i know this question has probably already been posed, but i did a search and couldn't find the answer or much discussion. just got back from a 60-miler to n.j. and back and spied more than a few pro jerseys on the road. big riders, little riders, skinny riders, fat riders. so does wearing a pro jersey make you a Fred?

personally, i say wear what you want, as long as you can ride like you know what you're doing. but i saw one whale of a guy stuffed into a TdF CL maillot jaune like a kilbasa and nearly spit acclerade out my nose. (anyone from wisc.--did i spell kilbasa right?)

I'm generally of the "I wear what I want, and don't care what other people think" school. But I could never bring myself to buy U.S. Postal kit, or anything like that. No matter what anyone else thought, I'd feel like a poser. Then again, even when the Cowboys were good, I never bought a Cowboys jersey labeled "Aikman" on the back, although I saw a lot of 250-lb Troy Aikmans running around. So maybe it's just me.

We are no longer in junior high, wear what you want and let others wear what they want without making fun of them. We have enough trouble in this world with terrorists, polution, etc. to have to worry about what some fat guy is or is not wearing. Just be happy he is out on a bike and enjoying himself as opposed to sitting on a couch (which is OK too if that is what you are into).

Do something productive with your time other than worrying about what someone else is wearing.

i know this question has probably already been posed, but i did a search and couldn't find the answer or much discussion. just got back from a 60-miler to n.j. and back and spied more than a few pro jerseys on the road. big riders, little riders, skinny riders, fat riders. so does wearing a pro jersey make you a Fred?

personally, i say wear what you want, as long as you can ride like you know what you're doing. but i saw one whale of a guy stuffed into a TdF CL maillot jaune like a kilbasa and nearly spit acclerade out my nose. (anyone from wisc.--did i spell kilbasa right?)


It's like most things in life... at the proper time and place it's fine, but there are some lines that shouldn't be crossed. In a group ride with frineds, fine. Wearing retro jerseys of your favorite defunct team... fine. Wearing a full team kit in a sanctioned race if you are not on that team... bad. Wearing a World Champion, UCI Champion, National (any country's) Champion, Tour Competition Champion, or USCF State Champion's jersey for any of those you didn't actually earn, and trying to pass it off as if you did, very tacky.

Now, I don't have a problem with some 40 year old guy showing up in a Pink Giro jersey for a weekend club ride... it's obvious he's not trying to make like he won the Giro... but what gets most rational people upset about this issue would be someone wearing it in a race. A legit sanctioned have to pay for it race. Not your weekend local crit or your sprint to the next telephone pole race, but an actual sanctioned race. The idea is that those types of jerseys are trophies in themselves so don't act like you won it in front of people who may have actually done so. (Mostly the USCF and US National jerseys for us here in the States.) I actually saw a guy (most likely his first season of actual racing) show up to a Master's 30+ race with a stars and stripes jersey on. In the field was an actual national champion. The National Champ politely asked the guy to change and the guy went off the handle about how that guy had no right to tell him what he could or could not wear. That idiot didn't get to race that day because he wouldn't change his jersey, so a USCF rep who happened to hear his tirade DQ'd him for the day.

The other one that gets people mad is wearing a Trade Team's jersey in a race. It is just as bad as wearing a college jersey you don't ride for or another club's jersey. And it makes perfect sense. People don't get to play Pop Warner football wearing a Giants jersey if their team has solid white jerseys. You can't wear a Cavs jersey in a game if you are on the high school basketball team. But you can wear it to practice.... and for us, practice is your solo evening rides, weekend group rides, centuries, but not at a race. It makes sense too. Don't try to act like you are someone you are not, and if you aren't on the USPS team, don't race in their kit.

My thoughts, and I am sure everyone has an opinion that differs to some degree.

Russ

I own a couple of team jerseys. Personaly I think wearing the yellow jersey, pink jersey, nat championship jersey etc goes a but far but to each his own.

It is humerous at times. There was a guy at Katy Flatland last year in full USPS kit. Jersey,shorts,helmet,gloves, shoes,socks, glasses. The guys attention to detail was amazing. It was fun dropping him though, hehe

(anyone from wisc.--did i spell kilbasa right?)

Well, I come from Poland, and back home we spelled it "kielbasa".

Firstly, I don't think that there is any such thing as a Fred. These so-called Freds are only cycling enthusiasts.

Some of the pro team stuff actually looks better than the latest non pro designs which give me a headache. Coast for example looks good, and could pass for being non pro team. (You can still find it on eBay).

If you buy the right pro gear it will make you look like a local club racer, make you more visible in traffic, and save you money. There are usually some good closeouts on the stuff.

It's like most things in life... at the proper time and place it's fine, but there are some lines that shouldn't be crossed. In a group ride with frineds, fine. Wearing retro jerseys of your favorite defunct team... fine. Wearing a full team kit in a sanctioned race if you are not on that team... bad. Wearing a World Champion, UCI Champion, National (any country's) Champion, Tour Competition Champion, or USCF State Champion's jersey for any of those you didn't actually earn, and trying to pass it off as if you did, very tacky.

Now, I don't have a problem with some 40 year old guy showing up in a Pink Giro jersey for a weekend club ride... it's obvious he's not trying to make like he won the Giro... but what gets most rational people upset about this issue would be someone wearing it in a race. A legit sanctioned have to pay for it race. Not your weekend local crit or your sprint to the next telephone pole race, but an actual sanctioned race. The idea is that those types of jerseys are trophies in themselves so don't act like you won it in front of people who may have actually done so. (Mostly the USCF and US National jerseys for us here in the States.) I actually saw a guy (most likely his first season of actual racing) show up to a Master's 30+ race with a stars and stripes jersey on. In the field was an actual national champion. The National Champ politely asked the guy to change and the guy went off the handle about how that guy had no right to tell him what he could or could not wear. That idiot didn't get to race that day because he wouldn't change his jersey, so a USCF rep who happened to hear his tirade DQ'd him for the day.

The other one that gets people mad is wearing a Trade Team's jersey in a race. It is just as bad as wearing a college jersey you don't ride for or another club's jersey. And it makes perfect sense. People don't get to play Pop Warner football wearing a Giants jersey if their team has solid white jerseys. You can't wear a Cavs jersey in a game if you are on the high school basketball team. But you can wear it to practice.... and for us, practice is your solo evening rides, weekend group rides, centuries, but not at a race. It makes sense too. Don't try to act like you are someone you are not, and if you aren't on the USPS team, don't race in their kit.

My thoughts, and I am sure everyone has an opinion that differs to some degree.

Russ


Just to go a bit further, just personal choice here, but I wouldn't wear a USPS jersey with a USPS helmet and a USPS Trek. It's over the top. I probably would wear a USPS jersey with my white helmet and old steel bike. I think if you commit to being a serious USCF racer, you kind of have to give up the right to wear current pro team jerseys. When I quit racing, I began buying some lesser known pro team jerseys because they were a cheap way to get a full zip jersey. Some new riders might not know the significance of the US national champions jersey. They might confuse it with being just a patriotic jersey. A racer should know better though.
Here's a question. What is the official line on men wearing the jerseys of pro women's teams? Would your testosterone level actually decrease as you ride along in a Diet Rite, or Rona jersey?

My current favorite jersey is a white and black New Zealand Rona jersey from bikejerseys.com. As for the whole testosterone thing you can't ask me, I am a man who shaves his legs...

Wear what you want, unless you are racing that is.

i know this question has probably already been posed, but i did a search and couldn't find the answer or much discussion. just got back from a 60-miler to n.j. and back and spied more than a few pro jerseys on the road. big riders, little riders, skinny riders, fat riders. so does wearing a pro jersey make you a Fred?

personally, i say wear what you want, as long as you can ride like you know what you're doing. but i saw one whale of a guy stuffed into a TdF CL maillot jaune like a kilbasa and nearly spit acclerade out my nose. (anyone from wisc.--did i spell kilbasa right?)

Only 'Freds' use the word Fred.

B.

I said NM!

I think your asking for a race if you wear team jerseys. Like reving up the engine at a stop light.

I think Freds and Dicks use the word "Fred".

If you devote 8 or 9 hours a day to careful reflection on proper cycling attire, all these mysteries will drop away.

Or you could just not worry about it.

As for the wearing another team's kit in a race: I was under the impression that wasn't allowed--should be a non-issue in that case.

As for wearing a college jersey for a team one doesn't ride for: I do it. I did actually race for my college team back in the early '80s. Now I have a couple of more contemporary team jerseys from my college as a show of support. The team offers the jerseys for sale to alumni and friends because (a) they make a few bucks this way and (b) I gather they like the show of support. I don't really think I'm posing as a current team member. And, for what it's worth, so far, nobody has pulled up alongside my 43 year old butt and asked: "hey, what's your major"?

i know this question has probably already been posed, but i did a search and couldn't find the answer or much discussion. just got back from a 60-miler to n.j. and back and spied more than a few pro jerseys on the road. big riders, little riders, skinny riders, fat riders. so does wearing a pro jersey make you a Fred?

personally, i say wear what you want, as long as you can ride like you know what you're doing. but i saw one whale of a guy stuffed into a TdF CL maillot jaune like a kilbasa and nearly spit acclerade out my nose. (anyone from wisc.--did i spell kilbasa right?)

I was out running errands Sat. morn when I saw a dude all decked out in Team Trek colors, matching helmet too. All woulda' been fine if he was on a spiffy road bike but that wasn't the case. He was riding a comfort bike, upright riding position...BIG padded seat...adjustable stem...he seemed to be a happy Fred though;)

If you wear it because you like the team and are a fan. Thats fine. If it's got one of the rider's autographs on it then it is GREAT! I've been tempted to bid on signed jerseys. I came close to spending a couple of grand last year on Tyler's TdF time trail wheels, but figured it may also cost me my wife. (I still wish I would have bought the wheels)

If you wear it because you got a real bargin on it, that's fine too.

Now, if you got it because you thought it was stylish and you would look cool with it on. Or if you actually thought someone would think you were one of Lance's minions (even though you look like a stuffed Kabassa). Then I would say it is bad form. At least, I would not wear it. (and I'm even proud to be Fred, but I do have a problem with being a poser)

When you wear it be prepared for other riders to fly by you like you were standing still. I know I often can't contain my competative nature when I approach folks in full pro uniform. My legs develop a mind of their own which I can't control.


i know this question has probably already been posed, but i did a search and couldn't find the answer or much discussion. just got back from a 60-miler to n.j. and back and spied more than a few pro jerseys on the road. big riders, little riders, skinny riders, fat riders. so does wearing a pro jersey make you a Fred?

personally, i say wear what you want, as long as you can ride like you know what you're doing. but i saw one whale of a guy stuffed into a TdF CL maillot jaune like a kilbasa and nearly spit acclerade out my nose. (anyone from wisc.--did i spell kilbasa right?)

i know this question has probably already been posed, but i did a search and couldn't find the answer or much discussion. just got back from a 60-miler to n.j. and back and spied more than a few pro jerseys on the road. big riders, little riders, skinny riders, fat riders. so does wearing a pro jersey make you a Fred?

personally, i say wear what you want, as long as you can ride like you know what you're doing. but i saw one whale of a guy stuffed into a TdF CL maillot jaune like a kilbasa and nearly spit acclerade out my nose. (anyone from wisc.--did i spell kilbasa right?)

Heck! I won't even wear last year's team jersey if I'm not racing for them any more! (The shorts are another story...)

Wearing a pro jersey does make you a Fred if you can't ride to back it up.

I will say that wearing the pro gear of now-defunct teams is all right. In theory, it shows that you've been around long enough to know what's up and don't give a rat's arse about it any more. If you wear recently defunct team's gear, you're pushing the limits. Stuff like Seur, PDM, Tulip, etc. are all right 'cause they've been dead for a long time.

My $.02,

M

it's that time of year again

If it is OK for fans of other sports to wear their favorite team's Jersey, why is it wrong for a biking fan to wear his favorite team's/rider's jearsey? No matter what shape the person is in. It was not a race or any special event. The rider was just out for a ride. And it sounds like he needs to ride A LOT MORE.

I started wearing pro jerseys because I could get them a lot cheaper on ebay and such than forking over for a new Assos or Castelli etc. I'm not a big enough USPS fan to spring for one of those, but I do have a Domo Farm Frites and a Liquigas jersey that's good for a comment or two.

Maybe it's better that those teams are now defunct? who knows.

I think your asking for a race if you wear team jerseys. Like reving up the engine at a stop light.

I think Freds and Dicks use the word "Fred".

Well, I think there is such a thing as a Fred, but if you are one then WHO CARES? Fred's exist, but the people who mock them or make fun of them aren't talented riders or even folks who race for their local club teams. They are riders who feel insecure about their own abilities and need to feel better about themselves. When I see a guy in a pink Giro jersey with kneehigh socks, I might recognize him as a Fred, but it doesn't mean he's not also the coolest, nicest person I might see that day on the road. "Fred" doesn't mean i'm going to disrespect you or talk smack about you. It just means you are what you are so live with it. Sounds a little bit too PC to say "it doesn't exist."

Ditto. Why do peope even worry about this? I'm not in HS anymore and I really don't give a rat's arse what people think of the stuff I wear. If I like it and I got a good buy on it; I'll wear it. If some guy wearing TdF Once kit, riding his "comfort bike" down the street is happy, why should it bother anyone else? Grow up.

If you be my bodyguard I will be your long lost pal!
I can call you Betty,
And Betty, when you call me,
You can call me FRED!

Let your riding speak for what kind of rider you are (or aren't). Your gear should be comfortable and functional. Just don't misrepresent yourself in a race. Done.

Deal.

I own several pro jerseys (both defunct teams and current teams) but don't wear them. It has nothing to do with possibly being called a fred, just planned on getting them each autographed by pro riders for my garage wall. I am currently trying to find the new USPS kit and will buy it when I find it. (again for the purpose of getting in auto'd). I have to laugh when I read so and so won't but USPS anything because it is fredly (new adjective?). They are missing out on the cutting edge (both in bike technology and clothing technology, but to each his own. Now for the story..................

A local pro that I know well was out riding with Tony Cruz from US Postal. Tony gets a flat and my buddy lends him a tube. At the end of the ride they pass a Sports Chalet (A local So Cal sports hobby store akin to a sort of Wal-Mart for sporting equipment.) and shoot in to replace the tube Tony borrowed. Studly behind the counter super cyclist, snickers to my buddy as Tony Cruz walks away......"Tell your Fred friend to say hello to Lance for me." Same studly behind counter sales associate nearly turns ashen white in the face and nearly falls down as my buddy lets him know that he in fact rides with Lance.
Moral: Don't always assume Postal kit wearing Fred isn't in fact a Postal kit wearing Pro.

As for wearing a college jersey for a team one doesn't ride for: I do it. I did actually race for my college team back in the early '80s. Now I have a couple of more contemporary team jerseys from my college as a show of support. The team offers the jerseys for sale to alumni and friends because (a) they make a few bucks this way and (b) I gather they like the show of support. I don't really think I'm posing as a current team member. And, for what it's worth, so far, nobody has pulled up alongside my 43 year old butt and asked: "hey, what's your major"?

Yes, yes, yes,

Buy team jerseys and shorts from your old (or current) college team! It might not make you "cool" but it helps out collegiate teams that sometimes struggle to meet order minimums (Try getting a team of 22 riders to meet a 12 minimum order on stuff like skinsuits and knickers). It is also a good fund raiser for poorly funded teams.

That said... if anyone wants some Rutgers cycling gear...

Does the USPS kit become fashionable next year when they become a former pro team?

Yes. Absolutely. It is written somewhere in the Fred/No Fred bylaws. However, if you dare to wear both it and ride the appropriate model Trek, you can still be labelled a "Fred".:)

No, but reading this thread makes it apparent that owning a bike doesn't necessarily make you smart, either.

Again.

Do you think sports like football, basketball, and baseball try to severely limit the sales of jerseys and team gear by mocking people who wear them?

Why not encourage the growth and popularity of cycling by giving people teams to follow and emulate. The attitude that only the fastest are worthy is a quick way to kill a sport. The dollars that the masses spend on cycling products is what fuels the industry, not the high end stuff for the top 1%.

My current favorite jersey is a white and black New Zealand Rona jersey from bikejerseys.com. As for the whole testosterone thing you can't ask me, I am a man who shaves his legs...

Wear what you want, unless you are racing that is.
Isn't this a womans team? Wouldn't that make you a Fredrena?

Does the USPS kit become fashionable next year when they become a former pro team?

No, it's going to take several years to overcome the "LANCE effect", if it ever does.

I have a few jerseys, ONCE, Ibanesto, corona, but I really don't think anyone will mistake me for a team rider when I wear them around the streets of new jersey.

i know this question has probably already been posed, but i did a search and couldn't find the answer or much discussion. just got back from a 60-miler to n.j. and back and spied more than a few pro jerseys on the road. big riders, little riders, skinny riders, fat riders. so does wearing a pro jersey make you a Fred?

personally, i say wear what you want, as long as you can ride like you know what you're doing. but i saw one whale of a guy stuffed into a TdF CL maillot jaune like a kilbasa and nearly spit acclerade out my nose. (anyone from wisc.--did i spell kilbasa right?)

IMHO everyone should wear whatever he wants.... Just not necessarily outdoors. I have come across some attrocious sights out on the road... but more often on the bike paths, doubly so on weekends when all the goobers are out. I don't blame them... cycling is a great sport. But at least wear something YOUR size.

I do own a whole collection of pro-jerseys, mostly USPS garb, but some other stuff as well. I particularly like the early USPS stuff and my retro 7-Eleven jersey since I seem to be the only one wearing it :)

When I got back on the bike 3 years ago and I got back into somewhat of a decent shape, I bought the 2002 USPS garb but refused to put it on until I "earned" it. (Tom Hanks whispering in my ear "Earn this!" à la Saving Private Ryan) I needed to do something special first before I allowed myself to put it on. I did a monster climbing ride with 5 hills at a decent average when I decided that I earned it.

Today on club rides I usually wear USPS bibs and the 7-eleven or some non-team jersey. The bibs are extremely comfy.... and I usually drop everyone on any hill anyway so I earn them again and again and again... I am on the lookout for the 2004 garb as well. Since it's going to be the final USPS collection I will buy 2 sets (although the red and white stripes make it look Austrian).

See you all on the road and watch out for that 7-eleven guy :D

I'm a subscriber to the "Screw everybody else" theory, too--I still have toe clips and friction shifting on a couple of bikes, because I like them that way, and I wear mountain bike shorts for nearly everything.
Still, I can't force myself to wear a jersey. Too much like putting on full pads to toss a football around the park with your kids, or painting your Contour to look like a NASCAR stocker.

just take a look at yourself in your helmet mirror ... you'll see what I mean ...

Just to go a bit further, just personal choice here, but I wouldn't wear a USPS jersey with a USPS helmet and a USPS Trek. It's over the top. I probably would wear a USPS jersey with my white helmet and old steel bike. I think if you commit to being a serious USCF racer, you kind of have to give up the right to wear current pro team jerseys. When I quit racing, I began buying some lesser known pro team jerseys because they were a cheap way to get a full zip jersey. Some new riders might not know the significance of the US national champions jersey. They might confuse it with being just a patriotic jersey. A racer should know better though.
Here's a question. What is the official line on men wearing the jerseys of pro women's teams? Would your testosterone level actually decrease as you ride along in a Diet Rite, or Rona jersey?


I don't know... that Diet Rite jersey is pretty hip looking. So is the Women's T-Mobile US Pro jersey. I don't know if I would wear them, but they do look sweet.

Russ

people actually cares who wears what. Half the time when I ride I wear a polo shirt with my shorts. Sometimes I even wear a cotton shirt, ohh noooo cotton!!! I always find myself with Poland spring sports bottles in my cages heck I have never wasted money on real water bottles. I could care less if someone spent $200 on a usps team kit and road their $120 cigarette bike to get 2 packs of camels and a six pack of bud. WHO REALLY CARES, and who are any of we to criticize? I think the whole Fred thing is extremely pretentious and snobby, get a grip on the important things in life.
end of my rant..
-Gil