Roadie Team colours

[Dreggsy]

Why do cyclists get away going on a weekend ride dressed in their favourite teams colours i.e discovery team / CSC etc?
If i was a soccer player and turned up to training dressed to look like david beckham or rohaldino i think the rest of the team would fall down laughing/

[McBain]

Why do cyclists get away going on a weekend ride dressed in their favourite teams colours i.e discovery team / CSC etc?- Because they can (nothing wrong with being a fan - mostly).
- Because everyone else does.
- Because they can get the stuff cheaper through certain online stores than non-sponsor plastered stuff

[Dozer]

I've always laughed at that fact myself but when you think about it, DH and XC riders do the exact same thing when they sport their favorite Troy Lee Designs jersey.............
It is a blatant and very effective form of cheap advertising, make it look good and the punters will wear it!

[tu plang]

for the most part its the middle age men that will sport full CSC, Discovery, FDJ etc kits on the weekends. most people that i know would be somewhat hesitent to do such a thing however i have no problem riding something a little more humble like the kit from your local shop etc.

one cronic faux pais was when Scody released this quasi australian jersey thing. lets just say i never saw a single one get sold.

[Dozer]

one cronic faux pais was when Scody released this quasi australian jersey thing. lets just say i never saw a single one get sold.

That is when you claimed one from the shop for bugger all and did your early morning training rides eh?:rolleyes:

[ScottD]

One of the biggest sellers at in the shop i work at is the Santini team Oz jersey. I would rather shoot myself that roll around in that.
Could never bring myself to turn up to a ride wearing full team kit that your not part of.

I wear club gear and shop gear but thats as far as i will go

[tu plang]

One of the biggest sellers at in the shop i work at is the Santini team Oz jersey. I would rather shoot myself that roll around in that.
Could never bring myself to turn up to a ride wearing full team kit that your not part of.

yeah same deal with the scody gear, you'd have to be out of your mind. atleast with tour kits no one is under any illusions here.

im a big fan of pretty laid back stuff, i have my shop kit but i usually ride in my black pearl izumi jersey with white logo on the chest back and sleeves. i'm a bit of a fan of the santini italia gear. it looks nice and isnt really claiming to be anything too pro.

[Oddjob]

Why do cyclists get away going on a weekend ride dressed in their favourite teams colours i.e discovery team / CSC etc?
If i was a soccer player and turned up to training dressed to look like david beckham or rohaldino i think the rest of the team would fall down laughing/

If I could get Oakland Raiders riding gear I'd wear it... Cycling is the shizz yo! :p

Seriously though why not. Sure it looks a bit naff but hey if you support that brand/team then go for it. The way I see it its not a lot different from wearing Wallabies jerseys to matches, your just showing your support and its not likely that anyone wil mistake you for one of the team.

[JDB]

If I could get Oakland Raiders riding gear I'd wear it... Cycling is the shizz yo! :p

Seriously though why not. Sure it looks a bit naff but hey if you support that brand/team then go for it. The way I see it its not a lot different from wearing Wallabies jerseys to matches, your just showing your support and its not likely that anyone wil mistake you for one of the team.

Fair enough, but if you turned up to a match wearing wallabies jersey, shorts, socks, trackies, undies, with a Wallabies drink bottle everyone would agree that you were a total idiot (or Jon Howard)

[The funki 1]

Why do cyclists get away going on a weekend ride dressed in their favourite teams colours i.e discovery team / CSC etc?
If i was a soccer player and turned up to training dressed to look like david beckham or rohaldino i think the rest of the team would fall down laughing/



It is quite a hard topic to discuss because it is not only cyclists. This form of marketing is happening in every sport all over the globe. If a company is popular AND respected. When people go down to their sporting goods store to buy new jersey's etc they will buy the equally priced billboard jersey.

How many kids do you see walking around with Ferrari t-shirts on. I doubt that they would even be a part of motorsports, but the company "Ferrari" is:
1. Popular
and
2. Respected
Kids love to look like pro's.... I should know because i'm one of them...:)

[Bodin]

The only team top I ever purchased was the result of the weather turning feral during a Beach Rd training ride one Saturday here in Melbourne about 6 years ago. I was on the brink of hypothermia and had to stop when I saw a long-sleeve, fleecy-lined Kelme top on sale for $50 at a shop I was about to ride past.

Kelme were one of the "big" TDF teams at the time and it's been my winter training top ever since - much to the chagrin of Borsari's, who (jokingly) threaten to pull my sponsorship every time I'm seen wearing it... :o

[frostbite]

I have the full Team CSC kit (leg warmers, arm warmers, booties, jersey and bib knicks... oh and the head warmer thing) which I wear riding XC fairly often. BUT, I got it for free, and it is by far the most comfy lycra I've ever worn in my life. I saw the price for this stuff at the LBS and I could never justify buying it myself.

[Lanky Love]

I've always laughed at that fact myself but when you think about it, DH and XC riders do the exact same thing when they sport their favorite Troy Lee Designs jersey.............
It is a blatant and very effective form of cheap advertising, make it look good and the punters will wear it!

the difference is that Troy Lee is a bike company, discovery channel is not. when someone wheres a troy lee jersey they arent necercarily (poor speeling) wearing somthing designed for a profesional team of riders. when you wear a discovery channel jersey your wearing somthing that was designed for a selected team of about 6 riders (just a geuss).

[alchemist]

designed for a selected team of about 6 riders (just a geuss).

Or 30 or so pro-riders + support team + thousands of team & rider fans

[Gekigengar]

If you support the team thats quite alright..

what i cannot understand is that.. i somtimes see alot of people wearing say the "SCOTT" jersey when they quite obviously ride a specialized, or somthing different.

The only jersey i wear is a bright green precision jersey (limited ed. Caringbah high version) . Only because i am sort of sponsored by them.. Althought they do jack all to help.

[dougmcdoug]

If you support the team thats quite alright..

what i cannot understand is that.. i somtimes see alot of people wearing say the "SCOTT" jersey when they quite obviously ride a specialized, or somthing different.

The only jersey i wear is a bright green precision jersey (limited ed. Caringbah high version) . Only because i am sort of sponsored by them.. Althought they do jack all to help.

They have have that brand of bike or used to have it. I have a cannondale and were cannondale short because they are the most comfy bib shorts I own. How ever when i ride the on-one I still wear the cannondale shorts, why because they are comfy. If i sell the cannondale i'll still ride in the shorts, because they are comfy and they cost $130 so i'm not going to stop wearing them till they are worn out

[bazza]

your bound to be branded in one thing or another. a pro team is as much and generally is designed to be a brand. a large portion of sponsorship dollars is spent BECAUSE people will buy the jersey with the name on it and use it and recognise it. the same applies to most sporting teams. so its either wear a jersey that has a large branded logo across it or wear your favourite teams (or one you got cheap) jersey. It happens a fair bit in soccer i find as well where you always see guys or girls training in their favourite teams jerseys. personally i am a cheap ass so that usually wins. however my scody work jersey is getting some pretty heavy usage atm. really nice comfy jersey even if it is bright orange and proclaims me as the adventure playground :). sasha our old mechanic got a few comments about it being across her ass when she was racing down in canberra a few weeks ago.

[fatnold]

i just spent an hour or so in the middle of a bunch of men on bikes(30 or 40 of them) all wearing matching lycra outfits.(except me of course) They had matching logo'd items of apparel that i didn't even know existed. logo'd warmers for their warmers!!
i can deal with say a team jersey and everyone wanting to be identified as part of a particular crew but total colour co-ordination of each item of clothing amongst a group this large on a training ride is spooky. :confused::confused::confused:

[Andy.G]

Why do cyclists get away going on a weekend ride dressed in their favourite teams colours i.e discovery team / CSC etc?
If i was a soccer player and turned up to training dressed to look like david beckham or rohaldino i think the rest of the team would fall down laughing/

I think you worry too much.
Horses for courses.
Skiers dress differently to snowboarders.
Roadies and XC devotees dress differently to freeriding hucksters.

Lots, nah nearly ALL club soccer (*ahem, FOOTBALL) players own a team shirt of some kind - not everyone tries to identify an individual on it though ... like Beckham / Ronaldhino. Every weekend AFL player owns a club jersey -maybe Essendon or Geelong perhaps ... again no names for the grown-ups.

Wearing a Discovery kit doesn't scream ... "look at me - I'm Lance Armstrong" it merely expresses IMHO ... cool looking state of the art ProTour team kit. Maybe it says - I follow this team's performances ... perhaps it just says - nice colour and pattern, better than a plain red Netti t-shirt.

<hiding my Milram copy color schemed Colnago under a sheet now, so the torch wielding mob of philistines won't find it - no I don't own the kit, but I would if I could>

[aaron01]

What I do for a laugh on the odd coffee ride is turn up on the roadie in my cannondale maxxis kit or alternatively ride an xc ride with the team heathnet gear, especially on the road I have a lot of guys roll up to me & politly point out I'm wearing MTB kit on a roadie & am I aware that its not really the "done" thing, usually the guys I'm riding with get a kick out of the responses from the more "learned" (read older weekend warriors) riders of the bunch.
For a real laugh I may turn up in the MTB kit on the cyclocross with knobby tyres for a coffee ride imagine the response then :D

[rex2]

Each for their own. I think if often comes down to the price, compare a plain assos top to a nalini top! The only way I see that it looks bad is if is a mixed kit ie: CSC top, gerolsteiner bibs. One step down from that is the old Mapei team kit, the government should work out some kind of buy back scheme for that one.

[dunk]

One step down from that is the old Mapei team kit, the government should work out some kind of buy back scheme for that one.

I second that proposal, I suggest a LSD for Mapei kit swap.

[craign]

I think the team top with plain knicks is fine, or conversely plain top with team knicks. Showing support for your favourite team is okay. However, anyone in complete team garb, whether matching or njot is just asking for it. Especially if they also have the team replica bike.

Of course I never would have been guilty of wearing full Kelme team kit during my roadie days... :eek::eek::eek: Black is the only colour for knicks.

Bodin: Those fleecy lined Kelme tops are great! Might get mine out tomorrow.

[Bodin]

However, anyone in complete team garb, whether matching or njot is just asking for it.

That reminds me of a time when a mate of mine sledged some "wanker" riding a Ridley and wearing full Lotto team gear... without realising Cadel was just trying to have a quiet training ride...

[ozelise]

That reminds me of a time when a mate of mine sledged some "wanker" riding a Ridley and wearing full Lotto team gear... without realising Cadel was just trying to have a quiet training ride...

Priceless.

[leitch]

i just spent an hour or so in the middle of a bunch of men on bikes(30 or 40 of them) all wearing matching lycra outfits.(except me of course) They had matching logo'd items of apparel that i didn't even know existed. logo'd warmers for their warmers!!
i can deal with say a team jersey and everyone wanting to be identified as part of a particular crew but total colour co-ordination of each item of clothing amongst a group this large on a training ride is spooky. :confused::confused::confused:

training rides, yes... but kits like those can be great...

my dad and a group (probably totalling about 10 of them) went and did a loose copy of the tour last year over 4 weeks - starting in paris, finishing in paris, doing the alps, pyrenees etc. the 4 weeks ended up costing them each about $3000 (accom, food, travel, van hire, etc). they got thousands out of sponsorship dollars, which they got by including logos of interested companies (often those of friends/associates) on their "team" jerseys/knicks/arm warmers. so those cafe riders who you see in a "team" kit - dont always bag them out. often there is reasoning/justification behind it.


HOWEVER

anyone who buys a yellow/green/polkadot/white/rainbow/pink/etc jersey should be shot.

you quite obviously DIDN'T win the tour or the giro last year, so dont bloody well advertise like you did!

[ozelise]

HOWEVER

anyone who buys a yellow/green/polkadot/white/rainbow/pink/etc jersey should be shot.

you quite obviously DIDN'T win the tour or the giro last year, so dont bloody well advertise like you did!

Always brings a smile to my face passing a rider wearing the Polka Dot jersey going up a hill on a group ride.

[Dreggsy]

Dont get me wrong,
I do think its looks a little silly dressed in full team kit,
But then again if your hero rides for a team and you want to try to emulate them, then thats a mental advantage you can have over your mates.
How many kids do youe see dress as batman, spiderman or whatever disney character is the flavour of the month.
I'm not looking into it too much , I hope,
Just wanted to know what peoples opinions were.

[tjb]

Mapei team kit, the government should work out some kind of buy back scheme for that one.

Style like that never goes out of fashion

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2002/news/jan02/mapei/PBmapei3.jpg

[rex2]

Style like that never goes out of fashion

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2002/news/jan02/mapei/PBmapei3.jpg

They even have mapei Rudy Projects as well!!!!

[craign]

so those cafe riders who you see in a "team" kit - dont always bag them out. often there is reasoning/justification behind it.


I think we're talking about 'Pro' team kits, i.e. CSC, discovery, telekom, etc...

Club team kits etc... are fine! Showing your affiliations and providing your club/team sponsors some exposure is great.

Just don't go running red lights/riding illegal trails in your club kit.

[dunk]

Just don't go running red lights/riding illegal trails in your club kit.

Goes both ways, maybe a certain courier company in Sydney, who sponsors a club and pro team, should tell their drivers not to run cyclists off the road, coughfrfcough, sure I've beaten some of their riders in club races and taken their prizemony, but geez I'm not that good that I need to be "taken out".

[Andy.G]

One step down from that is the old Mapei team kit, the government should work out some kind of buy back scheme for that one.

I second that proposal, I suggest a LSD for Mapei kit swap.

Good idea !!
TeeHee ... what a shocker the MAPEI kit was - still, a biiiig time sponsor of cycling.

However, therein lies the joy of a caffeine-free-latte-sipping, ponytailed advertising fruit sitting on a swiss ball in feng-shui decorated, soft peach coloured office somewhere ... smiling now because WE"RE TALKING ABOUT IT and mentioning the company name OVER and OVER ... Aaargh, assholes!! - we've fallen for it again. D'oh.

How many people actually know what the sponsor company actually does ??
One of my favourite kits of all time was the last version of Fassa Bortolo ... and why would I wear the name of an Italian concrete and plaster company ?? I've got the socks on now :o

The mooted Aussie ProTour team should be sponsored by QANTAS ... how good and global would the exposure be ?? Imagine the names - men and women, road and MTB teams - and Messrs Jongewaard and Lowe could swing back into the MTB teams when needed ... O, the joy !!!

[Archibald]

i can see it now on the next Cycling Central - new segment "weekly Fashion tips and trends and blunders" including the week's best and worst dressed riders :D
worst dressed may just have to go to the guy down the street in his trackies and thongs with the crappy old t-shirt on...

it's just colours on clothes. what does it matter what someone else is wearing? what you wear while riding isn't my business, i'm just happy there are other riders out there.

[Mr Pants]

This chat reflects what I've thought about cycle clothing in general, in that in the shops you can only get super logo'd team/manufacturer kit or ultra dorky, bland, commuter stuff.

You'd think there'd be a market for good lookin', well designed clothing. The Assos stuff is nice but they only do one basic design and it's super $$$.

[alchemist]

i can see it now on the next Cycling Central - new segment "weekly Fashion tips and trends and blunders" including the week's best and worst dressed riders :D.

I wouldn't be taking any fashion tips from them. Have you seen the SBS kit! :eek: Not too mention what the producer wears when, he's out and about - you obviously haven't had to view the infamous "Scary Fa(s)t Suit"

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: :eek::eek::eek:

[dunk]

I wouldn't be taking any fashion tips from them. Have you seen the SBS kit! :eek: Not too mention what the producer wears when, he's out and about - you obviously haven't had to view the infamous "Scary Fa(s)t Suit"

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: :eek::eek::eek:

For the love of god, don't, I repeat, DON'T post pics:eek:

[Andy.G]

This chat reflects what I've thought about cycle clothing in general, in that in the shops you can only get super logo'd team/manufacturer kit or ultra dorky, bland, commuter stuff.

You'd think there'd be a market for good lookin', well designed clothing. The Assos stuff is nice but they only do one basic design and it's super $$$.

Yes, Yes, Yes ... my thoughts exactly ... how about a nice stylish blue with a black accent or stripe, red and white perhaps ?? and what about a size/cut which doesn't mean you must be built like a bulemic grimpeur (climber) ?? Save the world from the scary fa(s)t suits !!!

The last DirtWorks catlledog in MBA a few months back had a simple, understated Ritchey jersey in black and blue with a niiiice almost retro style ... matching bibshorts too ... Oh, yeah baby - Now THATS' what I'm talkin' about. Tried to get one, but the shop got the scary loud stripey one instead ... Elvis, are you listening ?? Are those matching bib shorts and jerseys available ??

To those reading this who ARE built like a bulemic grimpeur ... I really really hate you - OK?? ;)

[rex2]

Yes, Yes, Yes ... my thoughts exactly ... how about a nice stylish blue with a black accent or stripe, red and white perhaps ?? and what about a size/cut which doesn't mean you must be built like a bulemic grimpeur (climber) ?? Save the world from the scary fa(s)t suits !!!

The last DirtWorks catlledog in MBA a few months back had a simple, understated Ritchey jersey in black and blue with a niiiice almost retro style ... matching bibshorts too ... Oh, yeah baby - Now THATS' what I'm talkin' about. Tried to get one, but the shop got the scary loud stripey one instead ... Elvis, are you listening ?? Are those matching bib shorts and jerseys available ??

To those reading this who ARE built like a bulemic grimpeur ... I really really hate you - OK?? ;)

If they don't have the plain Ritchey kit, see if they have matching bibs for the Salsa Calendario jersey! That would the stealth kit you are looking for.

[dougmcdoug]

The last DirtWorks catlledog in MBA a few months back had a simple, understated Ritchey jersey in black and blue with a niiiice almost retro style ... matching bibshorts too ... Oh, yeah baby - Now THATS' what I'm talkin' about. Tried to get one, but the shop got the scary loud stripey one instead ... Elvis, are you listening ?? Are those matching bib shorts and jerseys available ??


Yes but then ppl will say you don't have any ritchey stuff on your bike. NOt everyone is going to be happy. For your info however I have one of the tops (l/s) it damn warm, plus was only $80 from brunswick street cycles, they had heaps. The shorts look sweet as too.

However back to one of the previous posts about wearing, yellow, polka dot jerseys. I like the Aus team long sleve top, and would have one if it wasn't so exy, plus when i go to the UK for work i'll be taking my bike and wear the aussie colours with pride.

You can say that no one should wear any clothing with a logo on as they don't 'ride' for team. If you have a scott and wear a scott team jersey you would be wearing beacuse you ride a scott, your advertiseing the bike brand you use and like, if you wear a team kit you most likely like the team/bike who's clothing you are wearing. I don't think there is anything wrong with it, some people just like to match.