night mission

See them online. Do you wear one? Do a lot of riders (that you see) wear them? I'm usually heads down and don't currently group ride, so haven't noticed. Would like to complement my Italian ride with some kind of nice team jersey, advertising my bikes sponsorship with its name up front, but don't want to look anymore like the noob I already am.
FWIW, I'd never wear a NASCAR shirt or a favorite pro footballers team jersey, but I might make an ecceptation for biking, not that I have a favorite team, just like the colors and look.

JohnDThompson 

Used jerseys from obscure amateur teams can often be found at very good prices. That's my preference.

indyfabz

Ride with your head up before you hurt yourself and/or someone else. No ecceptations.

Homebrew01

Join a club, and wear the club jersey.
I either wear current or older club/team clothing, or non-team jerseys, such as Sierra Nevada since they make good beer.

GravelMN

New Rule #1 Wear what you want and quit worrying about what other people think.

leicanthrope

Honestly, I've picked up most of my kit at various thrift stores. Some of it is team issue, some isn't. If it's cheap enough, and looks fairly cool, I'm game. I put it in the same category as wearing kit from other sports teams.

Even if I were head to toe in team kit, there's absolutely no way I'd get mistaken for a pro cyclist out there on my ancient steel bikes.

CdaleNike21

Wear what you want, who cares what others think about it.

WonderMonkey

I'm also of the mindset that you should wear what you want as long as you aren't posing.

bmthom.gis

Wear whatever you want. However, if you aren't sure you want to wear a team kit, I would avoid any current team, just in the name of good taste/that crap is expensive. Bonus points for a vintage team kit. Nothing wrong with wearing a football jersey of your favorite player. But if you really like a certain team and are willing to shell out the money for their kit, go for it!

mapeiboy

I have been wearing Mapei team kit from head to toe since 1998 . Not one on the road has ever say anything to me about it . The kit is so bright I never think about hi-vis clothes to wear for safety reason .

mrv 

no way no how am i paying to wear some dopers pro team kit.
when i seek folks on Postal-Treks wear Team Disco gear, or old Postal kit - ugh. all i can think is 'stupid doper L.A.'

but if you don't care what i'm thinking, it don't matter. mater. whatever.... i think somebody already said that.

if i do i fast ride with a fast group where it's polite to blend in, i wear my old amateur team kit, or i advertise for my LBS.

bmthom.gis

My other approach is to get shop jerseys from places I visit. Have one from Cycles Laurent in Paris, and next year am going to Switzerland, Germany, maybe Amsterdam and back to France.

indyfabz

I like that. I had a commemorative Maglia Rosa and a jersey from a LBS in Bergamo from when I went to the Giro in '95. They wore out, but I still have a cold weather jersey from a shop in Granada, Spain that bought during a non-riding tour there back in '98. Just wore it on a tour last weekend.

Drew Eckhardt 

Only in cool weather - I got a nice never-worn Voler thermal jersey from the United Health Care team for $19.

I got similar deals on two amateur team left-overs plus a $40 Holowesko aero jersey all new with tags.

There's also the close-out Descente 7-11 reproduction which I don't wear because it's a bit big.

With quality jerseys these days retailing for $80-$200 I snap up deals like that when they're my size and aesthetically pleasing.

You can also get non-pro jerseys professing loyalty to your favorite brands without any extras.

I have Campagnolo Prodotti Speciali and Litespeed (with the headtube badge) jerseys which are much more tasteful than team jerseys with all the sponsor's logos.

yooperbiker

Likely hard to find a jersey with your bike's brand name on it. Most old team and club jerseys look like advertisements IMO (not unlike NASCAR). If paying retail for a jersey, get something that looks cool.

Wildwood 

I'm partial to long sleeves here in the PNW.

night mission

Yea, I kind of saw that one coming. After my first pinch flat and waiting on the side of the road, I now include even more time "looking down" at the road in front to avoid the craters. No worries, I still give forward plenty of attention, just wish I had eyes in the back of my head (or on the other hand, glad I don't, as my options are limited knowing whats coming at me )

caloso

I mostly wear my own team kit but I also like to pick up souvenirs from travels. A few years ago on a trip to Italy I rented a road bike from a little shop. I bought a full shop team kit. Still wear it with fond memories of the trip.

indyfabz

Optimally, you keep you head up and look far enough in front of you so that you have plenty of time to avoid road hazards, etc. That's far better than reacting to them at the last minute, especially at high speeds. It's a skill you should practice. I am not focused on what is 12" in front of my wheel at any given moment because when it's that close it could be impossible to avoid. I am looking 10' or more in front of me and plotting any necessary solutions. It's second nature so it doesn't require any special effort.

Ears are often the eyes in the back of your head. Or you can ride with a mirror.

veganbikes

Not really a fan of team jerseys unless you are on the team or helped them out in a major way. Old jerseys from teams that no longer exist are fine in my book but honestly there are so many fun jerseys I would rather have one of those. Unless the jersey has significant gains in comfort, probably don't need a team jersey. I also wouldn't wear world champion rainbows either since I am not a world champion. I like cycling but I also love cake and pasta and my gut shows that.

night mission

I tried a mirror. Attached it to my glasses, found I could see everything other than what I wanted to behind me. Have taken to using my ears. Some smaller cars with low resistance tires can catch me by surprise. Thankfully the type of person that drives cars like that are most often the most considerate to bikers. Truckers usually are very good but their bow wave can be disconcerning. My current beef is mini vans; too many, too often, too close.

shelbyfv

Vintage or obscure team, shop or club jerseys seem more tasteful and certainly more imaginative than those of current pro teams. Black bibs, whatever the jersey. Bianchi has sold some cool celeste jerseys in the past, don't know what they have now.

rydabent

This is a +1 post. Actually you will find too many people dont think anyway.

flatlander_48

I have a Maillot Jeune signed by Phil Ligget, Paul Sherwyn, Bob Roll and Craig Hummer and, NO, it isn't leaving the house...

Rowan

I don't have any pro team jerseys. Never had a desire to own them, although the Sky one might have been an exception. The jerseys I have are either plain, or represent something I have done in randonneuring, either participating in an event (Paris-Brest-Paris, Boston-Monteal-Boston), or riding with a regional group (Alberta, Canada, Australia).

There are three exceptions. I have jerseys in the national cycling colours of Belgium (been there), France (been there) and Italy (not been there yet). The are made by Demarchi and are wool and are delightful to wear in cooler weather.