Replica Team Jerseys - Yes or No

meanredspider

Joncomelately wrote:

I tend to think if you have to worry about how you look, then what you are doing is not sport, it's fashion. Wear what you want and enjoy being you. Unless you enjoy worrying about it, then do that.

When I bought some of those Assos shades, I thought I looked bloody ridiculous in them. But they were, without a tiny doubt, the best cycling shades I've ever worn: totally function over form - typical Assos. I nearly sent them back. Then I though: I'm a middle-aged man wearing skin-tight Lycra and a bum pad, a polystyrene hat, fingerless gloves riding a bicycle. And I'm worried about what people think of my shades....

joncomelately

meanredspider wrote:

totally function over form

This is true beauty. It just takes humanity a little while to realise it, so consider yourself ahead of the curve...

burnthesheep

Why would I pay $100 for bibs and $85 for jersey's from a sports store or cycling brand when I can get last year's pro kit for $50 for the bib and $25 for the jersey?

I do own a majority of "generic" bibs and jerseys, but I do own a pro kit and local team kit.

But.......I do work for the company that sponsors the team and went to university at the place the other team kit comes from. And we do have a company "club" matching the pro team kits. But whatever.

I think it only really gets questionable once people also buy the replica team bike to match the kit.

I say the big no-no is wearing the yellow jersey, polkadot jersey, the Maglia Rosa, etc....

dannbodge

I'm still undecided.
Might wait until the end of season and see how cheap they are.
I'd only get the jersey and I certainly wouldn't dare get a yellow/pink/KOM jersey etc as I haven't earned it lol.

The lotto one is vermac so should be pretty decent kit and it's npt that much more than a decent castelli or Ale jersey

rollemynot

Team Belkin top...£7.99, bibs £15 - bought when they folded.

Hard to beat at that price

aberdeenal

I'm in the "wear what you want camp" - if you feel the need to poke fun or pass comment at what someone wears or rides then you need to go back to the playground.

Matthewfalle

Rollemynot wrote:

Team Belkin top...£7.99, bibs £15 - bought when they folded.

Hard to beat at that price

I have a Belkin top from the team clearance and it's lovely to wear: well fitted, really nicely cut, lovely material. Can't be faulted. Bargain.

meanredspider

So far I think that we've concluded that team kit is stupidly expensive and not as good as the proper team kit except when it's stupidly cheap and every bit as good as the real team kit.

joncomelately

meanredspider wrote:

So far I think that we've concluded that team kit is stupidly expensive and not as good as the proper team kit except when it's stupidly cheap and every bit as good as the real team kit.

Do the papers follow these forums? Perhaps we should let them know, I doubt they've got much going on at the moment.

daniel_b

Just remembered, as well as my Sky ls jersey, Direct Energie, and JLT Condor jerseys I also have a vermarc Veranclassic jersey (Purely because I liked the look of it, and is the only one I had to pay full price as precious few options to purchase it), and also a few Cannondale jerseys (Including a speedsuit thing) purely because it matches one of my bikes, pre Drapac as I hate the red :-)

Pretty sure all of the above, with the exception of Veranclassic, were 50% off or more.

meanredspider

Just to make things worse, my Foil is a "Team Issue" with Orica Greenedge on it - again, stupidly cheap and rides really well with me wearing a Sky-branded jersey

daniel_b

shortfall

Dannbodge wrote:

So I'm stuck at the minute

I really like the Lotto Soudal team jerseys

The "rules" say No but I'm unsure if I should get one or not.

In my opinion it's no worse than Dave turning up down the pub in his football kit?

What are your opinions?

Not sure why you'd be seeking approval about what to wear from strangers on a forum. Who gives fcuk? The thing to remember is that everybody used to wear massive flares because everyone else was wearing them and they had to fit in, ditto platform shoes, back to front baseball caps and a host of other really sh1t fashion trends that those really cool people now cringe at with hindsight. Wear what you want mate.

Moonbiker

I got a santini belkin team kit jersey was £12

kiteloopy

I have a thermal BMC top that I picked up from Flanders a few years ago. Doesnt have any branding appart from BMC logo's on it.I got it for about 20 euros which was hard to say no to! especially when it was cold in belgium and I foolishly had no warm top with me.
I have a pair of BMC bikes so I match, but any more kit is a no-no.

gotwood25

Join a local club and buy their kit, obviously join the club with the best looking kit.

daniel_b

I have joined the only local club, but their kit makes me want to vomit sadly.

So that's a no from me.

navrig2

meanredspider wrote:

The thing is that most pro team kits look infinitely better than local club teams kits which are universally terrible.

Don't agree with that :twisted: . There are some club kit which is really nice and there certainly is some pro kit which is plain awful.

One of the nicest kits is from one of our local clubs which just featured in one of the cycling magazines:



I think they have used one of the design tools available on the web but in that colour scheme I think it works.

I have 3 pro-jerseys lying at the bottom of the drawer. They get used (infrequently) on the turbo and I now wear colourful non-club kit.

ben@31

Wold Champ stripes/KOM Jerseys/Race leaders jerseys are a definite no-no

So why does the Tour de France organisers / UCI sell them

Im guessing they'd love you to buy them as you're providing funding. In the same way merchandise sales are a big part of football / rugby teams income.

I think its blatantly obvious that you are no World Champion.

kingstongraham

It's the difference between wearing a Team GB T-shirt, and wandering around wearing a replica gold medal.

ben@31

KingstonGraham wrote:

It's the difference between wearing a Team GB T-shirt, and wandering around wearing a replica gold medal.

Thats completely irrelevant. The owners of the event don't sell replica gold medals but they do sell the jerseys. If anyone has the final say, its them.

kingstongraham

ben@31 wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

It's the difference between wearing a Team GB T-shirt, and wandering around wearing a replica gold medal.

Thats completely irrelevant. The owners of the event don't sell replica gold medals but they do sell the jerseys. If anyone has the final say, its them.

Just because they're willing to take your money doesn't stop you looking like a dick if you wear a world champs jersey. I'm not saying don't do it, it's your money...

daniel_b

KingstonGraham wrote:

It's the difference between wearing a Team GB T-shirt, and wandering around wearing a replica gold medal.

I agree with that summary, and for me I would not wear a Yellow Jersey\Sprinters Jersey\KOM jersey etc etc, however if someone chose to wear one, not that it matters of course, but I wouldn't think anything derogatory about it, their choice, their money, I would rather see them on a bike, than in an Audi.

kingstongraham

Daniel B wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

It's the difference between wearing a Team GB T-shirt, and wandering around wearing a replica gold medal.

I agree with that summary, and for me I would not wear a Yellow Jersey\Sprinters Jersey\KOM jersey etc etc, however if someone chose to wear one, not that it matters of course, but I wouldn't think anything derogatory about it, their choice, their money, I would rather see them on a bike, than in an Audi.

Even this? https://www.bobshop.com/en/Pro-Teams/Na ... -2017.html

pblakeney

KingstonGraham wrote:

It's the difference between wearing a Team GB T-shirt, and wandering around wearing a replica gold medal.

True. But there is little difference between a cycling jersey with bands, and a football top with stars above the badge.

chippyk

ben@31 wrote:

Wold Champ stripes/KOM Jerseys/Race leaders jerseys are a definite no-no

So why does the Tour de France organisers / UCI sell them

Im guessing they'd love you to buy them as you're providing funding. In the same way merchandise sales are a big part of football / rugby teams income.

I think its blatantly obvious that you are no World Champion.

At a Sportive I did a couple of years ago there was a guy in a Sky rainbow jersey with all his mates in matching club kit. Cav and the boys.

burnthesheep

The champion jerseys ARE the equivalent of a replica Superbowl ring or trophy. It is touted as such, so should be avoided. I could see a person buying it to put on display in a "man cave" where you watch cycling on TV and ride your trainer. But not worn on the body though.

Again, team kits are similar to football jerseys. If you're making a big deal about that, you're looking for a way to ridicule others.

I will say......anytime you wear a team kit and are on what "appears" to be a really nice bike.......you should be warned or aware you will be picked on. Just be able to distribute out some hurt on command if necessary. Almost like having a car with fancy racing wheels and a loud muffler but no horsepower.

When I started riding it was shorts and a tee shirt. Aero didn't matter, I was wayyyy too slow. I didn't want to stand out since I had no ability of any kind to fend off "haters".

Now that I do on occasion wear one, never fails that one guy (or gal) you try to pass suddenly speeds up. Just turn it up to 300w for about 3 or 4 min and they'll be 1/2 mile behind.

In the US the "sleeper" riders are the MTB riders who ride their road bike ONLY to train for MTB. They usually wear just their MTB shorts and t shirt on a road bike. But they can distribute some serious hurt if needed. Come across one of those guys picking on roadies in kits, you're done.

stevie63

I must be riding different roads to everyone. No one I see ever says anything about what another rider chooses to wear. Nor for that matter does anyone think that seeing another rider in team kit is an invite to drag race them.

I will wear whatever I want, and I won't choose something based on some rules that some bloke on the internet that I've never met has made up.

meanredspider

Yup - about the only thing I know that draws comment is when someone's (usually non-black) bibs start to go see-thru. I occasionally draw derision from wearing shorts in colder weather (corn beef) but that's about it. A mate, who often wears a KOM jersey (he's small, light and has a natural Hct of around 53% - he's bloody fast up a hill), only gets comments from non-cyclists about how visible he is.

joncomelately

stevie63 wrote:

I won't choose something based on some rules that some bloke on the internet that I've never met has made up.

Given the majority of the 'rules' witter on about matching colours and how to stand prettily/dress the bike up, are you sure they were written by a bloke?