Jersey crimes...

angrydave

Me thinks you're a bit uptight as well. OOOh Robbie McEwan...

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Spider1977

Why get stuck into Tafi (and me for that matter) for showing respect for our national colours. If you want to wear your national jersey even though you haven't earnt it, that's fine. I'll just think you're a dork, and that's my business. And if you enjoy ridiing your bike sans the seat, then that's your business as well, but don't accuse others of doing it.

apolack1

If it were just your personal opinion (this is mainly to Tafi), that YOU dont want to wear national colors because you believe them to be sacred, thats cool. But Tafi went so far as to tell other people what they should do, "The wearing of championship (national or world) or national team jerseys should be a crime punishable by death. You must earn the right to wear such a jersey. Just getting them willy nilly to wear on a sunday bunch ride is pretentious." This sort of response is more than just, i choose not to wear national colors, this is more like, "you are a traitor because you wear them..." I really hope you dont live in America, i already get obsenities yelled at me just because i ride a bike on the road (and not b/c im dangerous, a group of us cyclists will be standing around in a parking lot, and passing motorists will curse at us) I would hate to get yelled at within my own group because of the jersey i wear. We cyclist need to stick together, especially here in america. You know what this reminds me of? Discussions where people say that you shouldnt have an expesive bike unless youre really good (you have to earn the right to ride OCLV or Ti)...

el Inglés

Spoilsport , what´s your problem ? don´t you like people to have fun . We´re not talking about people with the team shirt shorts socks gloves and bike etc just people who like the look .
And what´s wrong with a little hero worship ???
Bet the sponsors love it ,all that free publicity and the team guys don´t standout as much when training , giving more privacy for them .

Mind you you´d have to be colour blind , or just have a taste bypass to buy some of them ( Chipo´s lot for example )

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Beastt

I've heard these concerns before so don't worry that you're not the only one to express them. I don't know that there's anything wrong with being terribly serious about cycling. But I have my doubts that any good purpose is served by getting all caught up in the fashions and treating the teamwear as some sacred cow.




Fashion has to be one of the silliest concerns ever invented by mankind. It's a subjective thing. There is no right. There is no wrong. And whatever you think is right will change. If you want to dress as Batman, complete with cape and yellow utility belt, go ahead. I won't be willing to ride beside you as Robin but wear what makes you happy and ignore the self-proclaimed fashion trend-setters. Fashion is about being one of the sheep and blending with the flock. Do it if it makes you happy.

By the way, your "Lance Strongarm" comment had me rolling. Hilarious.



Darned, apolack1, you had me then you went and dumped that "in the know" stuff on me. Do you like USPS? Do you own their riding apparel? Do you like it? Then wear it! It doesn't mean you do or don't know about cycling. Those who choose to rate your knowledge of cycling based on what you're wearing are simply demonstrating where bigotry comes from. It's not so different from deciding that a man is human or not human based on the color of his skin. One has nothing to do with the other but those who gain security by feeling that they're embedded within the majority will likely try to find something wrong with you if you look/dress differently than they do.



Scary..... just plain scary.



Thank you, Nicko71. And a thanks to some others who expressed similar sentiment.




(Yeah, I know I'm going to get it for this post so I'll just cower over in the corner for a while.)

Columbia

Just in response to jstraw about the Irish national kit.

I have the Irish jersey and shorts (and yes, they do look quite cool, in my opinion). One thing I've noticed is that you have to be extremely careful with them because they're not that strong, particuarily the shorts. If you scratch the shorts with your nail you WILL draw a large white line in the lycra. Also, if you open the 3/4 length zip all the way it can sometimes be awkward to close it again. And one more thing (last one, promise) if you have full finger gloves on it's hard to open or close the zip. Other than those things it's quite a good kit though .

apolack1

Damn Me! yes, i do have USPS stuff, and yes i wear it (rarely, im a bigger Jan/Tyler fan), but i also know that if i wanna let other cyclists know i follow professional cycling seriously, in america, i have to wear something else. I didnt wanna buy it, the devil made me do it.

EoinC

Just a crazy little thought in my feeble mind, but isn't it more important that people ride bikes than that their wardrobe is pollitically correct?
In terms of the rights and wrongs of wearing National Team / Champion Jersey's, better ask the members of that lofty group what they feel before you go running to defend their rights. They may just see it as a show of respect that people try to emulate them.
As for me, I'll stick with my old (1981) no-name jersey with plain-jane knicks......and, if it's cold, I put on my woolen jumper from the Army Surplus shop......whoops, there I go trying to pretend to society that I'm in the Army.
Forget what you're riding (naked's good - until you drop the bike or Winter sets in) and get on with riding the bloody bike.

Have fun.

The Dubliner

I wear my club jersey on race days naturally, but also on days when I train hard with other clubs, which I often do. My theory is that I will be accepted into a rival clubs training rides much faster with a club jersey than with a pro strip, which anyone can go out and buy.
As a regular rider, I feel more at ease leaning on a rider who I know belongs to a club and is proud to support it, than an unknown who might be a greqt rider, or a dickhead with lots of money.
Jerseys say it all. Wankers wear US Postal, serious guys wear their own club gear, and champions (and only champions) should wear nbational colours

apolack1

I wear my college team's jersey as much as possible, but doesnt it get boring?

EoinC

"Serious guys" are so busy riding that they don't give a **** about what other people are wearing.
With people as uptight as this, it's no wonder road racing has trouble attracting people to the sport.
This "you-are-what-you-wear" crap that so many of you appear to be promoting is probably helping you gain higher places in races simply because it's turning potential competitors away from the sport.

If you are all that concerned about what other people are wearing, it tells me that you're not riding hard enough. Take another turn at the front.

.....and have fun.

apolack1

yeah, its those attitudes that are turning all the talented and good athletes to triathlon.... like me! hahaha

Beastt

To echo what has already been mentioned; do people really think about what jersey, shorts, etc. they put on for their ride after they're on the bike? I put a moments thought into getting dressed but once the pedals are turning, I'm too out of breathe to think about what I'm wearing.

Do people think that Armstrong goes out an trains in any of his yellow jerseys or that Eric Zabel or Baden Cooke train in their green jerseys? Surely Richard Virenque doesn't spend his training hours covered in polka-dots.

ccorrick

I wear whatever is cheapest . Heck, they throw good sales on the old team crap. I grab whatever is clean and couldn't tell you 5 mins later what I had on if I didn't look. Of course I never did really care what anyone thought about what I wear either, so I think maybe I'm not really relevent to this thread. Of course I had to post relevent or not hahaha

C-