.
The Castelli Sanremo Suit is great.
- Full zip (overlaps at the bottom) for natural break
- perfect (3) back pockets (with a great amount of stretch and support, betten than lots of jersey pockets).
http://www.castelli-cycling.com/Products/Men/Tops/SpeedSuits/SANREMO-3-0-SPEED-SUIT/p/451400014P

 

[BigMac]

Ugh. Those are just awful.
.

Heresy! Sacrilege!

 

[lemon cheese cake]

Just use a jersey and knicks that are slightly too small.

Santani make aero bibshorts and jerseys so you dont need a size too small. These were actually found to be more aero than their own road skinsuit at certain speeds.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

UI liked those Santamorita looks, mostly because they incorporated the entire kit. Those white jerseys with a couple of flag colored bands and normal team bibs are just boring and nondescript.

Heresy! This is one of the greatest national champion's kits of all time:

In fairness, the German national kit should always be white with the national flag bands, because that is far more immediately identifiable as German than if they had a big tricolor jersey similar to the Belgian one. In almost every sport Germany is white with trim in the flag colours, except the winter ones where it's black with trim in the flag colours.

Footon-Servetto tried the full-jersey Austrian kit, and it just didn't look right, it was no longer as identifiable as with the traditional flag bands. Zoidl's new kit is how it's done.

Radioshack (the original incarnation) did a full skinsuit in the Portuguese national colours for Machado. It was HIDEOUS.

How that can be better than the classic white with the national bands I do not know. This is pure class:

I would go with a simple rule of thumb. Flags with crosses make good full jersey flags (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Switzerland, Georgia). Flags with vertical tricolors make good full jersey flags (Belgium, France, Italy). Flags with horizontal tricolors can make either, depending on style (Netherlands & Luxembourg look best with full jersey, but Germany and Austria look better with white jersey with bands).

 

[Jancouver]

If you're going to make it a band across the chest (though it beats me why you would), at least make it classy:

Ha! I have that jersey somewhere in my pile of jersey. When I got it, I was hoping Pippo will win few more big races and I will get it autographed.

Well, neither of those happened yet and I dont see neither happening anytime soon

 

[jaylew]

Heresy! This is one of the greatest national champion's kits of all time:

That's not too bad, but then like I mentioned, he's not wearing stock team bibs. The bibs actually go with the jersey which I feel is always a better look. Still, I'd prefer wider bands and a bit more black red and gold.

Zoidl's new kit is how it's done.

Is that the one with the black eagle and the red and white stripes on the bottom of the bibs? That is sweet. The eagle and especially the matching stripes on the bibs are what make the kit for me.

How that can be better than the classic white with the national bands I do not know. This is pure class:

Meh. The bibs are hideous, at least what I see of them. The jersey isn't too bad I guess, but the overall look leaves something to be desired for me. Something about it looks a bit cheap.

I would go with a simple rule of thumb. Flags with crosses make good full jersey flags (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Switzerland, Georgia). Flags with vertical tricolors make good full jersey flags (Belgium, France, Italy). Flags with horizontal tricolors can make either, depending on style (Netherlands & Luxembourg look best with full jersey, but Germany and Austria look better with white jersey with bands).

I'm not into rules of thumb for stuff like this, which in the grand scheme of things, just isn't really that important. I like innovation. Try something different, push the envelope a bit. If that means you come up with something that doesn't work so well, so be it. In general, I'm just not into the same crap over and over. My two favorite football (American) teams have two of the more iconic uniforms out there but I'd give anything for them to change them up a bit like so many other teams have done.

Btw, which of these countries with vertical stripes in their flag has actually tried to do vertical stripes on the nats jersey?

 

[observer]

Btw, which of these countries with vertical stripes in their flag has actually tried to do vertical stripes on the nats jersey?

This one. I think after the Italian federation complained about the Katusha jersey the first time, they released this as a bit of a FU.

 

[jaylew]

Wow. How did I miss that one? It's awesome.

 

[Afrank]

This one. I think after the Italian federation complained about the Katusha jersey the first time, they released this as a bit of a FU.

I can't decide whether I feel amazement or terror upon viewing that.

 

[Martin]

If you wonder if Slovaks had always horrible national champs jerseys while racing in professional teams, the answer is yes.
This is even worse the Sagan's Saxo jersey:

 

[staubsauger]

This one. I think after the Italian federation complained about the Katusha jersey the first time, they released this as a bit of a FU.

At least he in fact looks like the Italian national champion, rather than the Iranian one.

France should actually make a very classy vertical striped champion jersey. Didn't Voeckler once had one?

 

[KubaWinter]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the reason for horizontal stripes around the jersey lays in how it looks when you see the rider on the bike from the side, which is the most common situation. It has it merits when the whole jersey was devoted to national colours. So for example the fuss around Italian's or Polish jersey's wasn't about the vertical/horizontal issue, but about squeezing the bands to very small area of jersey and leaving the rest in team colours.

 

[Christian]

Has S. Langeveld's new jersey been released yet? I couldn't find anything online

 

[lemon cheese cake]

If you wonder if Slovaks had always horrible national champs jerseys while racing in professional teams, the answer is yes.
This is even worse the Sagan's Saxo jersey:

Thats a club jersey, not a slovak champs jersey. So I guess Velits (correct me on the name if im wrong) rode for Milram Cycling Club.

 

[Paul50]

MALORI Adriano
Italian Champion ITT 2014 - Jersey 2015

 

[LaFlorecita]

Thats a club jersey, not a slovak champs jersey. So I guess Velits (correct me on the name if im wrong) rode for Milram Cycling Club.

He rode for Milram & was Slovakian national champion. That's his national champ jersey. The Milram jersey was the same color as the logo.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

MALORI Adriano
Italian Champion ITT 2014 - Jersey 2015

It's so much better! ...not.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gallery-nibali-and-astana-show-off-their-2015-colours

Two horrible jerseys for the Italian nation champion. If I wouldnt feel any pride wearing those two jerseys.

 

[May0maniac]

Two horrible jerseys for the Italian nation champion. If I wouldnt feel any pride wearing those two jerseys.

I think someone should try to make a blue jersey, like the classic Squadra Azzurra football jersey, with flag colored bands. The normal Tricolore jersey always ends up looking like a iranian national jersey.

 

[Paul50]

VALGREN ANDERSEN Michael
Danish Champion RR 2014 - 2015 Jersey

 

[nhowson]

Two horrible jerseys for the Italian nation champion. If I wouldnt feel any pride wearing those two jerseys.

How hard is it to do three big horizontal stripes and leave out all the advertising? Vichot did it and he probably got more airtime along with FDJ as a result. Plus I don't think a random Kazakh group of companies care that much, it's not like everyone will forget who he rides for. Same for Malori to a degree.

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

 

[GP Blanco]

This really hurts my eyes.

 

[scholar]

This is without doubt the worst example provided on this thread so far.

 

[BigMac]

Gorgeous jersey. Should be a cleaner design, but it's Lampre afterall.

Stupid helmet.