Jersey & Bib Shorts - Matching or not?!?

There's a guy that's been turning up on club runs recently that could test the sartorial tolerance of the best of you. Old baggy sleeveless top worn under a slightly ropy set of bib shorts. As he has no pockets, he keeps a banana and other food inside his shorts.

And, though it's not that demanding a ride really (as in, I'm not the fittest person in the world and don't struggle) he drops out the back any time the road goes a bit up. On a "no drop" ride that's a lot of waiting for him to catch back up.

Yawn.

The whole lot is bull. Wear what feels comfortable and what works for you on the bike. It's all about personal taste. If you're happy wearing it then stuff everyone else.

For me that normally means Aldi shorts & single colour Sports Direct top or the odd patterned jersey. I have a nice Castelli "urban camo" top which always feels a bit rebellious against the hivis nazis on the commute. Most of my gear is bright but plain.

I wouldn't go and wear pro team kit (unless it was cheap) as frankly most looks awful, although the Team Sky and Movistar kits are about the best looking. I do have a Euskatel cap, but that's cos the bike and waterproof are orange as well.

Sometimes I wear Tesco with my Halfords or Sports Direct.

Wear whatever you want to wear, just as long as your wearing somethng (think of the children)

As long as your happy and comfy, stuff what ever anyone else says or thinks.

Would you dye your hair or get a liposuction/boob/ butt job because of what other people think? Live your own life

I am very pleased with my black shorts that have a saddle shaped cushiony bit! and my full length zip Roubaix top matches my bike perfectly. I buy what is comfortable and suits me, that said, the Specialized top and shorts with a black and orange tie string knock spots off the utter garbage I bought from Sports Direct! The "padding" in their (sports direct's) shorts is as flat as a pancake now! I do think that some cycling items are ridiculously overpriced! I bought my Specialized top for 45 quid, I picked up a similar top and it was 75 quid( I do see they sell tops for like 150 quid) ! I couldn't see the difference, but that doesn't mean to say there isn't one!!

I AM RAPHARTACUS!

Why does everyone hate Rapha so much? I bought a bunch of Rapha gear a while back because I liked it and worked for a "retail partner" so got a discount. Now I think twice about wearing it because everyone thinks I'm a douche. In all fairness they're probably right but it would be nice if they didn't make the judgement purely on my gear.

Only team kit I have is really obscure, or retro, or my club.

I am an advocate of wear what you want, on the basis we all look daft.

....until yesterday when I seen a guy in full sky kit, including the helmet, he looked like a tit....as he was riding a Trek!

As ever amazed that some people can be so overbearing about what people wear when out riding . The clothing police who seem to inhabit forums and clubs should really get a grip . If a cyclist wants to go out wearing team kit then fair enough - its his or her money to spend as they like , you do so wonder if there is a certain section of the cycling world that are not happy with the sudden rise of popularity in cycling . Having spent three weeks on hols in Italy this july I got out most days and huge numbers of Italian cyclists were wearing all sorts of team kit - I wonder if Italian forums suffer from the same pain in the arses .

I'm a MKW (a mixed kit wanker).
Full Santini Haru Aquazero - no club affiliation (shorts/jersey), sometimes a Santini Primo, sometimes De Marchi, sometimes PBK (inluding socks)...but always colour co-ordinated. Heaven forbid my colours don't match.
I have full Cervo Rosso regalia, that's my sportive gear...but don't race (even though I was a test team member)...
Jesus - I even have full Sky kit - pro team bibs and a SUPPORTERS jersey...from a distance who can tell it's the cheaper jersey!!??
I've a Chinese Ebay jersey (So Bike) that I've still to wear, it's the same Red/White/Black as my Ribble - think that'll go nicely with the Assos bibs...
I'm going to get full Road.CC gear next!
I have even been known to wear Rapha sportwool jerseys (Kelly/Van Looy/Belgian champ) with ASSOS shorts...f@ck me, I don't know how to control myself....how can I be so awesomely co-ordinated, yet so MEDIOCRE on a bike???

BECAUSE I CAN!

I'm ready for the flak I'll no doubt receive... But. ..

You wash your kit after each ride, so why not get a pair of bibs and jersey that go together? I've got four pairs of bibs, and two have corresponding jerseys. The other two are plain black. I like Sportful as it's a similar cut to Castelli but the brand logos are smaller.

I'm fairly ambivalent about Rapha. I've avoided it deliberately but know a few decent riders in the groups I ride with who find it really good. I'm tempted to try it. The high end Castelli or Asos or even Sportful kit isn't too far off the price of it.

Life's short. If it makes you happy wear it and ride your bike.

Not only acting as a mobile billboard, but paying (heavily) for the privilege.

Not my cup of tea but each to their own.

Personally speaking I think wearing what is essentially a mobile advertising billboard for either a Belgian lottery company, French supermarket, German phone company, etc etc is a bit odd.

The usual criticism of Sky kit wearers appears on this thread as it does on all threads about kit.

Over the last few months I've been mentally noting what team kits I see and Sky features very rarely. The most popular are Garmin and OPQS. I've seen as many Tinkoff and Lotto as Sky. Why the scorn for Sky?

For the record I wear retro, mainly Flandria. I pretend I'm Roger De Vlaeminck as we're the same age.

I just like to see a bit of colour co-ordination between bike and rider...

My bikes black/white/blue so my gear is too for the most part (my union jack jersey is close enough for me )

I would always start with black bibs and go from there. I'm a fan of Foska jerseys more than anything but would happily don a team jersey, just with black bibs and black socks. Me and my buddies have a thing (I don't know if this is common or not) where we match out kit to our bike. Mine was, at the time a Trek, so everything I had was Bontrager. Specialized, spcialized. Cervelo, Garmin. etc. Any brand that didn't also make bikes, Shimano, Oakley, Endura... was fair game also. Sounds dorky now I've written it out but worked for us and we always looked good.

P.S....if you like the Belkin kit, which I do, head over to Belkin's own site where they are doing some great deals

Does this extend from team kit to manufacturer's kit too?

(No, I don't really care either)

Some of that retro stuff on alwaysriding is lush.

Of course you CAN wear what you want on a bike, just like you can walk down the high street in anything you like.

But most of us don't because in fact we do care what impression we make on other people. It's deeply ingrained behaviour.

So as a fairly normal/typical (I think) club and racing cyclist my view is:

1. Full current/recent pro team kit is for try-hard wannabes. It's ironic that this is defended by people who say you can wear what you like, when clearly the people wearing it are doing so in a desperate attempt to be accepted and recognised by others.

2. Kit doesn't have to match but should at least go together. You match the clothes you wear to Sainsbury's (I hope) so why not on the bike? No obvious colour clashes and be careful with logos - don't be a harlequin or a moving billboard.

3. Rapha - be prepared for sceptical looks, especially if you are totally tricked out in Rapha's finest. But plenty of serious riders wear it and if you have the legs and the money, go for it.

These fashion questions are just about first impressions but these matter in cycling because they relate to my own safety.

If you turn up in full Sky rig with hairy legs at my club ride my initial impression is that you might not know what you're doing and I'm not going to ride too near you until I work out whether you're a liability or not.

On the other hand, turn up in some well chosen but not OTT stuff (or your local club kit) on a decent bike and with shave legs and I will be inclined to think you are not about to take me out.

Your choice.

Re: retro kit - my opinion is that as soon as a team falls out of existence (or at least changes main sponsor) then you can wear it. I've been very disappointed that genuine Euskaltel Euskadi kits are impossible to find, I wanted one.