Velochimp: Astrochimp on Cycling

To preview the upcoming Euro style guide by Velochimp, here are some must have tips on what you should purchase or look for when making your next cycling related purchase so you can be Euro styling:

Going All White
Velochimp was able to watch the Giro this year on RAI International and it was great. Not only did I get to brush up on my Italian, but they have a great theme song for the Giro. Think Fank Sinatra upbeat jazzy style.
Anyway, during the end of each stage they would show a preview of the next days stage. This was usually done by David Cassani doing reconaissance of the stage. He was in full Euro Style and can be considered one of the patrons of Velochimps Euro Style. He was decked out in custom RAI Sport jersey and shorts and knee warmers, all of which were white. It is a very impressive look, easy to be seen by traffic and cool overall. However it is not a good outfit to be caught out in the rain, and you need to find the right pair of shorts that do not turn into see throughs during the rainy ride.

Danilo DiLuca was able to put in an awe inspiring performance during the Giro and look good doing it by wearing all white. The all white look was a result of wearing the Pro Tour leader’s jersey, which (could you image that!) is all white with blue collar.

White Shoes
The Giro has lots of contenders who use Sidi, either by sponsorship or just be preference. Riders such as Stafano Garzelli, Gilberto Simoni, Marzo Bruseghin and Danilo DiLuca were wearing these shoes. The white Sidi Genius shoes was hard to miss but other shoes from DMT, and Diadora followed along in this trend.
The only problem with a Euro style wannabe is that most of these shoes are not avalable in that color. For some odd reason Sidi Genius shoes are only available in black at most of the mail order catalogues and local bike shops. In fact if you search online, the only shops that carry this color are in England or somewhere else overseas. This makes is all the more difficult to follow the Euro style to the T. Good news is that the DMTs are avaiable at many locations and the new Diadoras should be somehwere soon.

Black Carbon Bike
This is by far one of the most pervasive Euro stlye trends out there, and I do not see and end to this trend at all. In fact Jan Ullrich’s T-Mobile Giant went from a half magenta/half black color scheme to all black with a few magenta stripes. There are also a few shots of Floyd Landis floating around with an all black BMC, which were previously colored, white/yellow/green/black. The reason for this trend is simple, the bike manufacturer either wants to save weight by not applying some extra coats of paint, or they want to show the carbon fiber finish in its all natural beauty. No matter what the reason Velochimp approves of this style.

There are just a few starting points on the road to being part of Euro style. Think of this guide as Euro eye for the American guy.