Should You Wear Team Kits?

[M Sport]

The very worst crime, perhaps even worse than black "office" socks is wearing the world champions jersey....especially at a club race.

Unless you actually enjoy people taking the pi*s.

I will give you another crime for comparison.

Guy turned up to a local crit on a Trek, wearing full US Postal regalia, Livestrong helmet, Livestrong Oakley Jawbones and without a word of a lie the facial features were so similar to Mr Pharmstrong that he could have passed as a relative .... creepy.

Back on topic .... I wouldn't wear pro team kit on the road, I have two sets that are strictly for training on the turbo trainer mid week in race season so I'm not constantly washing my racing and training club kits.

 

[amp300]

Guy turned up to a local crit on a Trek, wearing full US Postal regalia, Livestrong helmet, Livestrong Oakley Jawbones and without a word of a lie the facial features were so similar to Mr Pharmstrong that he could have passed as a relative .... creepy.

Your story reminds me when I was at a TT here in Arizona a few years ago and some guy, whom I didn't get a clear view of, shows up with a Discovery kit. Later on he lines up with a TTX bike with aero helmet (still no clear view). My friends and I blew it off made fun of the guy, and got ready for our starts. Turned out to be Tom Danielson. Was cool watching him go.


edit: Here we go: http://velonews.competitor.com/2007/02/road/when-the-big-boys-show-up-at-your-local-tt_11641

 

[M Sport]

I was at a TT here in Arizona a few years ago and some guy, whom I didn't get a clear view of, shows up with a Discovery kit. Later on he lines up with a TTX bike with aero helmet (still no clear view). My friends and I blew it off made fun of the guy, and got ready for our starts. Turned out to be Tom Danielson.

Haha, that is funny. I can assure you the guy I saw wasn't Lance though lol ... although I'm picking he wanted to be ....

 

[redtreviso]

I was at a TT here in Arizona a few years ago and some guy, whom I didn't get a clear view of, shows up with a Discovery kit. Later on he lines up with a TTX bike with aero helmet (still no clear view). My friends and I blew it off made fun of the guy, and got ready for our starts. Turned out to be Tom Danielson.

Around here LBS kits are the worst..Well one LBS in particular..Their "team" is like 50 or 60 strong(as if)...Their main purpose in life is to be on the front of a century lineup in case a local newspaper takes a picture.. Same for races except hardly any of them can be in front of an actual race. To join this "team" they buy a Madone of some sort for EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS , five hundred for Sidi ergos, another 300 for a helmet 300 for a current flavor Lanciepoo uniform. Then the LBS throws in their kit and signs them up for the team..They get perks like 2 dollars off on a $9 dollar tube! la di da.. In century rides their team car used to come up and bottle all their riders on the fly much to the disgust of everyone. When they aren't doing this promotional work for their BIG discount they wear their Posty or Discovery kits and do fanboy team time trials on the bike paths. So really..Other than being these guys any other team kit wearing is tolerable in my book.

 

[lightandlongshadows]

Vincent, our hapless middle aged roadie, has been given a talking to by his wife on wearing team kit.

Funny stuff, cracked me up. Cheers

 

[Trev_S]

Who owns a jersey of their favorite football (or similar) team?

No difference.

 

[Zerak-Tul]

Who owns a jersey of their favorite football (or similar) team?

No difference.

This is what I'm thinking..

No wonder cycling has a hard time getting sponsors - in most other sports the diehard fans will wear their team jerseys everywhere and often, and jersey sales are a multi-million dollar business for the teams.
Where as in cycling the diehard fans wouldn't be caught dead wearing a jersey from a pro tour team.

If you like the shirt/team, buy the damn shirt and wear it, **** pretentious notions that it's uncool.

 

[The Hitch]

anyone here got a footon seveto kit ?


Thought so

 

[Alpechraxler]

I actually own some replicas (CSC and BMC)as well as some originals(Phonak). I really like the high quality of the originals, espacially the Nalini leather they got. Just have to put on some seatcream and doing really fine for hours.

 

[bobs nob]

Your story reminds me when I was at a TT here in Arizona a few years ago and some guy, whom I didn't get a clear view of, shows up with a Discovery kit. Later on he lines up with a TTX bike with aero helmet (still no clear view). My friends and I blew it off made fun of the guy, and got ready for our starts. Turned out to be Tom Danielson. Was cool watching him go.


edit: Here we go: http://velonews.competitor.com/2007/02/road/when-the-big-boys-show-up-at-your-local-tt_11641

Did he finish?

 

[bobs nob]

Who owns a jersey of their favorite football (or similar) team?

No difference.

If you show up for your local middle aged beer gut co-ed touch football game in a full uniform.... THEN there is no difference.

No problem for just the jersey. ProTour Matching bib and jersey is odd.

 

[BroDeal]

If I sponsored a team, one of the things I would look at would be team kit sales. If not to judge the popularity of the team then to judge the attractiveness of kit. No matter what your clothing designer or your own sense of aesthetics might tell you, the proof is in the money. You can bet a lot more people are spending their own money on the Caisse kit than the Footon.

I would consider it a big plus if recreational cyclists were riding around in my kit.

 

[Teafan]

I've no problem with wearing trade team tops or shorts (but not matching ones at the same time - don't know why I feel that way though). And the more retro the kit, the better. I've been proudly cycling round the roads of south wales in an old System U jersey for the last few weeks.

But the biggest no-no for me is buying a yellow (or any championship/competition leader) jersey. Those should be won, not bought. An ex-pro I know told me that when I was a kid and it stuck with me ever since.

 

[marinoni]

I don't understand the point of this whole fashion police thing in cycling. Over 30 years of riding I've encountered these idiot many times. I always go out of my way to annoy them. I once had some pompous jerk berate me because my bar tape was the "wrong" colour. I say wear what you want, what inspires you. Anybody has a problem with it, tell them to stick their opinion up their *ss.

 

[SirLes]

If i see someone in a pro jersey/shorts my first thought is: good to see someone else out on their bike and second is: I wonder why that team.

Personally I see nothing wrong in wearing team kit. In fact I think it should be encouraged on the basis that it promotes the sport at pro level. Supporting a team is fun and makes watching the sport more enjoyable. Obviously if you are riding with a club you should wear club colours as part of the team.

I didn't wear a pro team jersey for a while as there wasn't a team that I felt liked supporting which had nice kit. A few months ago I bought the Cervelo test team white kit as I think it looks fantastic and matches my bike!

Think what you like of me, I don't care.

I'm also tempted to get a retro jersey so I can relive my childhood fantasies.

I agree however that Champions jerseys/ leaders jerseys should not be worn because as has been stated, they are prizes. I understand that you can support a team but am not sure you can support the concept of being the leader of the TDF, for example!

 

[riobonito92]

If I ever win a championship jersey (even a masters one) I will frame it and put it on the wall and never wear it.

It annoys me to see people who are not in my (minor amateur) team, and never have been and never will be, wearing the jersey, but the sponsor likes to give them away.

For most of the population, those who do not get their jerseys free, buy what you want, what makes you feel good.

And sometimes I go out without socks! Or worse, unmatched gloves (sometimes I crash and the left one gets destroyed, sometimes it is the right one - what am I to do).

 

[Big GMaC]

I bought a fake Rock Racing kit in China.

To annoy both Rock Racing and people who judge people on team kits. Double win?

 

[Ripper]

There's a guy on the local training ride on Saturday morning that wears a combo of the Boonen and Bettini Quickstep WC kit complete with a copy of Bettinis helmet and shoes, the hideous gold ones....we call him Betooni.....he looks ridiculous.

That sounded familiar, as we have someone similar. That is, until you mentioned the gold helmet and shoes ... then it just made me LMAO

 

[Ripper]

I am fine with folks wearing whatever they want to wear. I used to have issues with championship jerseys and TDF stuff, but not for a long time now

However, I have noticed a correlation locally to a marked increase in BMI and the wearing of either the yellow or polka-dot jersey.

 

[Night Rider]

Who owns a jersey of their favorite football (or similar) team?

No difference.

It’s accepted in most football codes to wear team gear to games in support of your team, on that basis I have no problem with anyone wearing a cycling cap, shirt, etc while out watching the stars on a race.

If you turn up wearing full EPL team kit for a friendly kick around with your mates though , you are going to look like a fool. Likewise if you turn up for a ride with your mates looking like an overweight Tom Boonen, or heaven forbid two of you turn up both dressed in the World Champs kit you look like try hards.

 

[Wallace]

I was doing a Century a few weeks ago and there was a kid in the complete "spotty Pellizotti" outfit: replica Liquigas polka dot Tour climber's jersey, shorts and gloves. Total idiot. I killed myself to drop him on the climbs.

OTOH, there were a bunch of guys who work for T-Mobile riding together in the pink T-Mob jerseys--all nice guys and big Ullrich fans.

So yeah--team jerseys, completely okay, the kind on jersey you have to win to get, not okay.

 

[lafleche]

I'm considering showing up at the next ride wearing this:
http://grahamwatson.com/gw/imagedocs.nsf/PhotosTest/05cipo-023000

The unwritten rules that seem to apply regarding team kits are kind of like hanging out with an ex. It's never ideal, but if enough time has past it can be fun.

 

[lafleche]

Oh yeah --- we'd have called him Bootini. Flows better.

 

[barn yard]

a wise man once said 'would you go for a ride with replica olympic gold medals hanging around your neck?'

 

[Notso Swift]

What ever floats you boat. I usually wear plain Castelli, but have a few kits knocking around,

But Mis-matched kit... that is a crime!