In our continuing guest article series, @eightzero weighs in on the modern cycling jersey. It’s made of some unholy material which has a half-life of fifty years and unless you crash in it, it’s still in your kit drawer.
Yours in Cycling, Gianni
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As the song goes, “we need dirty laundry” so goes the pile of road gear. While the preferred kit is the Sacred Garments of the Velominati, it is also true that said SGs need periodic washing. Nothing is worse (and potentially dangerous to one’s health) than pulling on yesterday’s bibs and jersey. I know the commandment to heed Rule #5 at all times, but staph infections are taking it to the extreme. I suspect even The Keepers would not endorse throwing one’s self to the pavement intentionally to acquire road rash just so we can look like Jens. Since giving the Machine a quick rub down after the ride is a priority, getting the SGs through the laundry often requires a delay.
Thus, most Velominati have a store of various bibs, base layers, gloves, and jerseys. And the latter is what gives me pause. Oh, what to do with those jerseys acquired with stars in my eyes – when those same jerseys and logos were adorned by the True Giants of the Road I so wished to emulate? A certain Texan made buying postage stamps cool, and then I had to have shark week on my TV. My sister-in-law was afflicted by MS, so it was natural that I show my support for the Tyler Hamilton Foundation, and his teeth grinding rides with CSC. And then, I had to look like Floyd. Had to. He was the Guy That Got Screwed. The guy that stood up to the alphabet soup groups. The guy that was going to make a difference and provide the hardmen with fairness.
Yeah, that turned out well.
I do my level best not to think that I have more invested in cycling clothing than I do in Machines. This clothing stuff is expensive. And, even though I now know that USPS was likely defrauded, that THF spent donations on Ty’s legal defense, that I can’t afford cable TV anymore (much less a science-y channel on the premium lineup) that CSC… well… hell, I don’t even know what CSC makes. And of course, Floyd has moved on to something called NASCAR, something I don’t even think of as sport. (I know I am going to catch hell for that, but really, driving in circles isn’t even exercise. What will be next? Olympic bus riding?) But I still have all these perfectly functional cycling kits and jerseys. They will function just fine, but somehow they always seem to find their way to the bottom of the stack, far, far below the SGs. I seek the path of the Velominati, and it is oh so hard to feel the guiding hand of Merckx upon me when resplendent in the wardrobe of… douchebags.
I guess I can be a little philosophical – I did resist the urge to buy Rock Racing’s kit – the most expensive of them all. Sure it looked pretty jazzy – I even met Michael Ball once – but $280 for a jersey? No wonder the dude has more money than, well, the United States. And I just never did get around to a Bahati Foundation jersey. I think my internet connection was down the day Floyd was on that team. My dad does like his Phonak hearing aid I got for him though. So I got that going for me.
So, off I go to eBay again looking for bargains. I see BMC kit prices are way, way up. For now. Sigh. Guess I’ll have to have one. La vie Velominatus.
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Speaking of the V, I had to use copious amounts of it over the weekend.
I did a 90km ride, which made me go into survival mode - headwind all the way. Yes, i know thats not much compared to what some folks do, and it's supposed to be an enjoyable distance for me too. But I just haven't been able to do a long ride in months and this was my first decent ride back.
Calves started cramping at 30km, followed by the quads at 60km. The last 20kms were torture. I couldn't even stand and pedal.
Anyway, my point - its easy to talk about the V, but actually going through it is quite another thing. It's only enjoyable after it's all done. As someone mentioned...it's not something we do everyday.
All this talk about kits, but no mention of the fact that the cuffs must match the collar.
To me there is overriding importance for the kit to match the bike. Not necessarily the brand, but certainly the colours. From the helmet to the shoes, to the bike, colours must compliment each other.
And while I am at it people, please.....no more flouro colored jawbones.
@minion
+1 on the merino. I've got a LS Howies merino base layer which gets a lot of use, on and off the bike. I've also got a pair of matching long johns (getting those on under bib tights without bunching would be no mean feat). Friday's ride was a shade under three hour at 3°C with a good headwind or crosswind for most of the ride. I was perfectly toasty, but not too hot (my cycling sensei was giving me a bit of a beasting to see how training is working out), with the merino base layer paired with the LS V-Kit and apart from my face, would have been happy if it had been a good bit colder.
I occasionally ride with a cheap Nike base layer in the summer if I'm setting out early, more for warmth in my arms than my core - haven't got round to arm warmers yet. I can't imagine you'd want anything like the merino in the summer but having spent longer inside wearing it than planned, I know that you don't overheat in it in the same way that you wood with man-made layers.
@GPdomestique
I am all for matching but matching your kit to your bike is trying to hard and goes against the principle of casual deliberate.
Wow, the Cipo photos are always awesome. I have a few questions about them.
What wheels are those on the middle bike? Third dude seems to be riding Campagnolo Shamals, middle look kind of like Shamals, but what is the red streak?
Does Cipo have shoe covers on? Or are his shoes just really damn white? His mane is great. Even better: all three riders on gum-walled tires. Nice! And I love those Brikos. Those shades alone made me want to get into cross country skiing, since I first saw them on Olympic skiers.
Second photo in the list - is that a Bianchi he's on? Doesn't look to be, but the color is confusing. And those are some slick Diadoras he has on. Very nice.
@ChrisO
I wear a base layer all year - different weights for different seasons, and this seems to be the case. In summer I use a thin wicking layer, and in winter a nice wool base. Always sleeveless, by the way, to keep from bunching in the arms.
@GPdomestique
Welcome, but indeed, what @RedRanger said is right. Keep it cool, keep it casual. For example, here's Hushovd, as world champ, WAY over-matched:
Here's LeMond in the same bands, looking sharp as a tack.
Case closed.
@frank
Yep. And if I may:
This is WRONG:
And this is RIGHT ('cause he always is):
@Ron
I think the middle wheels are Shamals, but they could be something custom. The hub looks to be Campa, so I'm guessing his wheels were just painted red to match his red frame. In the second pic, he is on a Bianchi, I think possibly the cool Ti frame they had for a while, with triangular tubes, but I'm not sure.
Those Brikos were like a mustache with titties. We Nordic Skiers loved them for their coverage, photo-chromatic lenses, and the strap that came with them so you could chuck them up to your hat when you needed them off, without worrying that they were going to come off.
I used to be a Jersey Junkie - needing as many jerseys as I could lay my hands on. But seeing the V-Light has turned me into a Kit Whore/Snob - I won't wear a jersey unless I have matching bibs (and hopefully socks) to go with it. I'll only wear my Assos bibs on the trainer now or under the winter bib tights. And now that I have the V-Gillet and LS V-Jersey I'm a complete, total pimp.
Speaking of the V-Gillet - I have found that for temps around 0c an Under Armour "Winter Mock" under the LS V-Jersey and the V-Gillet is just right if there is no wind.