CrimsonKarter21

So, I know this "rule" has been placed on a lot of you guys. My new team wants me to wear the team kit at all races (duh!) and all training rides.
I've got enough clothes to be able to last me the summer, and some extras.

So, you you guys just wear the jersey, and use more comfortable shorts, or always wear the kit always.

jeffremer

If I'm on the bike the full kit is on me (exceptions include: trainer, riding down to the LBS in street clothes, etc...)

A few reasons:

* Team jersey and black shorts looks tacky, full kit is way hotter, way more pro.
* Inclimate sometimes calls for a non-matching outer layer (at least until we get our new orders with the matching jackets in). Having the shorts visible is good when the jersey is covered. I've had conversations with unattached riders/other teams who recognized me based on the shorts when my jersey was covered. So there.
* My team shorts are more comfy than any of my plain black shorts.
* I agree with the rule, the team and our sponsors have done a lot for me, giving them good publicity is something thing I'm proud to do, even on 6am rides when no one else can see me.

Edit: YMMV, we're a grass roots team so we stress having a good personal relationship with our big sponsors. The guy who runs the team shop is beyond cool.

michaelmc

You're on a team, you wear the full kit for races and training rides. If they're beyond dirty or there's some other mitigating circumstance, you're off the hook for the training rides. Races, there's no getting out of it.

/thread

bdcheung

I wear the full kit because our sponsors are great and I want them to get as much publicity as possible.

eskimo85

no i dont always wear them for training rides. they get dirty, i get lazy so i put something else on.... sorry

waterrockets 

I'll just be wearing my kit for races and training races. F-ing thing is expensive, and WHITE! They have a black kit for MTB races and rain, but I'm not forking out the cash.

If I had four kits or so, I'd wear them full time.

botto 

shorts/bibs are less important than the jersey.

cyclezealot

Seeing your team did that July 1 ride to Lake Michigan and back to Marquette; almost makes me wish I had gone to Northern. What a ride. how many miles was it? Lucky stiff.

CrimsonKarter21

That's my mentality. I'll wear the jersey every ride, but I think I'll slack and wear regular black shorts. the shorts we have are basically blue, with one of the guys on our team's name (who builds bikes) written on the ass.

cat4ever

We don't have a "rule" that I know of, but I'm proud to support my sponsors so I wear my full kit for most training rides and all races.

truckin

I wear team kit pretty much all the time. Whether it's my *current* team is a whole different question- I have lots of kit from a number of teams, but only a couple of any given team. Regardless, I wear it because it's more comfortable than any of my non-team gear. Obviously, you wear the current team's gear for racing, and usually for training rides if you're training together. If I'm out on my own, I'll wear something from one of my other teams.

LowCel 

I ride five or six days a week, I am going to have two team kits. I'll wear the team kits on race day and once during the week. My wife would kill me if I asked her to start washing my riding clothes every other day.

king-tony

I'm in the same boat. I only have two sets and ride everyday and sometimes twice a day. My kit would be ground to nothing if I wore it all the time. I wear it to races and if I am riding on a team training ride. Otherwise I grab whatever is clean and weather appropriate.

bitterken

Except for a pair of thermal tights, all I have is team gear...

Bobby Lex

At least the jersey. Every ride. That's what being on a Team means.

Bob

Treefox

We don't have such a rule, and our shorts aren't terribly comfortable, so I don't stress over it at all.

My only longsleeve jersey is a team one though, so that's been on me for nearly all rides lately (curiously, although we can get team socks and team bandanas and all matter of other randomness, there are no team long tights).

Our primary sponsor is a multinational management consultancy, any crafty person can get the same deal on nutrition products from our secondary sponsor, and the logo for our tertiary sponsor - a funky local bike co-op - is really small.

Then I've got a second-claim team and a triathlon club's kit I can wear too, in addition to random kit I've accumulated over the years. Trashed the 2nd claim team bibshorts in a crash though and they've not put in an order since. 2nd claim team's kit is much higher visibility though (primarily orange - 1st claim club is dark blue).

Treefox

Wash them yourself chico! No reason your wife should have to do all your smelly laundry!

LowCel 

Sure there is. Once the nicer weather gets here I'm busy working my regular job and our family business. I am lucky to even find time to ride, often working 60+ days straight. Once I get home I generally spend an hour with her before I head off to get six or seven hours of sleep before I start it all over the next day. She works one job, 40 hours a week. She has much more free time than I do.

botto 

correct.

caloso

Me too.

brianappleby

ha, so you play the martyr card AND you ride six days a week....

LowCel 

I do my best. A lot of times I ride when I get off of work from my regular job. Then after my ride I go work for our business a few more hours.

cmh

I wear my full kit for races, at least a jacket or jersey for nearly every training ride (the shorts don't have any sponsor names anyway), and my cap for posting to BF.

cyclezealot

Our cub does a week day ride and a weekend ride. Last years kit is for Wednesday's. In case we get phototgraphed on our Sunday forum, gotta wear the new stuff . Problem with the old kit. I have lost weight. The Wednesday kit looks pretty non euro.

cslone

Team kit to all races and rides. On days by myself, if the team kits are dirty, I will wear some non-branded stuff. When I ride solo, if the team kit is not on, I have kits from other sponsors(Fuji kit, Hammer Kit) that I wear.