Velochimp: Astrochimp on Cycling

It is January and I can think of nothing but trying to get back on the road. The Northeast has been blessed with some mild enough weather to melt the snow and make people believe that spring is around the corner.

With this in mind, I give you five tips to help you get some Euro-style into your daily riding. This is a general buying guide and by no means do you have to purchase everything recommended below. The key behind Euro-style is simplicity, quality and style. It is not enough to be cool now, it also has to have staying power. Do you still have the “wet look” lycras from the early 90s? Don’t you wish you went for something a little more understated now? Follow these tips and you will be Euro-stylin like Velochimp.

1) It’s the shoes. White shoes are the key to anyone wanting the Euro-style look. You can get an inexpensive pair from Sidi that does not include the genius buckle, but with three straps instead. To get a white pair of Sidis like Danilo DiLuca and others wear, you have to order from out of the country, for some reason Sidi does not sell their Genius shoes in anything other than black. DMT should be praised as their top of the line Flash shoes give every Euro-style guy happiness as they come in white and in Team CSC colors. They should be flogged since the shoes break the price barrier at $350/pair ouch. Look on eBay and other places for deals and year end closeouts.

2) You need the proper jersey. Any old jersey will not do but you have a few options. a) is the house brand or “simple” jerseys from a specific manufacturer. A perfect example is the Castelli Simple jersey. It is cool because it is so simple. b) a team jersey from any team other than US Postal or Discovery Channel. You canown one, but do not wear it too often except around Tour time and that is to be ironic. Try to get as obscure a team as possible, or buy a jersey today and save it in your closet for a few years. By then the jersey will have gained a cool factor that your can’t buy. Look on eBay for some vintage jerseys. I have a ADR Botecchia jersey from when Lemond won the Tour in 89. Another jersey I like to waer is the Mercatone Uno blue Tour de France jersey from 97. It is not very common and is from the year Pantani made a major comback from a shattered leg to win a stage in the Tour de France. These jerseys help get major Euro-style points. Jerseys to avoid are anything from Primal and anything without sleeves.

3) Sunglasses. Sorry Oakley you make some great shades, but they don’t fit as a Euro-style staple. They are too popular and worn by baseball players and PBR cowboys.This category is fairly easy as other than Oakleys anything goes. You can wear Oakleys if they are a few years old and especially if they are the old school chunky ones from the 80s. Anything goes otherwise. Try to keep it simple and respectable. You can wear Ray-Ban Aviators, but you have to keep in mind the image of Bernard Hinault after he crashed and broke his nose because he was wearing those shades to look cool.

4) The proper shorts. This is not so much a style tipas a general cycling tip. Get a really good pair of shorts. Get one or two expensive pairs and use those instead of several inexpensive shorts that do not last very long. There are situations where you can get a great pair of inexpensive shorts at a fine price but you have to do some research and ask around. You should get only bib shorts as they provide the best comfort and don’t ride up or down during a ride.
5) Helmet. You need to wear a helmet no questions asked. You will not impress anyone while sitting in a hospital no being able to talk or function because you smacked your head on the pavement. You will crash and you will hit your head on the pavement, so you need protection. The question is however, which style? The more obscure the better. If you can purchase one of those LAS or Lazer helmets more power to you. I cannot bring myself to buy anything other than a Giro. Look for year end clearances to get a top end helmet at a great price. For Giro, a Pneumo or Atmos will do, but not in Discovery or Postal colors. They are so played. Unless you are pals with Lance Armstrong or he personally awarded it to you for all of your years of service in helping him win seven Tours in a row.

With these tips you will change from being an also ran cyclist to a Euro-style cyclist that exudes style and confidence as you ride the the road.