79pmooney

I don't wear team apparel with exceptions. I have a Hincapie jersey advertising something that I bought when I arrived at a ride and realized I forgot shoes and jersey. A Bianchi jersey because it fits and is bright yellow. (I'm trying to delay becoming road kill.)

msu2001la

I wear my local race team kit pretty much all the time when I'm riding, even when I'm out on solo rides.

A. Our team kit is a good tool for recruiting new riders and racers into local bike racing. People out on the road unfamiliar with local racing will sometimes ask me about it, or see the kit and later look up the team name later to see what it's about. It's an opportunity to invite someone to join our team rides, or one of our clinics, practice crits, etc. Advocacy helps grow the sport, which is one of the goals of our team.

B. Our team sponsors play a big role in funding our events and programs, and I want to give them as much exposure as I can.

C. There's no reason for me to buy non-team kit at retail prices, when I get a nice discount on team kit.

caloso

Ever seen a pick-up basketball or soccer game?

Also, my main point was that the vast majority of racers are amateurs, not pros. Their jerseys also have logos of large and small companies that help support the sport and allow these teams to put on races, which keep the sport alive. For example:

livedarklions

I don't wear apparel, I just wear logos.

seypat

The posers on the basketball court get laughed out of the gym.............unless they got game.

Rolla

My only jerseys are for the two clubs I belong to, but I hate wearing "kit" so they just hang in the closet.

seypat

Since this is an apparel thread, what's the current trend in sock length?

Iride01 

Well the thread title question doesn't match the poll question.

I wouldn't wear team logo'd jerseys that are of cycling teams. Unless I was on that team (yeah, I wish I was that good). I might wear other logo'd jerseys that have a cycling sponsor name or other on them.

I like the Sriracha Jersey. I agree it'd be a fun jersey to wear.

Eric F 

I haven't really seen pick-up basketball or soccer, but that would definitely be a valid comparison. I wonder if there is the same kind of negativity.

I get it. On the road, I wear the kit of the club/team I'm a member of, almost invariably. Not only is it about camaraderie with fellow club/team members, but also promotion of the small businesses who contribute making it happen.

Rdmonster69

I guess I need to look at my jersey and see if its a team jersey or just some random cheap maker that is permissible to wear lol.

msu2001la

On the other hand, I can't really think of another team sport where amateurs participate without also being on an actual team (that would require their own jerseys), so the opportunities to rep your favorite pro team while actually participating in the same activity are somewhat limited.

This of course ignores the aforementioned pick-up basketball game scenario, where NBA jerseys are not uncommon (though do often generate some trash talking points). I'd also note that MLB caps are fairly ubiquitous at local softball games, and nearly every golfer is adorned with Titleist and NIke logos, though I'm not going to pretend that this is the same as wearing head-to-toe Jumbo Visma kit while out riding.

seypat

Speaking of cycling apparel and pickup basketball, check out Snipe's headgear in White Men Can't Jump.

msu2001la

If you show up at your local park looking for a pick-up game wearing a Manchester United or LA Lakers shirt/jersey, I doubt anyone would care. If you show up wearing head-to-toe Man U or LA Lakers gear (matching shoes, socks, shorts, etc) and top it off with a Christiano Ronaldo or Lebron James specific jersey with name/number, you'd probably get some immediate trash talking and ridicule.

The difference in cycling is that amateur cyclists are already often decked out head-to-toe in cycling specific gear that (even without logos) looks very similar to what the pros wear, so much so that many people think "regular" cycling gear already makes one look like a "Lance Armstrong wannabe". You throw a Jumbo Visma jersey on top of that and people automatically assume you're engaging in some sort of pro-cycling cosplay.

Eric F 

The people who think that regular cycling gear makes one look like a LA wannabe don't know the difference between a Jumbo-Visma kit and a local club kit.

mstateglfr 

There is a strong following that views adult males wearing football jerseys as being total posers. Same for basketball jerseys. Not saying they are right, but also not saying they are wrong.
And when I used to play basketball in multiple competitive leagues, I never saw anyone wear an NBA jersey. A guy did wear his old HS jersey sometimes and it was funny. Some **** walks up to a pickup game with a Kobe jersey? Nope, not passing him the ball.

Rolla

Thigh-highs.

CAT7RDR

I have some La Vie Claire retro jerseys circa 1985-1987.
The Mondrian design is classic!

downhillmaster

I’m sorry. Who knew you were completely unaware that many recreational cyclists state that they wear certain jerseys/kit partially because they fit better and don’t flap in the breeze like t-shirts supposedly do

WhyFi

Ah, so you're disputing aerodynamics? Well that's dumb, but par for the course, I guess. That doesn't have anything to do with what's printed on the jerseys, though, which is the point of the thread.

indyfabz

fify

Trakhak

That seems a reasonable point of view. Sniffy disapproval is more fun, of course.

Koyote

oof. downhillmaster apparently missed that day in English 101 when they discussed analogies.

CliffordK

I'm not particularly into wearing team colored clothing.

I don't think I have any team colored bikes either, although I suppose if one struck my fancy, I might be tempted to pick it up.

tempocyclist

You're not...? 🤣 #fullkitwanker

Dominae

Only retro 7-11 jersey.