new 2015 kits? opinions?

General discussion about the Victoria Wheelers

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mikeshea
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new 2015 kits? opinions?

Post by mikeshea » Tue Jan 20, 2015 6:46 pm

I got the email that the new Victoria Wheelers kit is available and call me an old man but what the hell? it is Blue and white.
the club colors are gold and black. while this is dated sometimes it has been always distinctive and way back it was more yellow than gold.
Blue and white are also the colors of a dozen clubs and the corporate color of Oak Bay Bikes but it is not the club color.
I joined the wheelers first time in 1985 and in the years I raced we wore (gold) closer to yellow with a little black. During the years I was a UCI commissaire i did not join any club as it just looks wrong for a commissaire to wear a club jersey. At the end of the 2012 season I retired and the new wheelers kit was calling out. hey look at this in black and gold. I said good time to join the old club. we also used to ride from Burnside plaza as we were NOT a Shop team, but a club team with a great relationship with one shop. They certainly have always been there for us but now a step too close. we have forsaken the club identity to more forcefully define the shop identity. Not by shouting their name but adopting their corporate color If you replaced Victoria Wheelers with Oak Bay Bikes on our gold and black jerseys you will still think of the vic wheelers but take it off the blue and white jersey and we are instantly forgotten.
None of this is bad if it fits your identity and don't care about the history and identity of the club. I will not buy this kit nor wear it unless I get it free. Maybe our executive made a great deal as part of the decision to change or maybe the members want this? I am not happy as you can see but how do you feel about the change? Color is very important part of the clubs history and what makes it distinctive. Maybe the tradition is not important to you and I am just over reacting but I would love to hear how you feel about the change.

Joe Gard
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Re: new 2015 kits? opinions?

Post by Joe Gard » Thu Jan 22, 2015 6:44 am

Mike, most of us wanted the color to change toward more of the OBB colors. When I say most I mean some of the exec and some of the riders. While the other kit was very distinctive I didn't think it was bright enough. One of my main concerns as a cyclist is BEING SEEN and the brown and gold didn't stand out as much. Change comes with time and this is the change for the Wheelers. I am quite happy with the new kit design. We have more sponsors and more money coming into the club now and the sponsors seem quite happy with it. Just sayin'. Try to keep an open mind about things. Yes, as retro grouch there are a lot of things we don't like when they change. I include myself in that category. But I am quite happy with the new design. Joe.

Agoraphobic Cyclist
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Re: new 2015 kits? opinions?

Post by Agoraphobic Cyclist » Thu Jan 22, 2015 10:21 am

I hear ya on the club colours. It was a bit of surprise to see the new design, but it seemed every year the OBB colour changed a little. One year was an ugly bluish purple... It was like New Coke. With the colour change, will the OBB kit disappear?

The design is approaching NASCAR level promotion, but it understandable for sponsorship, not as bad as some designs I've seen, and even rugby teams are doing it. You have to sell out to eat out. If the club is benefiting from sponsorship, some transparency would be nice.

While I agree with what Joe said about wanting to be more visible on the road, the colour change will do nothing in low to no light situations. It doesn't matter what colour, even high visibility green and yellow is not visible outside of 10-15 meters. I really wish pedestrians would comprehend this. If I'd known about a substantial redesign, I'd have asked if it would have been possible to put reflective highlights on the back and left arm. No, not the right - signalling with the right is legal, but that doesn't make it visible to traffic in groups. I want something to indicate my outer left side for traffic that is passing.

The colour change isn't white shorts/bibs... yet.

jenny
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Re: new 2015 kits? opinions?

Post by jenny » Thu Jan 22, 2015 12:56 pm

The kit design is a little bittersweet for me; I agree with Mike, the black and gold is it for me. It is a killer design for sure (I may or may not be biased on this one :D ). The blue and black is not my favourite but is definitely a nice change. Not as good as the black and gold, but it does make it more versatile with mixing and matching the new and old Wheelers kit, along with the OBB kits, which is nice. I wouldn't think that the change of kit design should be the deciding factor to joining the club, because the Wheelers are doing awesome things and we keep striving to make our cycling community better and better. I do appreciate Mike's opinions, and I think there is a lot of value in our club history.... one that Mike clearly holds with high importance and I must say that I do as well. Oldest club in Victoria. It's pretty good and I think that can go beyond the club colours, even if I do like the old ones better :) I love the fact that Mike has been such an integral part of our cycling club and it's awesome he has so many memories of past years - I do enjoy hearing those stories! Perhaps, Mike, maybe you would like to help us work on the 'history' part of our website?

Andrew, I'm not sure what you're referring to when you say the design is reaching NASCAR level promotion; You think there are too many sponsors? Too many logos? I'd suggest taking a look at other club's kits... I wouldn't necessarily think ours has any more or less than anyone else's. Actually, maybe even a little less, considering the front of our jersey is quite simple. Sponsors are how all clubs gain in product, resources & events. It would be great if you could come out to any of our events (or hopefully you have in the past :) ) and you will see all the giveaways we have; Windsor, Newton & our hill climbs have podium prizes for each category; Our supported rides are fully supported (food, nutritionals, & transportation); Our socials come with free beer for members, appies and tons of swag. Our club could not function the way it is without our sponsors and I am very appreciative to them!

Gaining sponsors from local shops & businesses is no easy feat. It is very time consuming and we put in a lot of effort to acquire as many as we can. This directly benefits our membership. All of our executive tries very hard to promote these sponsors because it's a win-win situation; Sponsors support us. If individuals from our membership can support that business, then the sponsors can continue to support us in our endeavours. Hopefully the support from our sponsors is transparent, and I hope you will come out and reap the benefits of what our sponsors provide for our club. I'd be happy to discuss this more with you in person, but I would also encourage anyone to join the executive to have a little more say in how we function and the decisions we make.

Also, I do agree with you about the reflective bands on the sleeve. I will look into seeing if this is still a possible addition, but perhaps it will have to wait until our next design. OBB had a great thermal long sleeve with the left reflective arm band and it was one of my favourite pieces. Actually, it still is. I recently traded a brand new jersey with a friend for his old stinky worn out OBB one. The best.

Agoraphobic Cyclist
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Re: new 2015 kits? opinions?

Post by Agoraphobic Cyclist » Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:22 pm

It would be great if you could come out to any of our events (or hopefully you have in the past :) )...
You gave me socks last year at Windsor, and I've shown up when there's been an email request.
I would also encourage anyone to join the executive to have a little more say in how we function and the decisions we make.
I thought Tripleshot posted meeting minutes on their forum... Either way, it's a good idea to me because joining the executive should not be necessary. I appreciate that it takes time to participate in the meetings, but some can't for sake of schedule. It might be of interest to prospective members too.

jenny
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Re: new 2015 kits? opinions?

Post by jenny » Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:48 pm

Sorry, I wrote that before I knew who you were. I had to look up your handle name and didn't re-edit my original writing.... of course you've been out & seen the work that goes into each event as you've been a great deal of help to many of them! :) I was writing more about in regards to your comment on transparency, "If the club is benefiting from sponsorship, some transparency would be nice" .... I don't want you to read my posts the wrong way, as you can't insert tone online (unfortunately) but I think our benefits from sponsorship is completely transparent by all the events we run. They are solely for the enjoyment of all our members but please let us know if we are missing the mark.

I know it can be hard with scheduling to involve yourself in the executive, but it's always encouraged for anyone to try to get involved if possible and if desired. It's not very glamourous, but it's my hope that membership knows they can get involved if they want; the executive have an open door policy and we're always open to, and encourage comments, suggestions & constructive criticism. Also, we usually send out a feedback form each year to see what members enjoyed and where we can change. This can be another form of involving yourself without committing to meetings or schedules that you can't make. If there's something you'd like to see more of throughout the season, we'd love to hear from you! You can always email me directly or victoriawheelersinfo@gmail.com :)

FYI - An email has been sent to VO Max to see if we can add a reflective band on the arm. Will keep you posted - great suggestion!

Agoraphobic Cyclist
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Re: new 2015 kits? opinions?

Post by Agoraphobic Cyclist » Sat Jan 24, 2015 7:12 am

An email has been sent to VO Max to see if we can add a reflective band on the arm. Will keep you posted
If it can be done, I'll get a short sleeve and bib.

...you thought this was going to be nasty, didn't you? ;)

jenny
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Re: new 2015 kits? opinions?

Post by jenny » Sat Jan 24, 2015 2:39 pm

Unfortunately, some bad news. A little late to set up the reflective bands on our current gear order. We looked into it and it turns out that VO has some good options, but we've already ordered our small stock for the club and set the prices for each individual order (which was a fair bit of work to calculate with the plummeting exchange rate & customs/duties). But on the plus side, we know what type of reflective material we will get & have it in the works for the next kit design. As an alternative, I know you can get the reflective bands (velcro fabric or plastic clips) at OBB and use them on your arm; I've done that before and works well.

mikeshea
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Re: new 2015 kits? opinions?

Post by mikeshea » Sun Jan 25, 2015 9:02 am

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful replies. It does not change my mind but it helps appreciate the other points of view. Color is a great part of identity and while I can appreciate a taste for blue, it is my favourite color, the idea of visibility is an interesting exercise. In low light color disappears and reflective surfaces are one of few surfaces that help in low light. the other part of visibility is contrast or distinction. In daylight fluorescent green and yellow are very visible and the favourite of commuters. This year Garmin went from blue to green. I certainly don't like the color but finding them in the peloton is a lot easier. The club colors are black and gold. from the clubs history those 2 colors have been outrageously visible black and yellow motives to the darker and more subdued recent jerseys so how bright the two colors can be is variable without adopting the shop colors.

I get some members have a great affinity for Oak Bay Bikes and have lots of shop kit that now can be mixed with club kit but in my mind why even bother to say Victoria Wheelers on it because no one will notice it as quickly as they did with the club colors.

For some 30 years a black and yellow or black and gold jersey has been the wheelers. It was distinctive and that does equal visible too.

As for color ad choice of clubs? I never joined Juan De Fuca because of the green and white. They don't exist anymore.
I get this is now set in stone this season but like I said not on my back.

davidhilhorst
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Re: new 2015 kits? opinions?

Post by davidhilhorst » Tue Jan 27, 2015 11:36 pm

Hey Mike - I still wear gold/black Wheelers jersey from when I first became a member somewhere around 1997. Not only is it really cool, but extremely visible too.

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