OK everyone, I just purchased my first road bike (2005 Trek 2100) and shoes (Specialized Pro Carbon), and I'm ready to purchase shorts, jersey, and helmet so I can get riding! My questions are: what are the do's and don'ts of putting together a clothing package (i.e. is it ok to mix Discovery Channel shorts with a plain blue/black Trek jersey? What color helmets would go best? etc.). These are probably total dork questions, but I don't want to commit any major fashion no no's.

The color scheme of the bike is red/white, and the shoes are black/red. I'm not interested in making any loud statements with my clothing, but I want to look good. I'm leaning toward a white/silver Giro Atmos helmet, Discovery Shorts, and a blue/black Trek jersey.

Whaddya think?

Thanks everyone!

- Rob

Plain shorts.

Plain or local shop or your club jersey.

Fancy bling/pimp socks.

Black or white helmet.

Black armwarmers.

Black leg warmers or tights (if it gets cold enough)

Wearing pro team kit is a fine art; it marks you out as either an aficionado with years of following the pro scene, or as a new guy. This is not intended as criticism or a dig at anyone, I'm just trying to tell it like it is.

If in doubt, plain. Always dark colours for shorts, unless you like everyone looking at your old fella. Think about it like a woman (not all women, but used as an example....) you are aiming to put together a wardrobe of kit over a period of time, that you can mix and match. The windproof gilet and armwarmers will extend the use of your kit into pretty bleak weather. Buy a cheap waterproof jacket; it will sit rolled up in your back pocket for 18 times out of 20.

Use old sports socks to cover your shoes if it is raining, just cut a 1 inch hole on the sole of the sock; the hole stretches.

Never ever wear your jersey under your bib straps.
If you're slow, try to look like you're out for a "Sunday Ride."
Your shorts/jersey pick is good. It doesn't scream "GEEK"
Black arm and knee warmers give you "points", when it's chilly out.

in short: wear what you like and find a girl to help with color coordination (they're pros).

Hard to find very many plain jerseys in the brands that fit me the best--Assos, Nalini, Santini, Sportful. Bought a team jersey once 10 years ago, but never wore it until yesterday. Its a classic now, but but I do not plan to buy any more. I go for the more conservative Italia national team jerseys and also have the plain red/white Swiss team. Nowadays I am looking for high visibility colors for safety. Just ordered a bunch from Prendas, who have a great selection and a few items not listed any where else.

For shorts, I have a 2 weeks supply of Assos and Giordana bibs, and a few pairs of shorts for super hot days when I wear a sleeveless. The blue Nalini shorts make me look way too sexy... :p

Look at what other roadbikers are wearing in your area. Both male and female. Are they peacocks? Do they dress in grim grays and blues? Is your locality the kind where wearing bright colors and clingy clothes might garner uwanted attention? It might be mentioned, on the other hand,, that loud clothes make you more visible on the road. Finally, as Mr. Grumpy advises - Never wear your jersey under your bib straps.

I like to go for whatever I can get on sale, and then figure out the color. Because cycling clothes get expensive, especially for the comfortable shorts - I don't even pay that much for my nice work clothes.

BY the most expensive stuff you can find. Asos, Bieme, Castelli. As long as the wife will let you, live it up

Price is no assurance for a compatible chamois. It certainly takes some time and effort to figure out multi-brand fit and comfort issues.

for shorts, even if you dont try them on, check the chamois for thickness. if you have no experience with this, get a pretty thick chamois. better too cushy than not enough for beginners. all the clothes advice so far has been spot-on. if you see a rider in full matching kit, it is probably that of their racing club or LBS. DON'T do this with pro team clothes. discov shorts with a more subtle jersey would be fine. black or white for the helmet is the way to go, definitely. it's funny, because outsiders see all roadies as dorky-dressers, but there is a strict "code" of what you should and shouldn't wear.

if you want to avoid looking like a chump (fred) I'd highly recommend NOT wearing pro jerseys. If you shop around (performance, supergo) you can find decent plain jerseys for $30 or so.

Also, if you look around you can find good deals on bibs (much more comfy than shorts). I laugh at people that pay $200 for them - that is a total joke. Voler makes great bibs for $60. The top of the line performance ones can be OK too, and they're often on sale for ~$50.

Helmet color doesn't matter - having matching everything when you're a sponsored rider is cool - plain jerseys and black shorts/bibs are cool IMHO

White helmets are best, since they stay cooler.

Avoid cheap shorts. In my experience they're much less comfortable and wear out much faster than more expensive ones. I have $70-$80 Pearl Izumi shorts that are ten years old and still fine. Cheap ones wore out in a year or two.

Don't wear TDF yellow or World's Champion jerseys. unless you are one. I don't mind team jerseys, espescially those of your home country's national team, but I don't like team shorts.

If you wear underwear with your bike shorts, wear them on the outside, so they stay clean.

I love to wear wool argyle socks in the cooler weather. They're much cheaper than wool bike socks and they work just as well.

I laugh at people that pay $200 for them - that is a total joke.

In my case the Assos S2s have a perfect fit, which for me is hard to come by. The other that I use is the Giodana Tenex, which is just about equal to the S2s. Once I find this level of satisfaction, I stop experimenting and begin stocking up.

for shorts, even if you dont try them on, check the chamois for thickness. if you have no experience with this, get a pretty thick chamois. better too cushy than not enough for beginners. all the clothes advice so far has been spot-on. if you see a rider in full matching kit, it is probably that of their racing club or LBS. DON'T do this with pro team clothes. discov shorts with a more subtle jersey would be fine. black or white for the helmet is the way to go, definitely. it's funny, because outsiders see all roadies as dorky-dressers, but there is a strict "code" of what you should and shouldn't wear.
There is no code. Wear whatever you want. T-shirts are fine unless it is really hot or you need the pockets. Jerseys are fine if you want to spend the money. Expensive helmets don't protect you any better than cheap ones. Sweat socks work fine.
Shorts are important. I have 2 kinds. I wear something like Performance Century brand for short rides. You can get these usually for about $25. For long rides, I wear a good pair of Pearl Isumi's. They have a much thicker pad.
The important thing is to have fun riding. Don't worry about what you wear or what anyone else wears.

Shorts should be mostly black. I like colorful jerseys, so that if a car hit me, I know they were aiming for me.

If you wear black shorts, you can do almost anything else. Team shorts/non-black shorts often look good (at least on others), but they have many problems: (1) see what happens when you have to fix a flat or a slipped chain and you are wearing non-black shorts: (2) you can't really coordinate them with other jerseys; and (3) the versions sold to the public often have pretty thin chamois.

The most important thing about cycling attire is to get what you need in order to be most comfortable. Your three contact points with the bike -- your hands, your feet and -- most importantly -- your butt are the primary things you need to worry about. Fashion and color are secondary -- you need comfortable gloves, socks/shoes and shorts. You will notice that the vast majority of gloves, shoes and shorts are black or neutral in color. Once you have the gloves, shoes and shorts that you need, the rest is just a matter of personal preference and taste. My cycling wardrobe ranges from "fred" to "poseur" and everything in between. I really don't care about what people with whom I ride wear and I think that most other people agree with me -- the only thing I care about when I ride with others is that they don't do squirrely things that endanger others. It is your riding, not your clothes that will impress or turn off others.

Disco team shorts no. Plain black shorts yes.

The biggest fashion faux-pas of them all is to wear those cotton athletic sock, the knee-high kind with stripes, with your bike shorts. We all did it as beginners and it just screams "look at me, I'm a jackass!!!".

Those Primal Wear jerseys with skeletons, mutant frogs, robotic lizards, etc. are just about as dorky as it gets, in my opinion. And those Disney character jerseys, they're almost as bad. O.K for a woman, maybe, but not for a man.

Don't buy a cheap helmet. Even though they meet the same safety standard, they don't fit as well, and have fewer vent holes. On hot rides you'll be thankful for the vent holes.

A cotton tee shirt will become very wet and uncomfortable on a hot day.

Black shorts.

For jersey, I personally wear the plastic / vapor wick / whatever you want to call it T-shirts made by Nike, Adidas, Mt. Hardwear, etc in solid colors. They're not tight, form fitting cuts like most jerseys. I find the tight jersey fit rather uncomfortable and the t-shirts are around $20, which is way less than most jerseys I've seen. Cotton is bad, the plastic materials will dry quickly and aid in keeping you cool.

T-shirts are fine unless it is really hot or you need the pockets.

T shirts? They get wet and clammy unless it's really cold, then they offer no insulation. And they flap, flap, flap. I don't wear them any further than a quick trip around the block to check an adjustment. A budget alternative is the loose fit line of technical wear from Under Armor. It wicks just doesn't have pockets and a zipper.

Personally, I don't wear anything but black shorts and pick my jersey based on maximum visibility. Plain yellow, blue, or red from Nashbar or Performance are fine, but garish pro team jerseys also pass the visibility test.

Black shorts.

For jersey, I personally wear the plastic / vapor wick / whatever you want to call it T-shirts made by Nike, Adidas, Mt. Hardwear, etc in solid colors. They're not tight, form fitting cuts like most jerseys. I find the tight jersey fit rather uncomfortable and the t-shirts are around $20, which is way less than most jerseys I've seen. Cotton is bad, the plastic materials will dry quickly and aid in keeping you cool.

I wear black pearl izumi shorts as they seem to be pretty good on the price end, and then I tend to wear the formfitting wicking shirts from NFL equipment, nike, and underarmour, they are very comfortable, cool, and a heckofalot cheaper than most jersey's.

just copy this guy. he's the coolest

just copy this guy. he's the coolest

:eek: Awww..sick. Please don't post that picture again. I might have nightmares tonight..

As a female biker I totally regulate what I let my husband ride in so he doesn't look stupid. We both wear black shorts and non-team jerseys. Around here a lot of people do wear some of the Euro team jerseys and I think thats fine, but they're more expensive. Another option like the UnderArmor suggestion is to get lightweight long underwear or workout clothing from REI or an outfitter like that. Most of that stuff comes in short sleeved, or no sleeved versions and is basically the same as a jersey, only no pockets and zippers.

PS That picture is gross

I prefer jerseys over Tshirts because of the pockets. I always am carrying a few items along on any ride.

Biker Fox is back
then you have the inevitable red skinsuit guy watching aarontoy and some other big dude in a cross race.

Thank you all so much for the responses. I went with the basic black Pearl Izumi shorts (nice chamois), simply stated red and black Bontrager shop jersey, and a white Giro Atmos helmet. I went for the inaugural ride on Sunday, and I am so happy with my new bike (and clothes). Switching from only a mountain bike to a nice road bike is an amazing experience. The best choice I've made in quite some time! Thanks again! Now, on to the last piece...sunglasses.

Stay with black shorts just like everyone else said. DO NOT rock team shorts. Team jerseys can go either way, but don't wear one if you're a newbie. Socks are the one place where you can let loose and get crazy, but no knee high 70's gym socks, stick to socks they sell at bike shops. If you get tights/arm/leg warmers, only get black. As far as jersey's go, i usually just buy the basic plain ones from nashbar that run about $25-$30, no reason to pay $90. If you are a roadie wear roadie stuff, keep the gary fisher stuff for the trails.

Do not under any circumstances wear anything that has king of the mountains polka dots, race leaders yellow (or pink for that matter), or sprinters green unless you earned your stuff in an actual race. Everytime i pass a dude on a climb wearing a king of the mountains jersey or socks, or someone wearing a race leaders jersey, i feel it is my duty to give them a dirty look. DO NOT BE THAT GUY!

Side note: always wave to other cyclists, don't be the guy that has all the expensive gear and doesn't acknowledge other riders, thats bad karma

For male cyclists:

As others have said, the only piece of your favourite team's kit allowed is the jersey, and possibly the summer cap.

Black arm warmers, knee warmers, leg warmers. Warmers go UNDER legs of shorts.

Bibshorts only. Non-bibs cause chamois-bunching that looks like diapers in 90% of guys

Don't buy your jersey 2 sizes too big -- it shouldn't fit like a t-shirt. Especially true if you decide on a team jersey.

Socks can be whatever cycling sock. They don't even have to match. They can be no-show, shorty, or 1/4 length, but no higher.

You have 3 jersey pockets. When you're on a training ride, you don't need a massive wedge capable of fitting a spare watermelon. If you're commuting it doesn't matter.

---
The basic roadie fashion tips for your ride:

Obey the spacer police and get rid of 'em.

No reflectors.

Quick release levers don't point forward, the tire label lines up with the valve stem.

Nobody cares if you have carbon cages or not, they aren't that light, and they're expensive.

Um, My grandma bought me a yellow jersey. It isn't a leader jersey, just plain yellow. Am I a fred? It's pretty nice, it has an almost full length zipper and is pretty comfortable. I have black shorts with a blue/ yellow strip on each side. I hope this isn't bad? I'm getting a new bike pretty soon and I don't want to look especially fred (At least on my old bike I just looked like a kid riding his dad's bike).

ok I am sure I am going to take some heat for asking but I do not know so I guees the only way to find out is to ask and take the heat.

What is "fred" and what is "cake"

let the cooking begin.

A jersey that happens to be yellow or green is fine, i was talking about the actual replica ones they sell at bike shops for like $120. The Credit Layonaise or whatever it is. But if you have a plain jersey that happens to be yellow or green, not a problem (atleast in my book).

Several definitions for "fred" are given earlier in this board, it kinda means different things to different people, but for the most part, the ones people mentioned are pretty accurate.

Basically, don't be the guy that decided to try cycling because of lance, went out and spent $5000 on a top of the line trek madone, has the special lance edition giro atmos helmet, nike lance shoes, oakley lance m frames, team disco shorts, a replica yellow race leader's jersey, carbon fibre bottle cages, all dura ace components, etc, etc. Its okay to like lance, most of us love the guy, he's done alot for our sport, but there comes a point where it not only gets rediculous, but really expensive. Plus, if you are mostly doing club rides on the weekend, riding for fun, obsessing over a few grams here, or a few grams there is just silly. Think about how funny it would be if you went to play basketball at the gym and a guy showed up with Jordan shoes, an official michael jordan jersey, bulls shorts, and the warm ups too. Most people would laugh at that guy too.

Here's the deal: if you have everything lance does, people are gonna look at you funny. If you have one or two "lance" things thats cool, but if you have everything you just look like a sack rider. Also, to have expensive stuff is okay, but you'd better be good enough to justify having it, otherwise people will give you crap about it. Start off buying the cheaper things (but get good shorts, for comfort) to make sure cycling is something you want to do.

Roadies can be a funny group, much like the punk rock crowd, or the wine enthusiast crowd, but the best advice i can give is to find a club or a group that rides together and is pretty laid back (don't start out going on training rides that average 25 mpg with a bunch of cat 3's, you won't have much fun). Just be honest with them and tell them that you are new and they will probably give you some slack. Most roadies are really nice people, and really like helping out other cyclists. After you learn the ropes and find that maybe that group is a little slow, you can move on to another group. I happened to get into road riding this way and it was a great. If you can't find a group, just go ask your Local Bike Shop and they should be able to point you in the right direction. It can be a little intimidating at first, but stick to it, i promise you'll be glad you did.

Dear Ann,
I spent big bucks on a Maglia Rosa jersey because I thought it was cool looking, and would be highly visible on busy city streets. The consensus of my peers, however, is that to wear this jersey would be sheer folly, social suicide, instant pariah status. What to do.

Wheeless in Seattle

Well, I guess I'm not going to win any points on this thread, but personally....

I don't care if you wear a team jersey, replica yellow jersey, red polka-dot jersey, etc. etc.

I happen to think those jersey's are pretty cool looking, much more so than skeleton heads, crazy clowns, etc. that you see out there.

If I saw someone in a replica jersey, whatever it was a replica of, if it looks cool, I'll tell ya "nice jersey" and wouldn't think poser or fred. Why do we have to be so judgemental of everything other people ride / wear / buy? It's just a jersey folks, who the hell cares if you "earned" the yellow, it looks cool and if you like it wear it... If you don't like it, don't wear it, but just because you wouldn't wear it doesn't give you license to denigrate someone who does. Besides, I've got more important things to worry about than what you're wearing or whether I should give you a dirty look because you didn't earn the red polka-dots, like making it to the end of my ride without getting hit by a car / truck...

can i get an answer about what "cake" is?

As far as what to wear ; I say wear whatever TF you want. It is your money you life an picking on people about what they wear or ride or have is so very grade school. If you are razzing someone about what they wear or ride or have grow TF up you are just being jealous.

It seems a lot of people in the US recommend black shorts. So if you are up North them stick with that.

However if you are in Europe or Australia, team kits are fine and no-one cares.

It all depends on where you live.

In our club if you aren't wearing the clubs kit (washing day), then the louder the outfit the better. No-one cares.

CHEERS.

Mark

It seems a lot of people in the US recommend black shorts. So if you are up North them stick with that.

However if you are in Europe or Australia, team kits are fine and no-one cares.

It all depends on where you live.

In our club if you aren't wearing the clubs kit (washing day), then the louder the outfit the better. No-one cares.

CHEERS.

Mark

Not familiar with the term "cake" can you give some context?

What are your opinions on camelbacks? I never leave the house without mine, I dont use it for water carrying. I carry my pump, tube, multitool, levers, first aid/patch kit, little bit of lube, some food, ipod, cellphone, wallet and keys. I cant seem to let go of this thing, my current saddle I cant mount my seat bag clip on to the rails but even when I had the bag I still wore the camelback. Ive gotten used to it so I dont even notice it. Feels strange riding without it really.

I know camelbacks are a mtb thing but its so convient to have wherever I go on the bike.

Im not a big fan of the camelbak myself, just cause i don't like the way they feel, but everyone i ride with uses them. I guess summers in texas you need to be able to carry as much water as possible. I've got one but only use it in the summer on really long rides. It may just be because of the heat in texas, but almost all the roadies i see use them.