I had the pleasure of once meeting a former national champion, keep in mind we have many national champions evey year in cycling . Anyway he took great offence to a cyclist wearing the jersey's they had not earned.
I said it before and I'll say it again, you can wear whatever you want but I reserve the right to LMAO

Really, if you want to play make believe wear a cape with a big S on it

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WW Velocipedist Gargantuan

If you buy ... and war the Roche jersey, are you "ripping him off" (degrading his victories) or are you putting money in his pocket because he gets a cut of the action om every one sold?

Disclaimer: the following post does not take into account the absolutely clueless rider who might buy a championship jersey with zero knowledge of the history behind it. Those riders just bite.


I think the biggest question here is: exactly who is under the impression that a person wearing a championship jersey is either a true champion or someone who is actively parading as one with the intent of fooling others? It's not like impersonating an officer of the law or a member of the military. Do you honestly think the relatively slow guy in the Bianchi jersey with world champ stripes fully intends for everyone to assume he is a Bianchi sponsored world champion? I'm gonna guess he's a Bianchi fan.

Don't get me wrong. I do think there are jerseys that just shouldn't be sold. Especially state and national championship jerseys that don't have sponsor logos, but are awarded to title holders. There's a direct line of confusion there as I've met some folks who do have legitimate state championships in random classes/age groups who you might not immediately assume were the real deal. If I see you in something like a California state champ jersey, you better darn well have won a title and not give me some line about "Well, I'm from there" or "I really like Cali." I could have sworn I saw something like this for sale somewhere, but I imagine in general those just aren't available for those reasons. However, folks in sponsorless Giro and Tour jerseys are a grey area.

But if your favorite rider/team led the Giro one year and you want to buy a replica Maglia Rosa with sponsor specific logos, go nuts. I don't think anyone will ask for your autograph.

I'm a chief offender of this rule as I have a Molteni jersey with world champ stripes. The C&V guys on BF HATE me for it, I'm sure. Not a full white with huge rainbow across the chest jersey, but the standard Blue and orange with striped cuffs and collar. When I wear it, I intend to let folks in the know that I am a huge fan of Merckx. For the 95+ percent who just have no clue, it's just some retro jersey I paid too much for. I have no qualms about it and have yet to have anyone mistake me for a world champ or accusing me of trying to fool anyone. (Though I will get to occasional retrogrouch giving me the eye before they ask if I know what I'm wearing and who it represents.)

Honestly, the way I see it, if an overweight 40 or 50 something guy is doing laps at the lake averaging 13 mph with a HTC green jersey on, I see a Cavendish fan and one less overweight 40 or 50 something on a couch. Not someone trying to fool folks that he just got off the plane from France and is putting in a recovery ride.

+500

another way I see it is an avenue that the sponsors who pay for the team/ riders you love so dearly can get a little marketing, and see that the sales are supportive and they are reaching a market and might continue to fund it in the future...

If HTC thought that sponsoring a bike team helped them market and sell their phones better maybe Cavendish would still have a leadout train and might have won more than one stage so far in the TdF?????

Instead the winningest team of last year folded and we've seen the whats happened since then. It all comes down to money, and maybe 10,000 more jersey sales might have gotten HTC's exec staff to say "wow, this cycling sponsorship is really paying off, we should keep it up for another XXX years"

So by all means if you love Europcar, FDJ, SKY, Discovery, 7eleven or whoever, go out and spend the coin and pimp their shit all over town whether you weigh 120lbs or 320lbs.

It does the sport good whether the snobs feel that way or not! It's easy to call someone a "Fred" through a forum, in person where there is a chance you might have to eat your words (or some dudes fist), most people have a little more respect.

Having idols and heros often means having to protect their aesthetic pureness. :yawn:

Nice jersey and very discrete I so no reason why you should not buy it.

good jersey. go for it

Not the reason they folded.

But anyway.


I'm not in favour of any kit with Championship/classification leaders stripes or logo's on it. Shane Kelly had an amusing rant on Twitter the summer before last at a guy wearing the Aussie National team kit at a sunday crit - of which there are actually previous national champs competing, the dude wearing the kit however not even close to being one of them.

However I am certainly with WalksOn2Wheels with regards to trade team kits. The few I have don't come out of the drawer often, if ever, now. But I have them because I was or am still a massive fan of the team or certain riders on it.

Cycling needs that passion and 'tribalism' if it's to survive and grow. As goodness knows (comparatively) the Pro teams make bugger all coin compared to other sports.

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Baum Ristretto, Baum Mondrian Corretto & the '89 Merckx! | "If you could eat it in one sitting, hold your line." | twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis

So if I wear my 7-Eleven jersey Bob Roll will get mad? I am not one to wear team kits, but I see no problem with a tribute jersey like this.

There's a difference between wearing a team-jersey of a team that currently exists, a team-jersey of a team that no longer exists, and a jersey reminiscent of a champions jersey that the rider did not earn.

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Exp001

I regularly ride a Colnago Saronni WC replica and would love to have a DelTongo team jersey to wear occasionally when I ride it with my other friends that ride vintage rides.

However, since I don't have that jersey, I ride in my team's kit.

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My Vellum Equilibrium
My Crappy Blog

Its a nice looking top. Not too pretentious.

no - never - its black, far too hot to wear in Qatar (44 degrees today) and too dangerous to wear in the UK - this fad with cyclists in black is madness - be seen!

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Wiliers: Cento Uno; Cento SLR; Imperiale, Zero 7 (all Super Record 11sp naturally)

I'd wear it.

I'd wear team kit too (but I don't own any) but will never touch yellow, white, green, pink, red, polka dots or any other jersey that you have to actually earn to wear it.

Yellow, white, green, pink, red. Mannn... Power Rangers!

OMG !!!!!!!!!!

Just saw Steven Roche wearing this jersey for the London - Paris 2012!!!! on his restored Battaglin

You guys cannot wear this jersey!!!!!!!

Please return it!!!!!!

You bitches!!!!!!

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I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree