...generally awful.
Has/have there been any jerseys to better La Vie Claire or Z from the 80s?
Trying and failing to think of any. Whatcha got?
The Sky kit has been consistently classy, and I've quite liked the last few Lotto kits (and bikes)
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Edit, you're never going to beat the Z kit
Edit2 Rapha Condor wasn't bad either
One of my favourites. Got one from Prendas.
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Trade team tops are...an item of clothing that ought not be available for retail. The very worst example of MAMIL-ness.
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Like modern day corporate Harlequins sad bordering on tragic. Most moto x gear is even worse! Psychedelic fluorescent dazzle camouflage with branding on every millimetre of fabric, visible from space 😆
Should be given away free wearing that much advertising about your person.
Love the new Lotto Soudal Paris Nice top. OK, it's Lotto Fix All, but you know what i mean.
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Pah, snobs*. I like trade tops. The Lotto one is nice and the Belkin one was too. Favourite from yesteryear is the PDM jerseys and Gatorade, though the La Vie Claire and Z are crackers. I did like the pink T Mobile top as well.
*Admittedly I seem to prefer if they are at least a few years old and definitely not full kit.
Trade team top?
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Early 1990s had some decent tops
PDM (gert Jan thenuisse)
Motorola (Sean Yates)
Travail-temporare (charley mottet)
Banesto (indurain)
By far the worst trade top...
Castorama (Laurent fignon)
The current crop are, largely, OK if a little dull. Lotto is very nice, and I quite like FDJ but bar they are all a little dull.
However, get yourselves over to [url= http://www.prendas.co.uk ]Prendas[/url] and treat yourselves to some retro goodness. Molenti and St Raphael for the win.
Carrera double denim anyone?
Trade team tops are...an item of clothing that ought not be available for retail. The very worst example of MAMIL-ness.
+ 1
and fall into the same category as replica football shirts
...straight into Room 101!!
Back in the day I bought one of these...
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...and used it when riding my mountain bike.
In terms of simplicity and visual impact I don't think there's been better than the Cervelo test team tops with the big é on the back:
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In fact I think that for most circumstances on the road a big constrasting form like that is probably more visible than flouro yellow.
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I had a couple of Garmin Slipstream replica jerseys like this, but in my defence I was given them for nothing.
I had some Peugeot Z kit from a bargain bin BITD, but I wouldn't have picked it out as an all-time great.
This on the other hand...
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I was gonna suggest the red/white Lotto Soudal kit above, I also quite like this...
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I would never ride in a current team top, partly as they're not that nice, partly as I don't want to look like a middle aged man in a football shirt.
However, retro tops I don't mind, I have a La Vie Clare top I wear and am debating another one or 2 as well. I also have an old Belkin top from the clearance sale a few years ago though it's rarely worn.
I think the national squad jerseys are generally nicer than the trade team one due to them being simpler and less of a mobile advertising hoarding (which I know is the point of a trade team jersey). The only one i can think of that I've liked in the last few years is the IAM cycling jerseys.
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The Drops team stuff is nice as is the Rapha-Canyon stuff. Women's teams though so I'd feel wierd wearing it even if it was available in mens cut.
http://www.dropscycling.com/team
http://pages.rapha.cc/stories/canyonsram
hairylegs - Member
Trade team tops are...an item of clothing that ought not be available for retail. The very worst example of MAMIL-ness.+ 1
and fall into the same category as replica football shirts
...straight into Room 101!!
+2 for trade team tops.
The football/rugby/[other sport as appropriate] tops needs to be qualified that its bad if you are popping to the shops but OK if you are going to watch a game.
I like the Ag2r la mondial (sp??) tops though (not to wear, when watching cycling on telly)
Trade team tops on their own, with plain black shorts, worn on a bike are sort of OK IMO.
Full trade team get-up - the whole shebang - socks, shorts, cap, jersey, overshoes, gillet. Never, ever, only if you ride for that team.
Trade team tops worn as and everyday t-Shirts with jeans or cargo shorts - there are no words for this sort of deviant! 😀
Have a kick around in the park with your mates, wearing a football shirt and no-one blinks an eyelid. Wear a trade top when cycling and the snobs reach for the pitch forks.
tang
Carrera double denim anyone?
Seen a guy last year at a charity ride with the full thing on - it was breathtaking 😀
This one:
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There was a guy I used to see regularly in full cervelo test team kit, everything from shoes to helmet, he was a big unit mind, but seemed to be having fun.
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My personal favourite!
Not a trade team unfortunately, however I think the comedy Gregg's one deserves a mention for the attention to detail & the sausage roll sticking out the rear pocket
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I like the new JLT Condor kit. Wouldn't personally wear any trade team kit though.
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Personally, and maybe I am showing age here, but I do not get desire to have random MegaCorp logo's all over me.
Trade team tops should be just for the team IMO.
Have a kick around in the park with your mates, wearing a football shirt and no-one blinks an eyelid.
Get you Wayne Rooney 😉
My 3 favorite tops are the last 3 tops form the same team!
Specialized Lululemon - very different and no advertising, you knew who the team were
Velocio Sram - Again very different, and I have one breaking my own rule of owning pro tops in the process
Canyon Sram - The Rapha kit is again very different.
Personally, and maybe I am showing age here, but I do not get desire to have random MegaCorp logo's all over me.
I think it's something that used to be more popular in the past than now TBH.
Also think the "full kit ****er" snobbishness reveals more about the snobs than the FKWs.
note: I don't mean you Matt.
[quote=muppetWrangler ]I think the national squad jerseys are generally nicer than the trade team one due to them being simpler and less of a mobile advertising hoarding (which I know is the point of a trade team jersey).
Though for slightly different reasons they're an even bigger fail for a punter wearing one for a ride.
*puts world champions jersey on and cycles past aracer casually*
Pah, snobs*. I like trade tops. The Lotto one is nice
+1
I got one of the knock-off ones from ebay, full kit for £15 and it's actually really good!
I draw the line at wearing the shorts and top together though. I either put leggings over the shorts for winter rides or just with a.n.other top for mtb.
I quite like some of the current teams' looks, but a sentimental favourite has always been this one:
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I overtook the world road race champion the other day, as it happens. I was on my Brompton.
I have bits and pieces. A Lampre Merida winter jacket which I picked up cheap and is very visible on winter rides. A team sky jersey from about 2011 that I rarely wear. A Canyon SRAM gilet because I really like the kit. Some Pearl Izumi sports tours shorts, and a Boels Dolmans coloured helmet. Wearing the last three at the same time gives a rather confused look...
The last time someone overtook me wearing a world champions jersey it was Tom Pidock. I think he's allowed.
little bloke; heavy build with daft beard and Van Halen hair? I've seen him tooI overtook the world road race champion the other day, as it happens. I was on my Brompton.
little bloke; heavy build with daft beard and Van Halen hair? I've seen him too
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For the ultimate in understated
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Nothing beats Mapei Bricobi.
You mean all those mamils I see aren't sponsored professionals?
I is disappoint.
I liked this for its simplicity
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Nothing beats Mapei Bricobi.
looks like it's been put together by the Um Bongo packaging team on an off day
the nicest current road trade kits are worn by them wimminz
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but my fave kit is the Belgian nationals
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No one going for this then!...
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I actually quite liked the discovery channel team kit.
random MegaCorp logo's
One thing I quite like about trade teams is that to be a second tier sponsor for a smaller team....... frankly it's barely above local newsagent level in some cases.
Fourth largest flooring company in inner Wallonia? - yep, you can have both shoulders and a logo on the chainstay for the price of a tank of petrol and a book of stamps for our jiffy bags.
I also remember seeing (I think Alex Dowsett's signed) Movistar jumper framed in Cinnamon Cafe in Windsor at the w/e and in the flesh that's quite decent.
Stealth ad...
Still got my Superconfex classic sought-after 1980s team top.
[quote=matt_outandabout ]Personally, and maybe I am showing age here, but I do not get desire to have random MegaCorp logo's all over me.
Trade team tops should be just for the team IMO.
It's not an age thing because I'm older than you and don't really care 😉
The only thing like any of those I have and use is a black/blue/orange Garmin Slipstream jersey I got free with, err, a Garmin. I like the colours.