commuting in team jerseys

Harry B

Is it okay to commute in team jerseys? On a road bike of course but is it not a bit brash?

I have a nice Cofidis jersey that I wore on an L2P recently, the thought being that if we broke down we would be more likely to get assistance if wearing a french team jersey. The colours make it a useful commuting top but I feel a bit over dressed cycling through London on it :oops:

Please advise me Oh Masters of the Commute

Gazzaputt

Where whatever you want it's your choice don't worry about others.

But remember team kit equals marked man!

biondino

Yeah it's fine. Some odd people with chips on their shoulder may feel an increased need to race you but it'll keep you on your toes!

Also the Cofidis top is very pretty and very noticeable so it's a good commuting top regardless.

Harry B

Gazzaputt wrote:

Where whatever you want it's your choice don't worry about others.

But remember team kit equals marked man!

Thats fine, I'm getting quicker and quicker this year

Bassjunkieuk

Team jerseys are OK, it's things like KOM or the green jersey (especially in London) that you'd need to be wary of - they would be like a red rag to a bull to the Embankment Peloton :-D

Personally when I see someone in team kit I'll assume they are a more serious cyclist and I'm always a little more wary around them.

Harry B

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

Team jerseys are OK, it's things like KOM or the green jersey (especially in London) that you'd need to be wary of - they would be like a red rag to a bull to the Embankment Peloton :-D

Personally when I see someone in team kit I'll assume they are a more serious cyclist and I'm always a little more wary around them.

Polka Dot, Yellow and Green are only for those who earn them! Having said that I doubt we'll see Contador on the Uxbridge Road. I did once see a guy who must have been at least 16 stone wearing a polka dot jersey at the start of the L2B. Surprisingly enough I didn't see him at the end. No doubt Ditchling Beacon did for him

I might have to shave the legs for the full effect :shock:

gabriel959

I had to wait for a while until I could wear the clothes I wanted (teenager) to be arsed to please people now that I am an adult.

I wear team kit from some obscure teams and I use it because I will be noticed and because I LIKE IT!!!

Bassjunkieuk

Harry B wrote:

Polka Dot, Yellow and Green are only for those who earn them! Having said that I doubt we'll see Contador on the Uxbridge Road. I did once see a guy who must have been at least 16 stone wearing a polka dot jersey at the start of the L2B. Surprisingly enough I didn't see him at the end. No doubt Ditchling Beacon did for him

I might have to shave the legs for the full effect :shock:

I've seen a few people in KOM jerseys when I've been commuting and spotted a handful on my limited visit's to Richmond Park. It's not very common but does happen and the one time that I can remember seeing the polka dot jersey when commuting wasn't actually in central London :-) Having said this the guy could shift and gave me a nice workout from the lights

shoulder_of_orion

I bought team kit recently as I wanted to be sure that what I was buying would be high quality and figured that replica kit would fit the bill. For the price I think it is about as good value as you will get.

It does make you a marked man, but I enjoy that aspect. In fact some people don't even bother racing you as they seem to look across and resign themselves that they will not be as fast as you. In any case the true top of the tree is the club rider. But I definitely feel more pressure when wearing the team kit and I think it has helped to keep me honest (ie I NEVER slow down when it's safe to go fast)

I used to mock people who wore lycra and especially team kit and I must admit I do feel a bit of a plonker sometimes. Like when I have to walk through the company car park and I come across a colleague getting into their car. That is partly due to the codpiece nature and vulgar colour of the Liquigas shorts/kit.

But to be honest I have never really cared what other people think of me...

I would never wear green, yellow or KOM and 90% of the people who wear them cannot carry it off. However, there was a guy in the KOM I saw on embankment this morning (going in the opposite direction on a De Rosa frame) - he was shifting and looked like he deserved to wear it, though tbh the real test of the KOM is uphill.

Bassjunkieuk

All this talk of team kit..........I'd quite fancy some team kit if I can ever get the go-ahead from the Chief Accountant :-) Quite like the HTC bits but that's mainly off the back of the success of Manx Missile in that recent bike race ;-)

shoulder_of_orion

I had thought about getting the team Saxo Bank as my next team kit as I thought it seemed the best looking of the TdF kits.

Garmin and Astana are absolutely hideous!

dilemna

What's wrong with club kit?

Delusions of grandeur me thinks unless of
course you can breeze along at 45 mph
along the Embankment . But then you should
be on the Pro ciricuit.

Eau Rouge

Harry B wrote:

Polka Dot, Yellow and Green are only for those who earn them!

Giro pink or Vuelta Gold, or their Green KoM, or the fetching mauve or Blue with yellow fish they use for the points jerseys being equally uncool I guess?

Harry B

Eau Rouge wrote:

Harry B wrote:

Polka Dot, Yellow and Green are only for those who earn them!

Giro pink or Vuelta Gold, or their Green KoM, or the fetching mauve or Blue with yellow fish they use for the points jerseys being equally uncool I guess?

I nearly brought the Giro pink :oops: Luckily they were out of stock at the time and I had come to my senses by the time they had them back in stock

gabriel959

dilemna wrote:

What's wrong with club kit?

Delusions of grandeur me thinks unless of
course you can breeze along at 45 mph
along the Embankment . But then you should
be on the Pro ciricuit.

Club kit is bloody expensive for CCC. I like it though and would like to get some.

cjcp

I commute regularly in club kit. Figure I'd buy another club kit jersey before a team jersey. Not so fussed on team kit either because some of the kits are a bit pants and I figure you're paying a big mark up for getting team kit, so club kit represents better VFM IMO. I confess to liking the CTT kit though.

jrduquemin

Shoulder of Lamb wrote:

I had thought about getting the team Saxo Bank as my next team kit as I thought it seemed the best looking of the TdF kits.

Garmin and Astana are absolutely hideous!

I went and bought the Saxo Bank team kit, including the socks for the full effect :-) I'll only wear it on special occasions though :-)

Dudu

Harry B wrote:

Is it okay to commute in team jerseys? On a road bike of course but is it not a bit brash?

Wear whatever you want. Although I find it amusing when I espy riders, commuting or not, wearing jerseys of teams that have been implicated in big doping scandals - Astana, Festina, Saunier Duval etc etc etc

Personally, I go for a club jersey, something plain and unlogo'd, a memento of some well-known holiday destination or one of Foska's excellent creations (unless I'm wearing the ancient Dutch club jersey my son found for me in a market in Amsterdam). The only team jersey I've got is RAGT, for the agricultural connection.

mrchrispy

team jersey screams of 'all the gear no idea', i reckon you've got to be pretty fast to pull it off.
i don't think i have the legs to make it work and it does mark you out as a prime target

jrduquemin

mrchrispy wrote:

team jersey screams of 'all the gear no idea', i reckon you've got to be pretty fast to pull it off.
i don't think i have the legs to make it work and it does mark you out as a prime target

I wouldn't say so personally. My insight on this is: if you wear a team jersey/kit, it states that you are a committed cyclist :-)

solsurf

I wear a KOM top to work and it really helps me get up the hills (a total of 800ft climb to work) especially when others are racing me. Although I had a 50+ year old kick my arse coming home last week wearing a Wheelbase kit saying howdo as he passed, I must have been a red rag to him.

One of the best things about the KOM is it really stands out on the lanes on the way to work.

Anyway wear what you want, just expect to get beat!
cheers,

jonginge

jrduquemin wrote:

mrchrispy wrote:

team jersey screams of 'all the gear no idea', i reckon you've got to be pretty fast to pull it off.
i don't think i have the legs to make it work and it does mark you out as a prime target

I wouldn't say so personally. My insight on this is: if you wear a team jersey/kit, it states that you are a committed cyclist :-)

I agree. But it does depend which kit you end up getting. There was a chap in full Astana on embankment the other day...
FWIW a couple of my commute jersies are FdJ and a 1987 Carrera top. Main reason for wearing them is that they're predominantly white, my one nod to hi-viz. CJ's post above has just given me a thought about a white CTT jersey.... * wanders off to wiggle, shudders at price *

shoulder_of_orion

cjcp wrote:

.. and I figure you're paying a big mark up for getting team kit...

I'm not so sure about this. The Nalini team bib shorts I bought were about £50. That is pretty competitive or cheaper than equivalent non-team shorts. Can you get plain Nalini shorts?

As for "all the gear and no idea", again I disagree. You don't expect everyone who wears a Man Utd top to be as good as Wayne Rooney do you? Anyway, as I said before:

1) I don't really give a monkeys what people think when I am wearing team kit. It makes me feel good and that's enough. It's not a massive extravagance as it seems about the same price as normal cycling gear (Cervelo TT excepted)

2) I have not disgraced myself wearing it and it has been a good discipline for me. On the handful of occasions I have been overtaken by another cyclist in the past few months since buying it, it has been by someone higher up the food chain: e.g. a club cyclist or someone kitted head to toe in Rapha

Gazzaputt

mrchrispy wrote:

team jersey screams of 'all the gear no idea', i reckon you've got to be pretty fast to pull it off.
i don't think i have the legs to make it work and it does mark you out as a prime target

Although I don't own any team kit I can't see why it makes all the gear no idea

mrchrispy

ATGNI does sound a little harsh, but i say it as a guy at work is getting his first road bike via cycle2work and he's harping on about which team kit to get. poor chap. i'm trying to educate him but its a up hill challange.

Verbal

I was cycling home from work about a month ago and, whilst waiting at a red light, spotted someone wearing a world champions jersey. "Unforgiveable!" I tutted to myself as the light went green and I continued on my merry way. The next set of traffic lights I catch my reflection in a shop window and remember that I'm wearing my 2005 Discovery logo'd Best Young Rider TdF jersey. I berate myself for being a hypocrite and also the fact that, at 36, I really have no business wearing it. Having said that though, I don't really care. I like the jersey and I shall continue to wear it along with my other replica team jerseys (not at the same time obviously, that would be silly). They're comfy, they wick sweat away from the body, they're dry when I put them on again to go home at the end of the day (most important) and they look good. I also happen to put on an England rugby shirt when watching the 6 Nations and I proudly wore my Lions shirt during the recent test series. At no point have I played for either sides (the selectors must have lost my phone number...).

Wear what you like, its no one else's business. I also cycle in black socks <pulls pin and tosses grenade...>

cjcp

Shoulder of Lamb wrote:

cjcp wrote:

.. and I figure you're paying a big mark up for getting team kit...

I'm not so sure about this. The Nalini team bib shorts I bought were about £50. That is pretty competitive or cheaper than equivalent non-team shorts. Can you get plain Nalini shorts?

Fair point. I must admit I don't know what the price of bib shorts is, but I was looking at the original prices on PBK last weekend and thought "that's a bit steep".

I've seen some Nalini Team shorts on the commute; never looked at the prices though. My club kit is Nalini and the bib shorts are about £45-ish.

andrewlwood

Harry B wrote:

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

I did once see a guy who must have been at least 16 stone wearing a polka dot jersey at the start of the L2B. Surprisingly enough I didn't see him at the end. No doubt Ditchling Beacon did for him

I might have to shave the legs for the full effect :shock:

Oi! I'm about 16st and have done the L2B several times (and longer). Confess to cheating on the beacon occasionally. And I have an inherent safety mechanism and more importantly a respect for others that prevents me from wearing lycra above the waist, or anything in polka dots at all.

prawny

cjcp wrote:

Shoulder of Lamb wrote:

cjcp wrote:

.. and I figure you're paying a big mark up for getting team kit...

I'm not so sure about this. The Nalini team bib shorts I bought were about £50. That is pretty competitive or cheaper than equivalent non-team shorts. Can you get plain Nalini shorts?

Fair point. I must admit I don't know what the price of bib shorts is, but I was looking at the original prices on PBK last weekend and thought "that's a bit steep".

I've seen some Nalini Team shorts on the commute; never looked at the prices though. My club kit is Nalini and the bib shorts are about £45-ish.

I've just got some plain black Nalini bibs frm PBK and as far as I can see from the catalouge the pad and cut is exactly the same - £17.55 delivered I can even do the sausage smuggle a la Thomas Voeckler in the TDF

Greggyr

I've got a long sleeved maglia rosa, which is VERY visible....plus I love pink !!!

i am a much better golfer than I am a cyclist, and nobody accuses me of thinking I'm Tiger Woods if I'm wearing a Nike polo shirt...

Gregoire

Homer J

I've seen a dude in full Livestrong kit :shock: