Is there such a thing as jersey etiquette?

snaphappyspen

I was just thinking, and this may sound stupid.

But say someone was to buy a king of the hills Jersey but was terrible at hills for instance. Would people think why is he wearing that hes rubbish at hill climbs? Or not think anything of it?

Grill

People will always have opinions, the questions is are you the type of person that requires validation from strangers or would you rather do what you want and be happy?

ShutUpLegs

Where whatever you want as long as its not a SKY jersey

dantheman1979

Or a yellow jersey lol

declan1

Don't try to be something you aren't; you'll just look like an idiot. I feel a bit silly on my bright yellow bike sometimes, but hopefully I'll look a bit better in time

andysol

The general rule goes only wear a jersey you are entitled to wear. Except when the jersey is classed as "retro". Of course other opinions --- if you like the design wear it! I guess its like playing pub football with a club shirt on. However cycists are a fickle snobish lot!
Andy

rodgers73

That's only a general rule to a few though. Every time this topic comes up loads of people say they don't care what stuff others wear (comparisons with football kits etc etc)

MattC59

The general rule is: it's your money, buy what you want and wear what you want.

I think it's pretty obvious that you're not king of the mountains, so in my view, anyone who get's arsey because they think you're pretending to be something you're not, or haven't earned it, can f*ck off.

(The exception of coures, is the World Champ jersey )

MattC59

declan1 wrote:

Don't try to be something you aren't; you'll just look like an idiot.

No, the people who are idiots are the people that think that just because you're wearing a certain jersey, means you're trying to be something you aren't :roll:

Raffles

I pretty much dont give a hoot what others think of the jersey im wearing, but.............................there are some songs cover bands just do not do like stairway to heaven etc etc, and I wouldnt go out riding on the road in the rainbow world champion jersey as Im truly not worthy. The yellow , green, polka or pink , I couldnt care less if some corksniffer gets his lycra in a twist, but I do pay my respect to the rainbow jersey,

kleinstroker

Road bike riders do seem to have this idea that only a select few are allowed to wear such things as Yellow/Green TDF jerseys, or even worse king of the mountains and world championship jerseys. I guess it comes from respect from those that earned it in real life, but it is a bit silly to say the least. I'm sure the riders who do earn them couldn't give a toss if some bloke huffs and puffs his way over the Surrey downs in a KOM jersey.
Isn't imitation the greatest form of flattery or something??

Raffles

There are elitist club morons in cliques the length and breadth of the UK who will approach a rider in any of the TDF jerseys, and think they are doing him a favour when they advise him that he really shouldnt be wearing that jersey. Best thing to do is collectively tell that clique to fekk off and mind their own business and go and enjoy the time on the bike in that nice jersey. There are some despicable elements in road cycling that a guy or gal on their bike has to suffer unfortunately.

MattC59

Yes, but should I wear a helmet and lube my chain with WD40 ? Also, should I say hello to everyone else who I see on a bike ?

Raffles

You missed the wet or dry lube debate Matt.

adm1

Would you wear a Victoria Cross down the pub without having been awarded it? Or an Afghanistan Campaign Medal without having served there?

At the end of the day, wear what you want. My personal take on it though is not to wear the kit of any club or team you haven't ridden with unless it is over 30 years old or so and you are going for the slightly ironic retro look. And make sure you know all the relevant history and trivia to go with it.

But really, wear whatever you want. Just don't be surprised or offended if some people look at you a bit funny.

As for football kit comparisons, if you want to look one of like ten million other Man U fans that have never even visited the ground, go right ahead. Probably best worn with track suit pants, cheap gold, white trainers and a beer belly for the full effect.

simon_masterson

I wouldn't, but I wouldn't wear the team jersey of any team I weren't part of. I have a couple of England football shirts, but A) they aren't the expensive replica kit, and I wear them with a pair of jeans not the rest of the getup, rather like a lot of other football supporters. In cycling it's somewhat less common; in my experience, anyway.

It's not about vanity, either; as anybody who knows me would likely attest, I care very little for how others think I should look or dress. I don't feel worthy of that uniform, so I don't wear it. If you want to, that's fine by me.

Unless you're actively striving to look/talk/smell like Brad Wiggins as well, I think anyone who has a problem is likely to be an idiot. Possibly a jealous idiot. Though if you're overweight and slow you might stand a better chance of avoiding charges of wannabeism.

southdownswolf

Wear what you like.
However to me, wearing team jerseys is fine as you are showing your support to that team, but wearing KOM/Yellow replica/World Champion etc unless you have earned it is a bit strange. Each to their own though.

simona75

Yes, always remain fully dressed on St Helier high street and be nice to Bergerac if you meet him

StillGoing

adm1 wrote:

Would you wear a Victoria Cross down the pub without having been awarded it? Or an Afghanistan Campaign Medal without having served there?

At the end of the day, wear what you want. My personal take on it though is not to wear the kit of any club or team you haven't ridden with unless it is over 30 years old or so and you are going for the slightly ironic retro look. And make sure you know all the relevant history and trivia to go with it.

But really, wear whatever you want. Just don't be surprised or offended if some people look at you a bit funny.

As for football kit comparisons, if you want to look one of like ten million other Man U fans that have never even visited the ground, go right ahead. Probably best worn with track suit pants, cheap gold, white trainers and a beer belly for the full effect.

So by the same token you wouldn't buy a bike used by a pro team then? Drawing comparisons with wearing medals down the pub is odd. One is likely to result in broken teeth and the other is simple team loyalty. You don't get wankers wearing medals they're not entitled to to express their support for the armed forces, they wear them so people think they've done something with their miserable lives instead of tossing it off down the pub or in front of a computer. No fool would think someone wearing a KOM jersey had actually won a KOM or cycling along in their team jersey was actually on the teams books. Wear what you want, modern, vintage, bright, dowdy whatever.

neeb

philthy3 wrote:

No fool would think someone wearing a KOM jersey had actually won a KOM or cycling along in their team jersey was actually on the teams books.

Why not? As long as they were fit, slim and a half competent cyclist, how would you know? Might be Robert Millar in disguise, or an old French pro on a UK holiday... All the more so for team jerseys, although I don't see why anyone should have a problem with anyone wearing those.

Maybe TdF yellow & green, KOM & world champ jerseys should only be worn by people who haven't won them if they really are so fat and hopeless looking that it's obvious...

<edit - of course that wouldn't work either, might be an old pro who has now put on a few pounds... >

StillGoing

If you read it again you'll see I'm all for people wearing whatever they want. The point I make is that just because someone wears a KOM, GC, etc jersey doesn't mean everyone is going to assume they actually won it or that by wearing team kit they are a member of that team. I couldn't give a stuff if some fat wobbler wore a KOM jersey while pushing their bike up a gentle slope. There is a sense of irony in it but if people have problems with it, then I reckon they should take a chill pill.

Tom Dean

mkviken

This whole don't wear it unless you earned it attitude is ridiculous. This isn't a side of cycling I've come accross yet. I find it sad someone would get so offended by the jersey someone Is wearing.

It's a simple matter of wearing what you like/showing your support for a team or rider. Not trying to be what your not or pretending to be someone else.

Wear what you want if you like it.

If someone has a problem or takes the opinionated higher ground and tells you you shouldn't fook them.

I've got a sky kit and a yellow jersey and only had people say they liked them but if someone said differently I wouldn't take it to heart

If I was worried about what other people thought about my clothing I would buy cosmopolitan magazine.


I'm from a motorcycle background where every other rider had a Rossi helmet or a 46 sticker on their bike even if it wasn't the brand he was riding at the time.

So what? They're still bikers taking part in a lifestyle/passion I shared myself.

I wouldn't dream of goin up to a fellow biker in a cafe and saying 'get that Rossi helmet off - how many times have you won at mugello?' you haven't earned that'

rightly so I would probably get a slap and definately look like a opinionated burk.

photomcbeth

The teams clearly don't care if you wear their top as they sell them. They also produce KOM, world champ and yellow jersey versions.

neeb

This subject has been done to death so many times on here, along with helmets yes/no, waving yes/no, etc. There should really be a sticky at the top of the forum listing these topics and pointing out that it's a waste of time starting another thread to go over the same ground again..

This is a cultural issue - the fact is that amongst certain road cyclists, perhaps more so in the past, there has existed a culture of not wearing champs jerseys, yellow jerseys etc unless earned. Now, of course, as with any purely cultural issue, anyone can come along and say "that's silly, I'll wear what I want and f*ck anyone who says otherwise". Similarly you can turn up to a wedding in a grubby T-shirt, or talk loudly as a tourist visiting a cathedral in a very religious country. Probably no-one is going to stop you, but you will just look crass and/or ignorant.

Personally I think most of us in the west don't have much in the way of daft cultural oddities left in our lives, and it's a pity not to keep the ones we do have (as long as they are harmless), it just makes the world a more interesting and varied place. Leg shaving is another example amongst cyclists - there's really no reason to do it other than because it's the done thing. If no-one wears world champs jerseys except world champs, the jersey takes on more significance as a symbol. I think that's quite a nice idea. So while I think the world will be a slightly less interesting place if every fat weekend cyclist starts wearing TdF and world champ jerseys, I'm not going to start trying to tell anyone they can't do it if they want to.

neeb

mkviken wrote:

I wouldn't dream of goin up to a fellow biker in a cafe and saying 'get that Rossi helmet off - how many times have you won at mugello?' you haven't earned that'

How about if you tried wearing the badges of a motorcycle gang chapter without being a member? Might that not get you into a wee bit of trouble?

arthur_scrimshaw

As has been stated, it's up to you what you wear but be prepared for stick and being chased down while out riding by other riders who have a more stringent view on the matter.
If you can cope with it then good luck to you.
Do think there's probably a hierarchy of offence generated, wearing team kit is fairly innocuous but yellow or green jersey is probably asking for it!

rolf_f

neeb wrote:

This is a cultural issue - the fact is that amongst certain road cyclists, perhaps more so in the past, there has existed a culture of not wearing champs jerseys, yellow jerseys etc unless earned.

The trouble is that no-one earns the right to wear a World Champ or Yellow Jersey on the road unless they are actually racing. Cavendish has no more right to wear a WC jersey on his ride over to the Co-op than you or I do.

This is what the more indignant cyclists don't seem to get! If the UCI didn't want us to wear WC jerseys, it wouldn't licence them for sale. Personally I don't wear any such or similar though I have to admit it is tempting purely on the grounds of it seemingly being a neat way to ruin someone elses day

photomcbeth

I have a green jersey and to be honest until now I never even knew there was any significance in it. I know of yellow and KOM but that's all.

Monty Dog

The World Champs stripes have adorned bike kit for decades - this nonsense is only a recent phenomenon cooked-up by the Old Skools that did their level best to destroy cycling as a popular pursuit - the same folks who used to run Time Trialling and nearly bankrupted British Cycling over the Tony Doyle fiasco. Anything that promotes cycling and doesn't offend anyone (except the above) is fair game - as said if the UCI and ASO didn't want you to wear the stuff, they wouldn't license the product - if anyone disagrees, suggest they get themselves down to JJB or SportsDirect on a Saturday to tell folks that they're not entitled to buy replica footy kit!

psittacosis

Wear your KOM/Yellow/World champion jersey, it makes it more fun to ride past you as you wheeze up a hill at 5 mph.