Celeste Heaven

What is the best pro team kit ever? I’m talking team kit only, not a leader’s jersey, national team jersey or the national champion jersey. Not the worst either, for those are legion and worthy of a much longer article than this. @wiscot and I exchanged emails about Urs Freuler and the fantastic Atala kit which led to quick discussion of best kits. He threw out Skil Shimano and La Vie Clair as kits to consider. It’s hard to disassociate the kit from the rider. Maybe the Orange Molteni kit would be rubbish if Lord Merckx didn’t own it for years. It’s also hard to come up with a great modern kit: too many sponsors, too much sublimation. Were wool kits nicer? Maybe they were in their simplicity, maybe more iconic. Sky’s kit was a excellent change for it’s uncluttered design and in years to come we may look back on it with as much admiration as we do a Molteni kit. But since that reedy weed Froome killed my VSP hopes recently, that jersey is dead to me, forever.

Here are a few nice ones. I’m sure I’ve left many nicer ones out. Let the arguing begin.

  • Atala-I know my love of the Atala prisoner jersey is bolstered by Urs Freuler’s ‘stach and a young Gianni Bugno in the stripes. The design was a nod to the early Atala frames made in an Italian prison by real Italian prisoners. It’s a damn good looking, especially when it made the transition to lycra.
  • Molteni-I can’t separate the jersey from Merckx. It’s a weird color and a nice design but without Eddie’s head sticking out of the top I’m not sure it would go far.
  • TI Raleigh-So much ass was kicked by riders in this jersey it was like a black leather jacket. If three guys in this jersey ride up next to you, it’s sweatin’ time. The design didn’t change season to season. Red, yellow and black: a very distinctive kit but the best kit?
  • Skil Shimano – If Sean Kelly didn’t wear this kit it wouldn’t be in the running. But Sean Kelly killing it in the red, white and blue Skil kit, he makes it look awesome.
  • Brooklyn Chewing Gum – This kit may have stood on it’s own. It’s original and beautiful. If Roger de Vlaeminck hadn’t rocked that jersey in various Paris-Roubaix wins it may have stood on its own but it would not have stood so tall.
  •  La Vie Claire – Hinault never looked quite menacing enough in this Mondrian inspired jersey. He looked mean all the time but this jersey made him look too sophisticated, someone who actually cared about design instead of just ripping legs off.
  • Bianchi – Like Atala, the bike manufacturer as sponsor keeps the kit simple. Bianchi’s beautiful color and simple design really do it for me. When Bianchi again sponsored a team and big Jan was the captain, everyone won.

[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/j.andrews3@comcast.net/Best Kit Ever/”/]

Gianni

Gianni has left the building.

View Comments

  • I'm partial to the Brooklyn kit myself... I found a jersey last year but alas I had to return it because it was too big for me, and they didn't have any smaller available.

  • Wow!  Great thread!  I agree with whomever said early 80's Renault Elf. Classic.  Also, Bugno in Chateux D'Ax was soooo classic to me.  But, if driven to choose just one, it would have to be La Vie Claire, hands down.

  • Great kits in my opinion:

    -- Credit Agricole for its clean colors.  It stood out without being garish.

    -- 7-eleven for similar reasons, but for the life of me and I can't understand why they sponsored a team when they didn't have international stores.

    -- ONCE in yellow, but their pink at the tour was an eye sore

  • I have been very reluctant to join up with a local team/club I sometimes ride with because their kit is so awful. Busy and ugly. They requested redesigns, I based it on a Banesto jersey I have (not pictured above) and they said it was too plain, looked like too many others. Yeah, well, I know it looked like another one! And, plain is classy!

    Oh well, I'll have to be content to bomb around in the V-jersey!

  • @Ron

    Yeah, I think the problem partially stems from "design by committee", where if you try and make everyone happy, it winds up being just crappy all-around.

    Pro teams have pro designers, which helps a lot. And look at Frank & co., they work with KRX10 and get professional-quality work for the V-Kit items. I'm sure many small amateur teams suffer from letting the "guy who knows photoshop" on the team do the design. I've seen a few good ones around here recently, though.

  • @EricW

    @torvid

    I'll probably get excommunicated for this but modern kit that a really like is the rapha condor kit

    It's nice and simple not many colours not to overt on the sponsors everywhere. All time kits I like the 1993 Banesto kit as worn by Big Mig.

    Second the RCS nod.  Along with SKY, I think they're the only kits that are anywhere in the classiness ballpark as the classic kits listed in the article.

    I like the Rapha Sharp kits as well, pink is always a good accent color.

    Plus with Rapha doing the next round of SKY kits, hopefully we'll see some new design inspiration injected into the pro peloton.

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