General Cycling Discussion - Team Kits for a Bike Co. You Don't Ride

This is somewhat of a different spin on the "Is it Ok to Wear Pro Team Kits" topic that I see discussed a lot. The difference is, would you wear a team kit that advertises a bike company that's different from what you're riding? For example, would you wear a Saeco/Cannondale kit if you ride a Trek? Would you wear Independent Fabrication clothes while riding a Bianchi?

I'll grant that there's gradations to this, because some bike company sponsor logos show up much more prominently than others. Maybe I should put the question this way. Would you wear a Team Trek, Team Bianchi, Team IF, Team Cannondale, etc. kit if you didn't ride that particular brand of bike? If not, would you wear another team's clothing if one of their lesser sponsors was for a different bike company?

Note that plain clothes with a manufacturers logo don't really apply. I ride a Trek, and will soon have a Klein, but I really like Cannondale's Velocity shorts. That's a different kind of ballgame.

Jeez, winter seems to really be getting to everyone here. People are actually resorting to examining these ridiculous topics even further than is necessary. Get on a trainer or something and stop worrying about what you or anyone else is wearing.

It's a completely valid question. If you all you want to do is complain and be a jerk, go somewhere else.

Aren't the velocity shorts plain black? If so go for it. Personally I wouldn't wear the Cannondale/Saeco stuff but that is more because it is ugly than anything else. I haven't seen anything else in their line that I wouldn't wear...well other than the MTB Chick stuff but then again I am a roadie and not a chick. :D FWIW I ride a Marin and a Salsa and I have 3 Cannondale jerseys and a Cannondale jacket/vest, all of it is plain i.e. no big logos or anything just solid colors and a small Cannondale logo.

Aren't the velocity shorts plain black?

Yeah, I was just trying to say that something like that doesn't really count. Cannondale makes those shorts as "just plain bike shorts." Having their logo on the leg is no different than Pearl Izumi, Nike, or Louis Garneau. The difference would be if Cannondale was scrawled up the entire length of the side of the leg. I do have some Verge bib shorts that do that, but they aren't a bike company, and I absolutely love Verge's clothing. :p

My own policy about trade kits: the more obscure and hard to find, the more likely I am to wear it. I'll wear my SuperConfex jersey every now and then, but you'll never see me in a Postal kit. Nor anything by a current team.

I equate it to wearing a Dallas Cowboy jersey to a pro football game. It's OK if you're 12 years old or married to one of the players, but not if you're 30.

We do a group ride on Halloween in which everyone is supposed to wear a pro kit of some sort. It's pretty wild to see a huge pro-wannabe peloton rolling down the road. For that one day, everyone gets a geek waiver.

Also: it's stylish to wear conflicting sponsors at a training ride. But it's bad form to wear conflicting sponsors to a race. Extra-bad form to wear a pro kit to a race. Super-bad form to wear logo clothing when you're unsponsored.

My own policy about trade kits: the more obscure and hard to find, the more likely I am to wear it. I'll wear my SuperConfex jersey every now and then, but you'll never see me in a Postal kit. Nor anything by a current team.

I equate it to wearing a Dallas Cowboy jersey to a pro football game. It's OK if you're 12 years old or married to one of the players, but not if you're 30.

We do a group ride on Halloween in which everyone is supposed to wear a pro kit of some sort. It's pretty wild to see a huge pro-wannabe peloton rolling down the road. For that one day, everyone gets a geek waiver.

Also: it's stylish to wear conflicting sponsors at a training ride. But it's bad form to wear conflicting sponsors to a race. Extra-bad form to wear a pro kit to a race. Super-bad form to wear logo clothing when you're unsponsored.

This is interesting because all of the conditions you described sounds like something that a 12 year old would be concerned with, not a 30 year old.

People seem to have quite wide rangeing opinions on the topic of what's appropriate to wear. That actually leaves you with more latitude than you might think.

1. Forget about ever appeasing the "kit police". Any move you make to gain their acceptance and they'll just raise the ante. Socks, shoes, helmet, everything matching, everything plain, wrong stickers on your bike, kits right but you can't ride fast enough to qualify for wearing it, bike's not good enough, using a visor or a mirror, it never ends.

2. As impossibly strict as the kit police are, there's probably an equal number of generally less vocal people who hold the complete opposite opinion. Whatever! Look around at any large group ride and you'll be able to find people who obviously approve of what you are wearing. If the only people who approve of your outfit seem to be a bit geeky to you, maybe it's time to spruce up a little.

personally, i'm not a big logo guy.

remember that joke? 'you know when you're at a concert and you see people wearing the concert T-shirt of the band? well, don't be that guy!!'

really, i don't care, as long as the guy is chasing me. if he can dust me then i am bummed about my level of fitness, not his clothing choices.

I equate it to wearing a Dallas Cowboy jersey to a pro football game. It's OK if you're 12 years old or married to one of the players, but not if you're 30.

Huh? If you go to a Cardinal's baseball, the only people not wearing red are the ones who attend so seldom that they don't own the proper clothes. The amount of that stuff that's sold make it obvious that a whole lot of people don't share your opinion. In fact, I can't think of another sport in which showing the team colors is considered to be a bad thing.

Oh wait - The Cowboys didn't make the playoffs again did they? Maybe you're right.

are you kidding, you must match to be cool. c'mon man, EVERYONE will be snickering after you pass, posting pics online, talking around the watercooler...

you wouldn't care what other people think about you if you knew how little they actually do.

It's a completely valid question. If you all you want to do is complain and be a jerk, go somewhere else.

Why is this a completely valid question?? What difference does it make what you wear?

Unless you ride for a team and aren't wearing THEIR kit, who the hell cares what you wear when you're riding? Just ride.

Geeze, I can't believe some people. If you don't like what I want to discuss, just don't pay any attention to it. Since when is it a crime to ask people their opinion on something?

All questions are valid questions.

I wear stuff logo'd for the brands of bikes I ride, the team I ride for, and the stuff I like. So Giant/old Libor Karas era C-Dale(on a trials bike), AllStars, Spot,Surly, and Park. I also wear Brooklyn and Gotham jerseys just beacause they are freaking cool.

I wear cannondale/Pinarello shorts and I ride a Bianchi and a specialized, I'm in trouble now:D

Also my jersey says "Twinkies" on it but I don't even like twinkies, I just wanted the jersey for the cool pictures and because I have never seen anyone else wearing one.

In all fairness though one of my jerseys does advertise for pretty much all the brands I buy from/like.

i personally like to wear one of those padded underwears. i wear a skirt over it with a tank top or a tube top.

Twinkies jersey?
That's nifty...

heh, yeah it's pretty cool.

They also had a Cambell's Full of Beans jersey but it wasn't on sale:(

you wouldn't care what other people think about you if you knew how little they actually do.

Nice, condescending ..but I like.

I have a Team Ireland jersey that is green with the Celtic knots. I believe it is for a masters team. It also has Merlin prominantly displayed. I "wish" I had a Merlin. Basically, I wear what I like or what has cool colors and graphics.

Also my jersey says "Twinkies" on it but I don't even like twinkies, I just wanted the jersey for the cool pictures and because I have never seen anyone else wearing one.

Mmmmmm...Twinkies!



They also had a Cambell's Full of Beans jersey but it wasn't on sale
Mmmmmm...Beans!!!

pfffttt...excuse me...

I have to admit I'd love to see someone ride by in a Jelly Belly or Domina Vacanze kit. :p

When I buy, I generally purchase plain colors. Logos I have purchased are usually associated with the clothing. My purchases are based on comfort, quality and price. You put a genuine team jersey on sale for what I pay for plain jerseys; I'll buy 'em and wear 'em. I also will wear anything I receive as a gift. Lastly, note that my criteria were quality, comfort and price. I specifically do not include anyone elses opinion of what I wear in my criteria.

When I buy, I generally purchase plain colors. Logos I have purchased are usually associated with the clothing. My purchases are based on comfort, quality and price. You put a genuine team jersey on sale for what I pay for plain jerseys; I'll buy 'em and wear 'em. I also will wear anything I receive as a gift. Lastly, note that my criteria were quality, comfort and price. I specifically do not include anyone elses opinion of what I wear in my criteria.
Very well said.