WHY DO BICYCLISTS DRESS LIKE SUPER-HEROES FOR EVERY RIDE? WHAT'S UP WITH THAT???

Everyone who goes to a footlocker meet gets a shirt, it's nothing special. Which is exactly why a biker would never be seen in one- not because they're a mark of being fast (they're not) but because they don't cost $100 and have a USPS logo on them.

stoutchemist wrote:

Everyone who goes to a footlocker meet gets a shirt, it's nothing special. Which is exactly why a biker would never be seen in one- not because they're a mark of being fast (they're not) but because they don't cost $100 and have a USPS logo on them.

Have any of you numbnuts ever wondered why there is more sponsorship in cycling? First you can pack on as many logos to the jersey as possible unlike track/running. More importantly, serious and recreational cyclists actually purchase the products, which brings added exposure to the sponsors.

So instead of hating on folks who buy the latest running gear and shoes with all their disposable income, maybe you should be thanking them because this allows the shoe companies to actually sponsor athletes. Just a thought.....

A couple points:

1. Putting aside any drug suggestions, American cyclists have embraced exercise physiology and sports nutrition much more readily than American runners. This shows in the results. Lance is Lance, but Bobby Julich, Floyd Landis and many others are on top of the European circuit. The same can't be said for the long distance end of American running. That interest in sports science trickles down to the non-elite American cyclists which is why you see so many local guys with nice HR monitors, watt meters, etc. Some of you cyclists would know, is the mid level of American cycling (cat 2 and 3) better than ever? The mid level of American distance running is worse than ever. We should be trying to figure out what they're doing right, not making fun of their outfits.

2. Wearing a club jersey littered with sponsor logos and bright colors makes it easier to get sponsorship money into the sport. Cyclists agree to wear them on every training ride and in every race so the money flows. Sounds like a good deal to me. If you think they look dorky and wouldn't be caught dead working out in one of those jerseys then you're the one more concerned with looks than substance.

A repost as this will get lost on the last page...

are you serious, dude wrote:

i really hope that you are joking. the average d3 runner would be Cat4. most runners lack the leg power to get it done, sorry. just because someone has the aerobic power to run a 4:20 mile in high school doesn't mean they have strength to ride crits at 30mph, or power up mountains for hours on end. its completely different. i went 51/1:59/4:27 off 30mpw in high school(800m specialty, mainly). i decided to walk on to a D1 track team. did fairly well until i got injured. another guy on the team, who rode competitively, suggested that i pick up cycling to keep up my fitness while my body fixed itself. due to my body type (think christian hesch, but 5' 6", 135), i have become a far superior rider than i was a runner. and to be honest, i would crush 95% or more of the skinnier runners out there should they take up cycling.

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How good of a cyclist are you? We had comparable HS times, at least in the mile, and I'm 5'6', 140lbs. Huge quads/calves for a runner. I'm a decent runner, say 2:30 marathon 1:10 half, but nothing eye popping. Always wondered what I'd do on a bike, but I just don't have the cash to blow.

Bike wear is designed to be functional and practical, from the padded shorts to the jerseys. Everything has to be aerodynamic and snug to keep from flapping. The colors and designs are for visibility, and the fashion aspect is fun (what's wrong with that?), but a minor consideration. The notion that bikers dress like superheroes or always wear full-race gear is simply ignorance on the part of some non-bikers.

You pricks seem to have nothing better to do that bash others! What's the matter, school out for the summer and you don't have anything else to keep your little feable brain busy?

Running is running and biking is biking! They are both great activities for the betterment of one's health.

I do both and yes, both have their assholes. I have seen just as many assholes (like you) running on the roads, wearing their trendy clothes or fanny packs, floppy eared hats, etc. as I have bikers. You've obviously never ridden a bike before or you would know why bikers don't ride on bike paths. Too much time dodging walkers, joggers, dog-walkers, not to mention the previously mentioned speed limits. And what's up with the asshole runners who think the same bike paths/sidewalks are too good for them and run in the bike lanes along the side of the road. Stay out of my way or I'll run your ass over!

Why don't you just get your head out of your ass and get out on the road and run and forget about what everyone else is doing or looking like?

I run because I like to. I bike because I like to. I'm in it for the competition and sense of accomplishment. I don't give a shit what immature assholes like you think or me or the next guy on the road! Grow up!

Relax Francis

One last thought: Cyclists would never walk or run around town in what they bike in b/c they would receive too much abuse for it. Runners dress conservatively b/c we are close to those we pass along the way, and are going slow enough for interactions to occur. I think we've read all the examples necessary in the many threads about what has beeen said to and done to runners. So, the point is to not stand out as much as possible, but to be noticed as little as as possible. If cyclists wore the clown/superhero outfits on runs, they would be ridiculed by the general public in a way that we runners have not yet experienced.

[quote]distance guy wrote:

[ So, the point is to not stand out as much as possible, but to be noticed as little as as possible.]

No, that's not the point at all.

You guys are so flipping stupid. Obviously dressing like a superhero gives you super powers. Duh. Then you can ride faster than everybody else. Unless they have super powers from their superhero suits too. In which case there would be a tie.

http://www.teamkman.org/TeamApparel.html

What the hell are you talking about?

http://www.teamkman.org/images/PhotoGalleries/Photos2005/pages/BikeSolvangCentury2005.htm

I'm not going to knock bike wear (and I'm a runner), but I have often wondered about this. Here in my un-named but master-planned, bikeway city in southern California, you very rarely see recreational riders on a Saturday or Sunday morning wearing anything but elaborate bike wear, no matter what age. I reckon that such wear is expected if you are out with a group like the Bicycle Club of Brentopia (or you're a serious rider out for serious training), but how many people (at least here) who are just out for a little exercise or recreational ride ever just wear "regular" shorts and shirts? I mean people did this for years; it really isn't much different than going out for a run or going to the gym. It just seems odd. Reminds me of an episode of "Malcolm in the Middle" that someone told me about, where the dad starts "walking" and is soon in aerodynamic spandex, etc. I agree with others that this seems most noticeable of the boomer set (of which I am).

Funny story: At our school it recently became a fad for kids to go out and drop $1500 on a racing road bike that they rarely use. They sit around in people's rooms and look shiny and maybe come out once a week. A bunch of these folks got together and formed a cycling team and ordered matching neon yellow spandex uniforms, God only knows what they paid.

So our school triathlon rolls around and a bunch of these guys want to show off their mad skillz by doing the bike leg of a relay. Up against them: Team Tobacco, three of our slower track guys who smoke heavily during the off season, wearing wife beaters with the goal of smoking an entire pack over the course of the race.

Their biker, who we affectionately refer to as "El Douche" was the kind of guy who has taken down a case of beer in under 5 hours but definitely tends towards the back of the pack in all our races. Takes off with a couple of these brightly-clad chotches on a shitty mountain bike with loose shocks, and comes back just ahead of them.

Moral of the story: sure there are a lot of badass bikers out there, but there are plenty of posers too. Somebody is making a shitload of money selling them spandex.

sandyvag wrote:

So our school triathlon rolls around and a bunch of these guys want to show off their mad skillz by doing the bike leg of a relay. Up against them: Team Tobacco, three of our slower track guys who smoke heavily during the off season, wearing wife beaters with the goal of smoking an entire pack over the course of the race.

Their biker, who we affectionately refer to as "El Douche" was the kind of guy who has taken down a case of beer in under 5 hours but definitely tends towards the back of the pack in all our races. Takes off with a couple of these brightly-clad chotches on a shitty mountain bike with loose shocks, and comes back just ahead of them.

Wasn't that movie called "Breaking Away?"

Why don't you elist snobs get a life and stop worrying about what others wear?

Yep, more or less. The town where I live has this reputation of being a running mecca, but what people don't know is that there are way more sponsored (even partially or semi-pro) serious and recreational cyclists here than there are sponsored runners. The cyclists have their lifestyles bankrolled (fully or in-part) by car companies, nutritional product companies, communications companies (among many others) and even local restaurants . . . and it's almost never a single sponsor, a group will typically have a few different sponsor logos on their jerseys. There is certainly some cycle and apparel industry money involved, too, but unlike in running that's not the sole source. Pretty much all the sponsored runners around here get support from either shoe companies or from running stores. Gilmore points out an important distinction, that because runners are so limited (is it by choice?) in their sponsorship options then there's less opportunity and less help for mid-level elites who might like to cut back on work hours and train more or get some extra help to travel to more races. There's more ingenuity and hustle in competitive cycling than there is in competitive running, we runners could learn a lot from the cycling sponsorship model. Simple, unadorned workout and racing gear might seem more noble, but it sure isn't helping the actual sport. Running and runners might be quite a bit better off, as a whole, plastering multiple large logos onto racing (and training) gear were a viable option. On the other hand, some friends and I were specating at a pro cycling race recently and made no secret that we were hoping that the guy near the front in plain, sponsor-logo-free gear would trash all his NASCAR-looking rivals. However, the fact that he was dressed that way was so noticable because he was the only one in the race to do so.

lagsun wrote:

Have any of you numbnuts ever wondered why there is more sponsorship in cycling? First you can pack on as many logos to the jersey as possible unlike track/running. More importantly, serious and recreational cyclists actually purchase the products, which brings added exposure to the sponsors.

So instead of hating on folks who buy the latest running gear and shoes with all their disposable income, maybe you should be thanking them because this allows the shoe companies to actually sponsor athletes. Just a thought.....

Thanks for posting this. Instead of bashing all the recreational runners and penquins, we need to realize that these same folks are funding the sport in many ways.

Also local/mid-level elites need to be creative in finding sponsorship and then plaster logos all over their kit (see Adam Nelson). They might even have to road whore it a bit so they can get themselves and sponsors exposure....

Cotton t's chafe the nipples, whereas biking jerseys do not. Simple, no?

Not to invoke the name of the devil, but I seem to recall that E. Hellebuyck switched from NB to Saucony because NB was unwilling to let him have any other logo showing on his race gear, whereas Saucony apparently didn't mind if he wore Powerbar hats or singlet logos. Heck, even pro golfers will show up in televised tourneys wearing a few different logos on their clothing. I know that USATF has quite an issue with restrictions on uniform logos for their national championship races, at least for CC and track. I don't know if it's a chicken issue or an egg issue, but T&F and USATF are about as backwards of a governing body and sport as there are in the US in this day and age and companies like Nike are doing as little as possible to help. Just look at the Japanese marathon and ekiden teams and tell me how many of them are sponsored by Mizuno and Asics vs. how many are sponsored by companies that don't produce athletic gear. Granted, road running and marathon are the equivalent of one of the Big Four in Japan, but there have to be some corporations in the US which don't make running equipment, even if it's mid-sized, up-and-coming ones, that could be convinced of the benefits of an affiliation with the sport and sponsor a group of athletes. Hansons ODP is a perfect example of that kind of a group, I'd bet that they could bring Ford or GM or Daimler-Chrysler (i.e. companies with HQ or a large presence in their local area) on-board alongside Brooks if that sponsor could be assured of visible logo presence at national-level competitions that would carry-over to video and photographic media coverage of the events. However, USATF makes them cover up the large central Brooks logos on their jerseys at the track champs, which all but defeats the purpose.

I have some zip front biking jerseys. They're nice for runs when it's a little cooler out and I also use them for kayaking as I find the pockets in the back to be pretty handy. Soild colors though, no logos. I also have some spandex shorts with the chamois inserts. I can't ride very long without them otherwise my butt feels like it's been hit by a rhino. Some of this stuff is purpose-built and does its intended job well.

Funny story. Some years ago I was looking for a nice goretex shell for winter running. I wanted something in bright yellow or red for visibility. Couldn't find a darn thing. All Road Runner Sports had was black or dark blue. I finally found a decent looking shell on sale at Nashbar (a big mail order bike place). The thing arrives, I open it up, and inside it says "Frank Shorter Sports". I had to go to a bike shop to get a decent runner's jacket from a well-known runner's apparel company. Go figure.