Eric F 

I also like La Passione, but they are a Euro brand, and tend towards a more racer-boy/sausage-casing look. Their "archive sale" has some really good deals on high-quality kit. I'm not sure exactly why I've avoided it, but I own zero Rapha.

Alan K

I was happy to see something made in USA… a short-lived happiness. .

Eric F 

Voler (https://store.voler.com/) is US-made, but is at a higher price point than Neo-Pro or on-sale Pactimo. The club/team I'm a member of uses Voler. It's nice stuff, but nothing particularly exciting. Their standard offerings have never inspired me very much (YMMV).

EDIT: Eliel is another US-made brand...https://www.elielcycling.com/.

Alan K

Thanks for links.

$100 on sale is alright but El Niño at $280 is pricey (if I buy 2).

I don’t care for fancy designs - a solid color is fine for me, something easily seen or black in winter (helps heating from the sun and seen against white snow).

Eric F 

My challenge with Eliel has been that they haven't had good prices, on things I like, and in my size, all at the same time. They have some sort of "team" membership program that gets you deeper discounts, but I haven't been motivated to go down that hole. Most recently, I've been on a Pactimo binge - bibs, jerseys, vest, wind jacket, rain jacket. Nice stuff. Recent deals have made it hard to ignore.

Another budget option...www.theblackbibs.com. I was unimpressed with their $40 bibs, but the $65 ones seem pretty good. I'm not sure where they are actually manufactured.

wolfchild

It doesn't mater how old or how young you are, anybody who isn't a real pro cyclists looks silly dressed in jerseys with team logos and sponsorship logos. Why pretend to be something that you're not ?

Eric F 

How are you able to determine the difference between a pro team kit and the kit of a local team? How are you able to determine if a rider is a pro or an amateur? Is a rider who is a member of a local team, and wearing the kit of the local team, which includes logos of local business who have helped sponsor the local team, also pretending?

downtube42

At the end of a 400k brevet, most of us could be confused with vagrants were it not for our expensive bikes. Our clothing and other gear may be expensive, but by that time looks like complete garbage. Then there's the occasional rando who always look stylish. In the end-of-ride group photos, it's like a bunch of half-dead zombie slobs, and one fashion model who got in the wrong photo shoot.

At Paris Brest I've seen an Italian cyclist taking a ditch nap looking more stylish than I do on my best day.

I don't think it's the clothing, folks.

terrymorse 

Voler was the mainstay for custom club kits for a long time. Their standard stuff is pretty ordinary, but I am really happy with their velocity bibs. Optimal compression, comfortable fit, nice straps, aero. My favorite bibs, by any brand.

Eric F 

After using Voler for many years, my club used Endura last year. It was a disaster in many ways. We went back to Voler this year. I picked the Pro bibs for my kits. The Velocity bibs were a bump in cost I couldn't swallow.

bikingshearer 

Because cosplay is part of the fun.

Forest Gump's mom said "stupid is as stupid does." She did not say "stupid is as stupid wears." Wear what the heck you want.

Trakhak

You don't care whether people judge you. Why should they care that you judge them?

wolfchild

I highly doubt that majority of weekend warriors who are wearing team kits and fake logos are real pros who get paid to ride and make a living racing. Most are just amateurs who try to imitate the pros.

unterhausen

I always wanted a polka dot jersey in xl because that's true comedy. Never enough to actually buy one though.

The most comfortable bibs I have ever ridden were Endura. Unfortunately they disintegrated because of the pattern on them. But I got a full refund after mentioning it to the LBS, so it's like it never happened.
Voler shorts always end up irritating my man parts, I have never figured out exactly what the problem is.

big john

You're always such a downer. Do you ever post anything positive?

What if someone gets a team jersey because they like the team and want to support the team? What if they got that jersey at a discount and if fits and they really like it?

staehpj1

Purely a matter of opinion. Folks are free to wear what they like for whatever reason they like. Some wear it to support a team they like much like folks wear jerseys for teams of other pro sports. Some like the fantasy of playing at being pros. Either way there is nothing wrong with it.

Personally I am not inclined to engage in either, but won't look down my nose at folks who do.

rsbob 

You are perpetually blasted on numerous threads for being so negative. Then you are quiet for awhile and then it starts again. Can’t be a ton of satisfaction seeing people calling you out over and over.

Have a wild idea for you though. How about laying off the criticism and negativism and becoming part of the community and when you have a negative thought, keep it to yourself?

From personal experience, it’s far more rewarding to get pats on the back for positive contributions than being kicked to the curb, unless that’s your thing. You have the choice.

Eric F 

I’m still curious…How are you able to tell which riders are wearing a kit of a pro team they aren’t being paid by, and which riders are wearing the kit of the local team/club they are a member of? Are you able to tell the difference, or do you just assume that anyone in a matching kit with logos is being “fake”?

Also…How does what anyone else is wearing while they ride their bike have any effect on your cycling experience?

Do you have a negative attitude about all people, or just other cyclists?

wolfchild

I am not negative towards anybody. I was only expressing my personal opinion and answering OPs question about what I think about non-pros and amateurs wearing pro team kits...You can wear whatever you want, I don't care and it has no effect on my own cycling experience, but I will still express what I think if asked to do so.

Eric F 

How do you determine who is a pro in a pro kit, a non-pro/amateur/fan in a pro kit, or a non-pro/amateur in the kit of their local club/team which they are a member of? I’m curious about your methodology for making that determination.

Chuck M 

I feel silly as hell now asking for autographs when I catch a peloton on Tulsa's Riverside Trail stopping for beers.

big john

lol

Trakhak

Can't remember where I read it or the original wording, but, paraphrasing:

"He could not settle on which was the more thrilling term: 'compulsory' or 'forbidden'."

indyfabz

He posted something similar in another thread. One trick pony. I’ll bet he claims to live in Nebraska and rides a ‘bent, if you know what I’m sayin’.

RChung

I don't wear pro team jerseys but I had a friend who did. When he passed, his wife gave out some jerseys to his buddies who were about the same size. If I'd been his size, I'd have gladly taken one. Every once in a while someone will show up for a ride wearing one of his jerseys. That's pretty nice.