Sun protection - gotta cream an arm, may as well cream a shoulder.
Warmth - I don’t think a vest would be considered any time it wasn’t warm enough.
Aero - majority of riders could do with better fitted jerseys so a vest would probably be more aero in most cases.
Backpack - riding with a backpack is even rarer than wearing a vest on a bike
Fashion - anyone that doesnt cycle think we look stupid anyway (and some might not argue).
Tradition - “is not the worship of ashes”.
Déclassé - Pompous.
“For men” - Dangerous territory
“Naff” - Hard to classify as they aren’t generally a thing/available.
USA cycling rules - dont apply to majority of cyclists.
/devilsadvocatemode
However, it has made me look at it from different points of view
Unless you’ve got the shoulder muscles to pull it off just save everyone the double take j/k…but plenty of reasons why not too especially now as fabrics have become so thin that it’s not much hotter, yet there is some protection from the sun.
I’m a fan of going sleeveless on a casual t-shirt fun ride when I’m also sporting my bibs with preferably pockets on the back. As always, do what you like. Ankle socks hiked up shorts, whatever, just ride.
Correct, USAC has rules (and also presumably UCI) about sleeves needing to cover shoulders. The reason here is safety - if you crash, they believe it will provide more protection. While you could potentially argue whether that small amount actually does anything, I can sort of see how at least having the kit covering the shoulder can be slightly better when sliding along tarmac. I know a lot of people here aren’t affected by USAC/UCI requirements, and we can debate the UCI’s decisions regarding equipment and safety, but I actually kind of agree here that having something over the shoulders is better in case of crashing.
Personally I’d be happy if there were more shorter sleeve jerseys. I usually just end up rolling them up. Things that go past the shoulder are often too tight on the arms anyways.
From a fashion perspective, it’s more practical to look nice for the thousands of people I see each week while wearing normal clothes. Rather than for the 20 cyclists I see for maybe an hour or two a week.
And the tiny aero gains of mid-arm sleeves are not worth every single person I see wondering what’s up with the ridiculous tan lines at my elbow.
Most triathletes have aero sleeves now. Heck I’ve been leading my local A group ride lately in a sleeved tri suit, to get used to the thinner chamois now that I am throwing my hat back in the ring lol.
Nobody can tell!!
To the OP, only wankers care.
Most people I ride with have a traditional jersey because of the look and the aerodynamics, but a few show up in sleeveless tops and we never give them crap.
In fact if you show up without sleeves and no socks and stomp, you’ll get a nod of respect lol.
Both the tradition and modern practicality are rooted in sun protection. You may have noticed shoulders are very prone to burning due to their angle to the sun. Sunscreen didn’t always exist, even now that it does it’s still gross and/or mildly poisonous so it’s better to minimize its use.)
I would rather have a weird tan line (not that weird though since I use sunscreen/sleeves and have different jerseys with different sleeve lengths) than skin cancer or even just a painful burn. Don’t really care what my coworkers think about my appearance in a t shirt. (If you do, I would suggest it is you who are constrained by fashion, not the average roadie.)
Runners swing their arms when running so there’s a risk of chafing that cyclists don’t face. They also don’t run for 6 hours straight that often.
I don’t really follow tri so I’ll take your word for it. I think this is a case of triathletes coming around to the “right” way of doing things, which roadies knew all along. (There are numerous examples in the other direction too, fwiw, like high carb or short crank.)
One reason why roadies would turn up their nose at sleeveless jersey wearers, is that much of the time it reveals that person doesn’t actually ride enough to realize the drawbacks of their choice. Like seeing someone ride by with a massive gel saddle, you just know they ride 30 minutes a week and not 20 hours. Sleeveless jerseys only make sense if you’re a dilettante.
Early cyclists did not wear vest tops. They needed to roll up their sleeve to hold a pack of cigarettes. They stopped for a smoke before long climbs to help open up their lungs.
I wear them in Texas . I even won a sleeveless jersey years ago at Sea Otter. Back when mountain biking was pretty wild, more like gravel is today. I’m sure I get talked about on group rides. Our group designed a jersey. I copied that but ordered it in sleeveless. Got a few looks that morning. I’m that guy who buys stuff because it’s on sale. Off colored stuff can be the cheapest . I do own a pink kit. Including the shoes. Matches my bike highlights. Just in case I want to be a fashionable. Don’t get me wrong. I do see a need for sleeves. I do own arm warmers. Some people need protection from the sun due to skin cancer worries. Some people don’t tan, they just burn. I feel for them.
