Re: [CR] Front Pocket Jerseys - Classic Fashion

(Example: Framebuilders:Tony Beek)

From: <Stronglight49@aol.com>
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 2009 14:18:59 -0500
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: Re: [CR] Front Pocket Jerseys - Classic Fashion


I think the style continued on in Touring circles for many years after they disappeared from racing teams. They simply are not very aerodynamic since you may tend to scoop up a lot of air into those pockets when your body is dropped down. In fact, silk rather than wool was used for old track racing jerseys by the mid 1960s for the slick wind shedding properties of the fabric.

Here is a photo of an old pure wool jersey I had picked up some years back, still in new condition:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stronglight/3568832380/in/photostream/

This carries the patch of the FFCT (the French cyclo-touring federation).

No true idea of the age, but I would guess mid-1970s at very least. You can view a few more detailed images by following the adjacent thumbnail images.

Here is yet another example. This was from the cycling club of which Jobst Brandt was a member. This one is in battered condition, but I grabbed it anyway (for only a few dollars on eBay) - just for the historical & nostalgic value.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stronglight/sets/72157603370281107/

Was it used for club races? Maybe someone can ask Jobst.

BOB HANSON, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, USA