tpero

The thing about cycling is that jerseys have a tradition of being earned. Personally, I think if wearing pro team kit gets people excited about getting on their bike, then go for it - pro team kits represent the commercial side of the sport and if that helps improve the ROI for sponsor companies, giving them incentive to stay in the game longer and grow the sport, then great.

On the other hand, I do have a problem with people wearing national team kits or champion jerseys (world/national/state/race-specific) they didn't earn. I know a couple of juniors that have gone to junior track worlds and their team usa kits are prized possessions that they earned through hard work and dedication (one has even been selected for the Tokyo 2020 track devo squad), so it makes me sad to see USAC selling the national team kit online to anyone willing to pay.

uscdigital

I've been pondering this but more so to do with my college's kit. I'm not part of the cycling team but I'm alumni and I love the school. That being said it feels weird since I was never a member. Are school jerseys ok?

Clipped_in

Yes. Wear whatever you want! As was said, just don't try to race in team kit for a team that you are not a part of.

caloso

It's better if you contact the team rather than buying a jersey from Nashbar or wherever. College cycling is a club sport and they need all the support they can get. My experience with my alma mater was that they were happy to sell me a kit at retail and they kept the profit. That way you get the jersey that the kids are wearing and you support them directly.

USC Cycling

seypat

Winner winner, chicken dinner! That is the best response I have read to one of these posts.

TimothyH

It isn't right to make fun of Lampre Man. Everybody loves Lampre Man.

Dean V

I have no problem with wearing pro team kit. Wearing World Champion or National Team kit would be a bit over the top though.

Jiggle

Pro team kit is only permissible if it's retro team kit. Like 7-11 or GAN.

kbarch

Well, if poser is pro-looking and inauthentic, and fred is UN-pro looking, then it depends on the observer - do they know whether the team is real? If they know it's not, then it's fredly. But if there is any uncertainty, then it's poser.

Sidney Porter

this

kbarch

I saw a big round guy just the other day in Lampre kit. I was wondering if he was wearing it in homage, or if he got it so people would think he was the Lampre man.... But he was too tall, and not quite fat enough. Poser.

noodle soup

What about this famous kit?

Da Reef

There are jersey's with the school logo licensed by the manufacturer so at least some revenue goes to the NCAA and the school. As caloso pointed out, there are also club kits that the clubs sell to raise funds. I've never seen these for sell except from the club directly or through some arrangement between the club and the manufacturer. I don't see how anyone would have any issue with someone wearing either jersey.

wphamilton

But if there is no company racing team (how would a casual observer know?) and the kit is supplied by the company, doesn't that make the fred/poser (employee) actually part of the company "team?" So would that really be posing? This is so confusing. I can understand fred in this situation, but would it be the company being fred, or perhaps poser, by enabling if nothing else?

dougphoto

I would LOVE to have that Kit

noodle soup

Poseur Jersey + Cap, Men?s | Elevengear Cycling

dougphoto

sweet! I'll wear it to my next TT

Doge

Fred aside...
If you look like you belong in the kit / award jersey and you didn't earn it, it is less classy to wear it.

If you look like me - NP wearing a team kit.

However I would not wear an award jersey (of significance, UCI, national, state) out of respect for the jersey. Just me.

Cyclist0108

I wore this today:

kbarch

Maybe what makes things confusing is the way we get hung up on the negative connotations; one may be reluctant to call something "poser" or "Fred" when it seems there is something correct about it. However, there is nothing inherently wrong with either. For instance amateur racers make a point of "looking pro" despite the fact that they are not. I say that makes them (myself included) posers. But they ought to be posers to the extent that they attempt to emulate pros in other ways - dedication, competitiveness, etc. It's appropriate that they appear to belong to what could be, or something like a professional team. However, being like a specific team or pro is not the point, so it's not appropriate to wear their kit.

Scarbo

Where, oh, where can I buy one of these kits? I want one and I would wear it with great pride!

BTW--regarding white kits, in general, if you have to ride a lot in 100-degree plus temps white becomes your best friend!

Cyclist0108

Here

seypat

In reality, everyone has a little bit of Fred in them as well as a little bit of Poseur. Trends come and go to keep this happening. Let's take the long socks phenomenon that has been discussed on the forum. First it was Fredly. Then the Pros took it up, and it became cool. People wanted to look Pro, so it trickled down and moved into Poseur category. Not to be outdone, the mismatched pair thing took off. If anything looks Fredly, that does. But it is "fun" and now is moving into cool status. The late adopters of that trend/fad will certainly be Poseurs trying to look cool.

Scarbo

Wow! You mean this is for real? I'm ordering my kit TODAY! They can laugh at me all they want; but just let them even TRY to pass me!!!

Now, if they only made motorcycle leathers with these inscriptions I'd be in total HEAVEN!

Inpd

Well said.

But I would go further and say just don't wear spandex if you have any sort of gut because it accentuates EVERY SINGLE roll of fat and EVERY SINGLE jiggle when you walk.

I didn't take a picture but saw a guy in spandex who had back bosoms which he probably didn't even know about.