Let's settle this once and for all; Wearing pro-team jerseys :)



Dont know why but i would rather have a plain jersey. I have one pro jersey and feel like a faker when i wear it.
 
Originally posted by shokhead12
Dont know why but i would rather have a plain jersey. I have one pro jersey and feel like a faker when i wear it.

Whatever happened to people wearing team shirts because they are fans ?

Surely we can all wear whatever team jerseys we like, if we like the team!! You couldn't tell an English pub-goer to take off the England rugby top because he's a fat lazy git, could you? Sure, he's no Jonno but that doesn't mean he can't wear the stuff as a fan.
 
"Imitation is the highest form of flattery"

Go to a pro hockey game sometime, you are the ODD one if you are not wearing your teams jersey/t-shirt, etc.

With that said I, personally, would not wear a team jersey in an actual race. On the open road, however, fly your team's colors with pride!:cool:
 
Today, there's no shortage of 350 pounders who wear their fav team jerseys and baseball caps. But there's no mistaking that they aren't athletes. On the other hand, the cyclist decked out in pro-wear with a high end bike can easily fool non-racers.

In this feel good society where self-gratification and everything goes, it doesn't make much difference.
 
Originally posted by Lt J.A. Moss

With that said I, personally, would not wear a team jersey in an actual race.

Kudos to you.

I wouldn't wear one either, unless I was in a race.
 
As a 60 year old Basque female I am proud to wear my Eskatel or Zazpiak Bat jersey. I could never keep up with Iban Mayo or Miguel Indurain of a steep climb. But I wear the jersey to honer them as the great rider they are. But in the sprit of the Basque their not many 60 year old who can beat me up a 18% hill.
So as I climb the grade I honer them!!

Eskerrio asko
 
Originally posted by Azulene
As a 60 year old Basque female I am proud to wear my Eskatel or Zazpiak Bat jersey. I could never keep up with Iban Mayo or Miguel Indurain of a steep climb. But I wear the jersey to honer them as the great rider they are. But in the sprit of the Basque their not many 60 year old who can beat me up a 18% hill.
So as I climb the grade I honer them!!

Eskerrio asko

Well fair dues to you for cycling and keeping going !

18% hill - I wouldn't fancy that though !
 
Originally posted by pineapple
Whatever happened to people wearing team shirts because they are fans ?

Surely we can all wear whatever team jerseys we like, if we like the team!! You couldn't tell an English pub-goer to take off the England rugby top because he's a fat lazy git, could you? Sure, he's no Jonno but that doesn't mean he can't wear the stuff as a fan.

Wouldnt know one team form another because i dont care about racing but for the TDF. If i was to wear them it would be for the looks of the jersey,not the team as much but since i dont,i'll let the LA wanta b's get all decked out on his gear and bike,on the weekend of course.
 
I think you should wear whatever you want, I recently started biking again and don't have any biking gear or money for any but being a surfer from hawaii I have all my quicksilver rashguards which I wear when biking. Needless to say lots of bikers give me weird looks. But I get weird looks from most the things I do. :)
 
I have a system (of sorts)... I'll wear team jerseys when I ride by myself (high visibility for people in cars) and plain blue jerseys I had imprimnted with the letters "OYL" on the back for group rides, rallies, and races... that way people eventually recoginize that guy with OYL on his back passing all the time.
 
I thought merchandising was part of how pro sport works! Only thing I will never ware is a champions jersey I didnt win, If I want to ware one of them I will get off my fat **** and go get one the honest way.
 
I think its lame. Unless someone is sponsored by that company I can't understand why a cyclist would wear such dorky stuff. Team jerseys only look good in a race, IMO.

I've noticed a few posters saying that they wear these jerseys to identify themselves as cycling supporters, hard-core cyclists, etc. I think riding a bike is what identifies you as a cyclist, not the clothes you are wearing. Why do you need a jersey to tell others about yourself? Who cares what others think of you anyway?

Even outside the context of cycling, I can't understand why people wear clothing with large logos without being paid for it. This applies to people wearing "DKNY" or Hillfiger shirts. It just seems like needless posing or trying to identify with a status symbol.
 
Fans of other sports wear team jerseys and/or caps all the time: hockey, soccer, baseball, football, basketball - are they "posers" too? I've NEVER heard someone who's a fan of the sport give another fan grief for wearing pro gear.

I think cycling is the ONLY sport where there's this "reverse snobbery" about wearing pro gear - and I don't "get it". We're advertising the sport - what's wrong with that?
 
Fans of other sports wear team jerseys and/or caps all the time: hockey, soccer, baseball, football, basketball

I have never, ever, seen fans of these sports wearing the full outfit of their team. Wearing a cap while wearing jeans and a t-shirt is not the full kit. When someone is on the bike wearing a full cycling outfit, it implies that they are actually sponsored by that company or racing on their behalf.

Its all about context. Wearing a Colorado Avalanche jersey looks pretty stupid out on the street. But if you're in the crowd at the arena, it looks okay.

We're advertising the sport - what's wrong with that?

The only advertisement you need is your bike. Trust me when I say that non-cyclists don't even look at the logos and they are not impressed by it. Looking like a dork is not advertising the sport! It turns people off.
 
Originally posted by Saucy
I have never, ever, seen fans of these sports wearing the full outfit of their team. Wearing a cap while wearing jeans and a t-shirt is not the full kit. When someone is on the bike wearing a full cycling outfit, it implies that they are actually sponsored by that company or racing on their behalf.

Its all about context. Wearing a Colorado Avalanche jersey looks pretty stupid out on the street. But if you're in the crowd at the arena, it looks okay.



The only advertisement you need is your bike. Trust me when I say that non-cyclists don't even look at the logos and they are not impressed by it. Looking like a dork is not advertising the sport! It turns people off.

It is a fair point about the non-cycling general public and their lack of recognition of cycling names logo.

My friend was a big ONCE fan but the neighbour kept referring to that "fellow wearing the jersey with the word once on it" (as in once upon a time......).

The non-cycling public probably only recognise very major company names in specific locations : ONCE are a huge charity in Spain, but this brand name has no recognition in Britain or Ireland.
Same with USPS - massive in USA - almost annonymous outside USA.

The only cycling jerseys which I can recall the non-cycling public
being aware of, in general terms, is Peugeot (French Car Manufacturer), Panasonic, Novell, Telekom.
(these are all international brands).

The only thing that might impact the non-cycling public is perhaps the design of a jersey and whether they consider them nice or
not nice.
 
I have never, ever, seen fans of these sports wearing the full outfit of their team. Wearing a cap while wearing jeans and a t-shirt is not the full kit. When someone is on the bike wearing a full cycling outfit, it implies that they are actually sponsored by that company or racing on their behalf.

The title of this thread is "wearing pro team jerseys", NOT the full kit.

Yeah, it would be stupid to see a guy with football helmet, pads, pants, cleats and jersey NOT on the football field, but that's not what we were discussing here.

I don't own a single pair of shorts with team logos, so I never wear a full kit, but I don't see anything wrong with the jerseys -even though the only team jerseys I have are Faema, Cinzano, and USPS - and if I could find one in my size, I'd get the old La Vie Claire jersey as a LeMond tribute, too.

Does that make me a "poser"?
 
I know what you are saying but when people wear these types of jerseys they are also typically wearing matching lycra shorts, racing shoes etc. Even if its not the team issue shorts, it looks like an outfit. Strangely enough, if someone was wearing a team jersey with baggy shorts and runners, I think this would actually look better because it looks purely recreational not like someone is sponsored.

As evidenced by the posts on this forum, this is all a matter of opinion. I love cycling but I'm not a fan of of the cycling "look" or clothing. Every person is different. Whether I think you are a poser or not shouldn't matter to you.

I think cycling is the ONLY sport where there's this "reverse snobbery" about wearing pro gear - and I don't "get it".

Every sport has its conventions and unspoken "what not to wear" rules and cycling is no different.
 
Originally posted by Saucy
I know what you are saying but when people wear these types of jerseys they are also typically wearing matching lycra shorts, racing shoes etc.

Hiya! I'm the poor sod who actually started this thread :)

In my case and in almost all others I have seen on the road cycling shorts have been 90% plain black and 10 percent other, with the "other" being mostly colors that didn't match the jersey being worn at all (pro team or anonymous :) )

Cycling shorts in the the arena of road cycling are more a necessity issue than one of style... In mountain biking, a person can get away easily with cycling in normal shorts of the loose fitting or baggy variety, but I can almost guarantee you that if you aren't wearing lycra cycling shorts with the appropriate padding and close fit you'd be paying dearly for it with soreness and chafing.

People seem to identify tight fitting lycra kit on road cyclists as mainly an issue of aerodynamics, but in truth it is mainly to avoid the "riding up", "constantly shifting" and worse "need to adjust" issues with clothing that is more loose fitting. On a mountain bike there's no need to worry about taking a breather and eliminating that wedgie in your shorts :) but on a road bike, its on on on, ticking away that constant pace for miles and miles in exactly the same position, and a constant need to adjust your clothing would not only be a constant distraction, but a danger in the confines of the pack during a race.

As far as shoes are concerned it is again an issue of long term survivability... "racing shoes" are of excellent quality and from my own experience, the cheaper shoes I've tried have universally been painful and flimsy... It may not be the same in all sporting areas, but for cycling and shoes, for me, very expensive, has always been very very much better for comfort, and for quality of construction.

The issue of shoes and shorts is actually a given on a road bike and the Jersey becomes the issue... I think a better analogy of the core argument is if you saw someone practicing football on a field in full team regalia including helmet, cleats, jersey, pants, socks, etc etc... and they weren't actually part of that team.

But for cycling, I think the effect would be just as odd if the cyclist was in shoe covers, shorts, jersey, socks and even helmet of the cycling team...

But to keep me from droning on and on, I simply meant the jersey :) If I saw someone practicing football on a field wearing Jerry Rice's Jersey with no other matching Raiders bits, I would simply smile and think to myself "Cool, a football fan..."

Have a good one!

Feanor
 
I say everybody to their own style, though I must say after being at the Paris Roubaix race last week-end there were some very interesting sights of cycling fans to be seen.

One of my favourite laughs was driving over the pave between 2 large avenues of 6ft high cow dung and meeting some cyclists kitted out in the Mapei outfits, you know the pinky multi coloured things, but none had the physique to go with it.

And before anyone comments about driving not cycling, I have MS so can't, OK.
 
Originally posted by Feanor
All right, I've had some fairly intense discussions with friends and acquaintances on this subject, and a post recently got me to thinking about recent events concerning the wearing of pro-team jerseys while cycling when in fact you are not a member of even the local bike club, let alone Once, Fassa Bortolo, Telekom, or USPostal...

I myself have several Pro jerseys including USPostal, 7up, Navigators and Saturn. Three of them were given to me by my wife as a present at one time and I bought the Saturn jersey for myself.

I almost always ride by myself, being still a complete novice at road cycling. and normally I would typically wear plain black or blue cycling shorts and a plain white t-shirt or a beige cycling jersey I used for mountain biking for years.

But on occasion I would don one of the pro jerseys for a ride. Until a few days ago, I never garnered the attention of anyone (What would say, a Saturn rider be doing in my no name neck of the woods? If I could even be mistaken as a pro rider in the first place!)

I wear the jerseys not to impress anyone else, I know people who are familiar with cycling will just shrug it off, and those who aren't will wonder something along the lines of "When did US mailmen start riding bikes instead of driving those little vans?"

Wearing the jersey is a visceral experience for me. Something that lends a strong feeling of connection to my newfound enthusiasm for the sport, and a tribute to the teams that I have ultimate respect for.

Friends have told me "You shouldn't wear the jerseys" and when I ask why, they reply "Because other riders will look down on you and think you're posing" At that moment in the conversation I pointed over to my friends BMW and gave him a confused look. "You mean like when you drive a very expensive car that you have to make payments on?"

My take on the whole thing is that if someone could explain to me that non-pro's did not wear pro-jerseys because it was a show of respect and honor, the same way that you didn't just pin a Medal of Honor on your chest and parade around, in that instance I could completely understand and would happily comply.

But up till now, the only reasoning I have heard is that OTHER people will ridicule me? Is that the prevalent feeling? Because if it is, then I'm wearing the jerseys ALL the time *laughing* I'm a rock bottom newbie road cyclist in a "drive your car to the corner grocery store country" how much more ridicule could get heaped on me than isn't on my shoulders already? :)

There seems to be alot of "don't do that because other cyclists will blah blah blah..." I refuse to believe that any group so dedicated and disciplined as serious cyclists would be so superficial... and I'm hoping that the true reasoning behind friction created by wearing a jersey you didn't earn, is a violation of the sense of honor and respect that just doesn't get communicated with the appropriate articulation when people attempt to explain.

I wear the Jerseys because they give me a sense of being a small part of a greater whole. And if a cyclist who looked down on me for doing so would blast by me on the road to embarass me or otherwise prove that I was smaller than the jersey, doesn't that speak more to their faults, then to my small indulgence?

The incident that in part prompted this new thread was on one of my normal short hill climbs I was in the USPostal Jersey and huffing my way to the top... I passed a young kid maybe about 16 or 17ish watering a lawn... He yells out at me as I pass in a very sarcastic tone "going to the Tour de France next year Lance?" I glanced over at him and replied "No, you going to the superbowl?"

He was wearing a Raiders Jerry Rice NFL jersey...

Could I have misheard his sarcasm? or was he just so dense as to not realize the level of his own hypocrisy? If not, then I would wager I had more right, huffing up that hill in pain, to wear my Jersey than he did while hosing down some grass...

...

Tell me how you feel on this subject, I genuinely would like to know... Do you not wear the Jersey's for fear of ridicule from others? or as a sign of respect, as if they were in fact something like military uniforms that should be earned...

Thanks much!

Feanor

O.k.

not going to read anyones responses b4 I post incase they influence my reply. I havn't been around much recently but do see many posting in what I think wasn't their true reply due to another post hence me going it alone!

I would say 'sod them' and wear what you want to wear! I have always been given the latest Postal jerseys for my b'day (mid June) and when cycling in the past have worn it with pride. In fact on days I have been out riding with just a normal shirt on have almost been run off the road!

I can't cycle right now for reasons beyond my own self but would still wear that jersey unless I changed alligances! If anything it does the job it is supposed to...absorbing sweat and letting cool air in etc... O.K, I could get another that did the same job but it isn't the same. If a little guy watering his parents lawn has the attitude to shout that at you then stop, ask him to get on his bike and see who falls off first! It won't be you for one, and he would go home tail between his legs to think about his attitude in future years.

If you believe in wearing that jersey enough you will be able to keep going! ~Any jersey for that matter~ When I am driving and see a cyclist I look round to see what jersey they are carrying and say a silent 'allez' no matter which team colours he or she is in.

Maybe you should do what my ex fiance did and get a proper USSR, hammer and sickle jersey and then get someone to ride in U.S Postal colours in front like we used to. It was WAY too confusing for anyone to comment on let alone give you any grief!

;) Alice
 

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