General Cycling Discussion - Do you color coordinate your cycling clothes?

Am I the only one who won't wear certain colors or patterns with anything other than black shorts?
I have several jerseys that just don't look right (at least to me) with my gray or blue shorts. Some must be worn with either gray or black shorts. Others must be worn only with blue or black shorts. Most must be worn with only black shorts.
Have I gone over the edge?

Have I gone over the edge?


YES!

I don't have this problem. I only wear black shorts on my road bike. My baggies are a different story. I have some dark gray which go with almost everything. I also have a bright yellow pair that obviously can ONLY be worn with my Red/Yellow or Blue/Yellow jerseys.

L8R

Have I gone over the edge?

no. i see a lot of riders with just horrible combinations of bike clothes. they look terrible. i choose biking clothes as i would any other type of clothes. you never know when a car full of girls will pull up to you at the stop light. ;)

now, when you're coordinating your clothes based on your bike's paint job, that may be a little too far.

now, when you're coordinating your clothes based on your bike's paint job, that may be a little too far.

This is wrong? Hmmmm....

This is wrong? Hmmmm....

No, this is not wrong. All my equipment is coordinated, bike too. But, I do keep it simple.

No, I don't coordinate my colors any more.... those fussy days are over for me. But I am fussy about about the way my bikes look and perform.

I avoid this by wearing only black bike shorts. And to further timm's "any other type of clothes" analogy, I avoid the same issue otherwise by wearing only black pants. I've been wondering why I've only bought black pants the last several years; now I know.

why the hell do ya care what yer damn clothes and bike look like? *confused* it's sport! not a fashion show!

Would not want to wear my Klein's colors, since it is white and ivory. I do have Klein team gear...Think it has the word Klein writen somewhere across me in the range of 12 times. I don't mind advertising my pride and joy...

why the hell do ya care what yer damn clothes and bike look like? *confused* it's sport! not a fashion show!

Hey, if you can't ride good - look good! That's my moto anywho. :D

As A. Troll would say: "Just ride nekkid!"

"...and you know, it's betteh to rlook good than to feel good. You know who you are..."

black goes with everything, so my black shorts, helmet and whatever jersey I'm wearing (of the 3 that i own). so yes... i do coordinate.

As far as I am concerned, color coordinated clothing of any type displays a real lack of imagination.

The most common fashion statement I see is "I want to look like everybody else".

Dan

Hey, if you can't ride good - look good! That's my moto anywho. :D

i'm poor at both. :(

No. I'm straight.

I especially like the guys with the matching shorts, jersy, socks, helmet, paint job, bar tape, tires, and the final over the top kicker..... the matching color sports drink in the clear bottle. PUH-LEEZE. (and I'm NOT kidding. I have seen this numerous times)

Somebody has been watching Queer Eye for the Queer Guy.

Somebody has been watching Queer Eye for the Queer Guy.

man. did you see that ugly ass set they designed for leno? those fools don't even have good taste. it was all tacky looking.

I wear black shorts with my black jersey. It works, atleast until I wreck this pair of clothes.

color coordinated clothing of any type displays a real lack of imagination. The most common fashion statement I see is "I want to look like everybody else".

Dan
I don't put too much thought into what I wear, but I usually match socks to shirt. I have lots of brightly colored socks, so I can always find a pair that works with whatever wild t-shirt that I'm wearing. Nobody ever told me that I dress like everybody else, and I don't expect anyone ever will(except you, of course).

I really only care if I think the jersey is cool...Like jerseys with messages..Think most of us look to identify one another through the bike, helmet, or jersey..
Jersey messages I like stamp out cars and pride in my California Republic jersey.
But black goes with everything...Do have a couple team kits..Can't help but wishing 'Bonjour' to the world.
As to black helmets? I can't recall every seeing one...Think 80% of the time most of us are in black shorts.

I wear what ever is clean on that day. I don't like dirty cloths but colors don't bother me. I just happened the other day to order a pair of shorts and a jersey from Nashbar, I just got them in today. The shorts have a red swoosh in them and the jersey was a solid red. The two reds do not match. Who cares. I got them because they were on sale.

Black helmet, jersey, shorts, bike, gloves, shoes, socks... The nighttime invisible biker.

I always wear black shorts, but blue is my favorite color. I also happen to have a blue bike-totally unplanned, of course. So I have: blue jersey, helmet, gloves, bike, and black shoes and shorts. The socks are whatever is clean and a pair. It wasn't intended; I just really like blue, and happen to pick it whenever possible.

Only black shorts and since I ride on the open road I have gone to bright colors so the drivers can see me when they run over me.

I have 7 pairs (2 black, 2 blue, 2 red, 1 yellow) of shorts and about 15 shirts. There are obviously some shirts that shouldn't be worn with some of the shorts I have. So I guess you could say I "color coordinate" my clothing.

I've got two kinds of shorts --- black ones and team shorts. I always wear my club shorts with the club jersey. I wear all of the jerseys (including team jerseys) with the black shorts.

God no,i wouldnt try to color coordinate anything .

I just wear red everything whenever I can. Problem solved.

And yes, I am aware that it annoys the crap out of rednecks (God knows, after a decade in Queensland, I know that). That's the main reason I do it.

Question..What colors is most easily picked up by motorists...Solid bright colors like plain red...Or multiples of bright colored patterns..Like red on yellow, lets say.

Question..What colors is most easily picked up by motorists...Solid bright colors like plain red...Or multiples of bright colored patterns..Like red on yellow, lets say.

I guess it depends on the motorist in question. Another thing to add to this, most days I encounter people whom I'd prefer didn't see me.

black goes with everything, so my black shorts, helmet and whatever jersey I'm wearing (of the 3 that i own). so yes... i do coordinate.

What amazes me is cyclist wearing mostly black, and a black helmet on 40+deg days with the temp being hotter commig off the road,that looks dehydrating.Where as I use a combination of blue and white with small amounts of black.

studies show that solid colours (any solid colour will do)
is more visible to humans than multiple colours (think camoflage).

When it comes to being colour coordinated
being colour blind is a major benefit. . .

marty

I wear whatever is clean. I buy all my bike-specific (as well as my kayak-specific) gear based on three questions: does it work? is it visible? is it worth the money for me?

Reading this thread makes me wonder... when someone with great taste meets ignorant / clueless cyclists such as myself on the road, should they stop and lecture about the feng shui of proper bike clothing? Like when you see a cyclist breaking the law? You know, in the spirit of "you are giving all cyclists a bad name"?

--J

I go for smell co-ordinated, if they don't smell too bad I'll wear them again !

As a semi-plump middle-aged guy, I've realized that no one is checking me out anymore. I can wear anything! I've been released from the bonds of fashion & good taste.

Question..What colors is most easily picked up by motorists...Solid bright colors like plain red...Or multiples of bright colored patterns..Like red on yellow, lets say.

I heard a study said bright neon lime green was the most noticable color.

I wear whatever is clean. I buy all my bike-specific (as well as my kayak-specific) gear based on three questions: does it work? is it visible? is it worth the money for me?

Reading this thread makes me wonder... when someone with great taste meets ignorant / clueless cyclists such as myself on the road, should they stop and lecture about the feng shui of proper bike clothing? Like when you see a cyclist breaking the law? You know, in the spirit of "you are giving all cyclists a bad name"?

--J

Without proper color coordination, you will experience bad feng shui, thereby throwing off your bike's chi. Without properly balanced internal life force, it will be much more difficult to transfer power to the life force of your bike, even with Shimano SPD. This can lead to upset drivetrain as well as chain disorder.

Without proper color coordination, you will experience bad feng shui, thereby throwing off your bike's chi. Without properly balanced internal life force, it will be much more difficult to transfer power to the life force of your bike, even with Shimano SPD. This can lead to upset drivetrain as well as chain disorder.

Thank you. I have been informed.

Now, GO RIDE YER BIKE! :D

--J

I heard a study said bright neon lime green was the most noticable color.
Slvoid....Neon lime green....We must be color coordinated the put some power into the drive train..?
With lime greeen jersey would you wear yellow or red bike shorts? Think I would choose red.... Voler makes shorts in every color of the rainbow. Neon on neon...You might be seen...
Of course some victors in the Giro do actually live with this dilema..That hot pink jersey...Some team shorts are equally colorful like Saeco.
You live in NYC...The world knows Italians are colorful people...

Slvoid....Neon lime green....We must be color coordinated the put some power into the drive train..?
With lime greeen jersey would you wear yellow or red bike shorts? Think I would choose red.... Voler makes shorts in every color of the rainbow. Neon on neon...You might be seen...
Of course some victors in the Giro do actually live with this dilema..That hot pink jersey...Some team shorts are equally colorful like Saeco.
You live in NYC...The world knows Italians are colorful people...

My gf's italian, might get her an italian jersey.
Anyway, here's the page on the study: http://www.usroads.com/journals/aruj/9702/ru970203.htm
They found that lime-green-yellow neon colors attract the most attention the quickest.

Slvoid..Your gf rides.Good for you both..? You wont need to contribute to the thread about cycling and symbolism at weddings... The Italian flag has green...add to the safety factor..
My wife is a francophile..Have a yellow jersey with lots of yellow and an outline of France. Around here in a military town,that might raise some motorists attention too.

You wont need to contribute to the thread about cycling and symbolism at weddings...

Explain how? Your posts are starting to sound like Merton's.

He's been smoking whatever Merton's roommates had...

This can lead to upset drivetrain as well as chain disorder. Gotta watch out for that irritable bottom bracket syndrome, too...

Slvoid..Just congratulating you I guess..Your girlfriend rides, so won't have to be married should you stay with the same g/f ;without some symbolic cycling artifact at a future potential wedding.....(there is a current thread with this theme..)
Could have a bike on a cake or something, like that....
I sometimes contribute to threads about cyclist with partners who don't ride... ie.- reason for purchasing an Italian jersey...

Slvoid..Just congratulating you I guess..Your girlfriend rides, so won't have to be married should you stay with the same g/f ;without some symbolic cycling artifact at a future potential wedding.....(there is a current thread with this theme..)
Could have a bike on a cake or something, like that....
I sometimes contribute to threads about cyclist with partners who don't ride... ie.- reason for purchasing an Italian jersey...

That's true. But not to be offensive to the other guy who's getting married but I think if a wedding needs something bike related, it should be small and simple. I'm just not into the whole being so obsessed with something that it intrudes into the wedding.

You could go on a bike trip honeymoon. :)

As for color coordination, I pretty much wear black and/or white all the time with various shades of grey so I always coordinate wether I want it or not. My bike is silver-grey. I get lucky when I buy accessories, They had the fenders in two colors, black or silver-grey. I just bought sunglasses and the one I liked came in two colors as well, black or silver-grey. :)

I pretty much wear black and/or white all the time with various shades of grey so I always coordinate wether I want it or not. My bike is silver-grey. I get lucky when I buy accessories, They had the fenders in two colors, black or silver-grey. I just bought sunglasses and the one I liked came in two colors as well, black or silver-grey. :)

Possibly you should move to one of the highly polluted citiess in China, where the buildings, land, and, air are all black and grey. A course, you'd want to wear lots of colors then.