They are better ( to me) for the reasons I stated above, weight, pack size and versatility. Others, such as yourself, may feel the pockets and zippers and looking like a biker all the time are a good trade offs, I personally don't.
A light weight Patagonia t shirt keeps me nice and cool and when I'm wearing a jersey on tour the only thing the pockets ever end up holding is trash. Plus it looks "better" off the bike.
All my clothes look pretty normal off the bike, but are also extremely comfortable on it.
*Im in no way "anti-jersey", I own many, I just feel like they are designed for bikes with little to no storage, and my touring bike has plenty.
Last edited by psy; 11-04-15 at 11:52 AM.