Best Kit Ever?
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.
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Ok,probably going to take some shit on this one, but I have a quiet liking for the current AG2R La Mondiale kit , probably because it reminds me a bit of the RMO kit in the repetitious use of pattern.
Also, I think Liquigas stands up pretty well for a modern kit.
@wiscot
Are you predicting you’ll ‘take some shit’ because that’s literally what their shit-brown shorts and pinched-loafesque time trial helmets allude to?
cuffs, collar, class
Great thread for a first time poster…
I believe La Vie Claire, PDM and Carrera were groundbreaking kits and therefor one of the best ever. From the legendary kits I would nominate Peugeot and Renault.
But the kit I never stopped loving was the Malvor – sidi kit. First with the hot Bottecchia, later the Colnago name. They had the nicest bibs of that time and the jersey was super gesoigneerd.
@sidi3058
Interesting, I don’t know that kit at all. Very cool. Me likey!
@Dashiell
You just said a mouth full with that. So far, unless someone shows me something nicer, that is my favorite kit of all time.
@Rev.C.Mac
You are killing me with that photo. Faema, Faemino. Fantastic shot of young proud Eddy.
@the Engine
A Kellogg’s city centre crit in Dundee is one of my earliest (but now pretty vague) cycling memories. It was during a rare visit in from the sticks and all I remember is a flash of colours as they passed me standing amazed in Commercial Street.
Best kit? For me classic ‘diced’ Peugeot. Still got some socks in the drawer with that design round the top and ‘foreign legion’ on the sole. Prendas latest take on the design has spoiled it somewhat.
Gianni,
you blind tit.
The some kid in photo 7 is Steve Houanard.
http://www.cyclisme.ag2rlamondiale.fr/equipe/steve-houanard.asp
You spent 20 minutes looking at him before Paris Roubaix 2012.
You really need some Malteni
Ride the crest
William
@brad, good choice gone wrong…
No kit nomination, but the first thought when seeing this article was “The Blue Line Of Pain”. Made my day.
@sidi3058
Not a bad choice, but look at the gorgeous Atala kit in the background. See how fantastic it looks! Alata: the aesthetes choice.
One day, I will get the full T-Mobile outfit. It will match the T-Mobile Giant TCR that’s hanging in my parent’s living room.
To go on this bike, with full Campag Record 10, old-school-yet-carbon aero seatpost and period-correct (2004) stem and bars.
@EricW
Me too, the first modern kit that came to mind that doesn’t have “too many sponsors, too much sublimation”. Sorry, but I can’t agree on the Sky kit, just don”t like it for some reason.A lot seem to though, certainly plenty wearing it.
@lanzer
Faaack. Yes, I need much Malteni. I am a blind tit, a dumb one at that. I will correct. Bianchi Denti would have nailed me on that if you didn’t. cheers.
I’ve always had an affinity for the Raleigh-Panasonic kit, including bike.
When my LBS got some jerseys and caps I spent all my paper-round money on it. I even stripped the paint off my frame and painted it the same.
Even now when Lego house building, the base level is blue, next level red, yellow and the rest up is white with a black roof.
@lanzer
Wait a second, this cannot be the real William, there was not one “fuck” in the entire post!
@Buck Rogers
Well, “blind tit” pretty much made up for lack of it…
@Dan_R
+1
@jimmy – Ugh. That guys looks how I feel when I’m in my kit. This is why I’ve again started on my weight-loss plan. My too fat to climb arse needs to get skinnier.
@wiscot
Didn’t Nicholas Roche say when he say their kit for the first time he thought itlooked like the whole team had crapped their pants?
Bravo! Bravo! Che bella roba! Team Cinzano!
@Rev.C.Mac yup, glad someone posted the Faemino/Faema kit…
Just spectacular.
@unversio yup, I’d be pretty keen for a woolen one of these.
“Everybody cheats. I just didn’t know.”
@Mikael Liddy Nice work…
I always liked the TI Raleigh jersey best, but I also dig the Ariostea one from the early 90s.
Bianchi all the way.
And of course, there’s the obvious…
I humbly have to state
that my all-time favourite has to be my self-designed Roadworks kit though…
@Dashiell
And, the bar tape sewn up from the inside…I’m guessing that style has a name I don’t know…yet.
impeccable.
@Souleur
Amen!
@jimmy Someone has to put this right.
Funny enough, rode alongside a guy sporting a Brooklyn jersey today – one of my faves! More new school, I always liked this kit as well…
Kelly/Anderson rivalry in PDM/TVM kits, respectively. Partial to the TVM Gazelles, but the PDM Concordes were pretty nice machines as well.
@Bianchi Denti I am going to burn in the deepest, darkest pits of hell for even putting this anywhere near Coppi but the resemblance is uncanny!
The Bianchi kit in the lead photo is fantastic. Always liked the Z kit, PDM, Peugeot, Ti Raleigh, and for more modern day, Domo Farm Frites…
And the V-kit is plain awesome of course!
@Duane
the 7-eleven team ran from ’81 to ’90 (then changed to motorola). they’ve had international stores since the late ’70s, and was apparently even rescued from bankruptcy by a japanese company in the ’80s.
+1 for Mapei!
Have been considering for a while picking up a Mapei kit from Prendas Cyclismo, they seem to have most of the classic retro team kits.
What are the keeper’s positions on wearing defunct team kits?
Also anything Bianchi gets my vote as does Peugeot.
@meursault the Mercier BP kit is a cracker too…another one I’ve very nearly pulled the trigger on when browsing Prendas.
@Tobin
Fausto was not always impeccable…
@All there are so many great team kits, and whilst the Peugot kit of Tom Simpson and the Merino kit of Eddy are in my Top five, my absolute favourites are these. I have them both, in merino wool as well and I absolutely love them.
@Mikael Liddy
Agreed that Mercier BP kit is cracking.
So the consensus is, modern kits are rubbish?
@minion
Of the recent kits, Rabobank, BMC and HTC jump to mind……not rubbish but maybe not as iconic……
@Ron
@mcsqueak
It’s interesting that you’d bring that up. It’s that time of year where we’re redoing our team kit adding/ removing sponsors. As one of the guys on the board of my team, I get to be involved in kit design. For reasons I won’t bore you with, it was kind of hastily put together last season. It’s not bad, but needs refinement. I’m stoked that we have Castelli kit tho, but I know there’s going to be some “spirited debate” when it comes to how we lay out stuff for the coming season.
@scaler911
Huh,
wonder why that come out sideways. Oh well.
Anyway tow of my favorite pro team kit (one of which I was lucky enough to wear in the past):