Pro team kit or normal kit

[black'n'yellow]

If you're fat, that's none of my business. If you're fat, choose to buy a polka dot jersey and then ride up a hill at 2mph while getting passed by a club run full of people who actually hope to wear a proper polka dot jersey one day, I reserve the right to crack a private joke at your expense.

Sadly, that probably says more about you than it does about the bloke in the polka dot jersey, to be fair. As for me, the only non-plain or non-club kit I own is a UK trade team jersey from the mid-90s, which I still wear sometimes, despite having absolutely no right to wear it - although the team leader (who gave me the jersey) was a mate of mine. However, if I see someone out on the road in a polka dot jersey then I guess there are two possibilities:

a) it is Thomas Voeckler
b) it is some other bloke in a similar jersey

That's it. Anyone who thinks "you fat bstard, you've got no right to wear that" needs to have a word with themselves, preferably while standing in front of a mirror.

 

[lulubel]

I wear a team Lampre helmet (from 2010 or 2011, I think) because it meant I could get a Specialized S-Works Prevail helmet for £80 instead of £160. The colours are quite nice, too.

I'd wear full team kit to make a statement that I supported a particular team, but my level of support for team Sky is too casual to justify the cost of the kit, and the full kit also doesn't seem to be available for women. Other cyclists would know why I was wearing it, and I don't particularly care what "the man in the street" thinks.

As for specific jerseys ... if I was feeling particularly bored with cycling and needed something to spice things up, I might get a polka dot jersey, knowing full well that I'd have to contest every climb on every ride I wore it on against any roadie who happened to be there. I'm not sure that I'd feel comfortable wearing yellow or world champion's stripes, though.

 

[Mr Bunbury]

if you want to keep cycling as a closed shop i have news for you. us fattys are coming and we are doing a lot more good than bad!

More good than bad ... like punching me in the face? Thanks, but no.

You're getting into cycling? That's great, enjoy it. I'm not going to comment on what you wear in your 5-a-side match, because I don't play football so I'd just be gobbing off about something I don't know. It would be nice to have the same respect back though, because it's just not the way things are done round here - because, as I explained earlier, it's much easier to mistake J.Random Cyclist for Andy Schleck ("Who's he?" asks the non-cyclist) than it is to mistake you for Steven Gerrard.

I would never dream of laughing at someone pushing up a hill, because we've all been there. If you're pushing up a hill while wearing a polka dot jersey though, I'm afraid you've brought it on yourself. There's a very simple solution to this: until you win a KOM competition, wear a plain jersey. There are plenty of them out there.

 

[amaferanga]

so how does cycling not become a minority sport? id suggest people buying/wearing team kit will only do good. Added revenue and getting it out there to the 'uninitiated'

These days most people wearing pro team kit are wearing the knock off stuff from China.

Shop around and you can get top quality kit from the likes of Santini, Craft, Castelli, etc. almost as cheap as the knock off stuff and way cheaper than the genuine stuff.

This debate will go round in circles, but like it or not there is a 'tradition' within club cycling that you don't wear team kit and you absolutely never wear national or world champs jerseys. Now, people are still free to wear what they like, but don't expect to be welcomed into a club with open arms if you turn up for your first club ride in your replica world champ jersey. You may not like that, but it's the way it is.

 

[jifdave]

This debate will go round in circles, but like it or not there is a 'tradition' within club cycling that you don't wear team kit and you absolutely never wear national or world champs jerseys. Now, people are still free to wear what they like, but don't expect to be welcomed into a club with open arms if you turn up for your first club ride in your replica world champ jersey. You may not like that, but it's the way it is.

club cycling..... not passing a guy on the street whose trying to enjoy himself and not be mocked by some random bloke who doesnt like what im wearing.
I have no intention of ever going to a club as thats not what im in it for, i ride with mates because i enjoy it not to make a statement.

for the record i do not own team kit/polka dot/world champ stripes...... but feel its rather bigoted to say i cant wear them or i will therfore be the outcast of the cycling world.

 

[Get In The Van]

I own the the Toshiba combined TDF Jersey from Yesteryear, this makes me quite possibly the most uber cyclist on here.
If wearing pro team colours annoys the uber's i'll keep doing it, if they choose to laugh behind my back, cool. they'll be leaving another innocent victim alone.
Lifes to short to worry about 'having the right to wear certain kit', you like it, you wear it. end of

 

[Scruffmonster]

I'm not going to comment on what you wear in your 5-a-side match, because I don't play football so I'd just be gobbing off about something I don't know. It would be nice to have the same respect back though, because it's just not the way things are done round here - because, as I explained earlier, it's much easier to mistake J.Random Cyclist for Andy Schleck ("Who's he?" asks the non-cyclist) than it is to mistake you for Steven Gerrard.

There's a very simple solution to this: until you win a KOM competition, wear a plain jersey. There are plenty of them out there.

Where is your 'round Here'? It's certainly not a world that I inhabit.

You know this is clothing, right? Get your head out of your bum. People wear things for practicality and often ornamental reasons. I assume that you wear head to toe non commital black every day for the fear that someone may look upon any other colour as evidence of you having a personality?

If a kid wears a yellow jersey as he dreams about being Brad, great.
If a slow, heavy guy wears a Polka Dot jersey either through an ironic joke to friends, or a love of red spots... great.
If someone wears Rainbow stripes as they've just read a history of the Jersey and feel drawn to it... great.
If anyone wants to express themselves as a cyclist in any way, shape or form, great.

There is zero chance of you ever getting mistaken for a cyclist through clothing choices. Think about the logic. To mistake you for a certain cyclist, the person that posed the question would know cycling. They'd know you were not a pro. A non cyclist will never say 'Are you one of the Schlecks?' because they have no idea who he is.

Wearing a team jersey, yellow jersey, any jersey has nothing to do with 'Pretending' anything. It's not a new race of imposters. It's just a personal choice. Just as my personal choice is to block your misguided ramblings.

Adieu

 

[Mr Bunbury]

Ooh, I've got blocked? Excellent, I don't think that's happened before!

I told him not to shoot the messenger ...

 

[black'n'yellow]

Ooh, I've got blocked? Excellent, I don't think that's happened before!

I told him not to shoot the messenger ...

do you disagree with your 'message' then..?

 

[Mr Bunbury]

do you disagree with your 'message' then..?

I certainly disagree with this

If someone wears Rainbow stripes as they've just read a history of the Jersey and feel drawn to it... great.

because of this

for others to wear them is to show disrespect to the world champions, a bit like wearing a medal for combat / bravery you never took part in.

 

[black'n'yellow]

that would be fair comment - were it not for the fact that what 'totallyfixed' said was complete and utter bollox.

 

[amaferanga]

club cycling..... not passing a guy on the street whose trying to enjoy himself and not be mocked by some random bloke who doesnt like what im wearing.
I have no intention of ever going to a club as thats not what im in it for, i ride with mates because i enjoy it not to make a statement.

for the record i do not own team kit/polka dot/world champ stripes...... but feel its rather bigoted to say i cant wear them or i will therfore be the outcast of the cycling world.

Only a c0ck would openly mock someone on a bike because they're wearing pro kit.

No-one said you can't wear your world champion polkadot jersey. I don't care if you do actually. And since you don't want to join a club then it's not a problem is it, but the simple fact is that there's a tradition within cycling clubs not to wear world or national champs jerseys. It's not bigoted at all. It's their club, they can decide what is and isn't acceptable to wear. Remember that most cycling clubs start from a group of mates riding together.

 

[black'n'yellow]

I can't agree with this 'tradition' thing. It might be in some, but I've never come across it in any of the clubs that I've been involved with...

 

[doctornige]

A certain coffee shop has Belgian team kit as their staff uniform. They look great in it. The associated team jersey is also pretty cool, and it has red spots on it.

 

[Scruffmonster]

Only a c0ck would openly mock someone on a bike because they're wearing pro kit.

No-one said you can't wear your world champion polkadot jersey. I don't care if you do actually. And since you don't want to join a club then it's not a problem is it, but the simple fact is that there's a tradition within cycling clubs not to wear world or national champs jerseys. It's not bigoted at all. It's their club, they can decide what is and isn't acceptable to wear. Remember that most cycling clubs start from a group of mates riding together.

It's odd. Very odd. I also doubt that it's universally applied so it's a fairly narrow point.

Apply a little sense. The next Cavendish or Wiggins may never join a club because the first time he turns up wearing a jersey that inspires him, he gets told to change.

I completely understand and respect the need to acknowledge the past and respect all that's gone before, but times change. I am pretty sure that these 'rules' are waning, or not as vigorously applied as they once were. Surely they have to be?