I know a lot of people really like the Assos kit. It didn't work well for me at all—as is true for most company's bib-shorts the straps were a little too short for my torso. I have an amazing pair of Pearl Isumi bibs sitting in the closet until I can get a seamstress to add a couple inches of material to the straps. As they are, if I were to wear them, my voice would be a couple octaves higher! The Castilli shorts are pretty much my kit these days.
Another brand of less flashy but extremely high quality kit is Rapha. Really top notch kit, but not the most exciting selection of colors. As much as I like to wear black in the cool PNW weather, I hate not being visible.
When I'm in peak conditioning, I like to wear this kit:
http://elevengear.com/product/poseur-jersey-cap-mens/. The guys in the club get a laugh at it every time, but I only feel comfortable wearing it when I'm able to deliver the V!
(From the Elevengear website
Strength-sapping sleet, bone-rattling cobbles, furnace-like temperatures on seemingly unendurable climbs: These were the conditions that defined the strong men of professional cycling in their day. Perhaps that is why one rarely hears of the legacy of Team Poseur.
In 1968 the little-known Poseur team toiled in the pro ranks of continental Europe. Sponsored by a small factory in Nancy that made clip-on ties, heel inserts for mens’ shoes and women’s dickies. The team was small, and their budget, meager.
Poseurs were a band of grim-faced grogneurs, an équipe of riders like Oopgegaven, DeBonque, and Barfolini, crafty and determined riders who could find a way to lose more races than they entered. Poseur riders battled the giants of the road in their day. They scarcely earned the respect of their peers in the pro peloton, but did they flinch? Never! The heart of the true Poseur can withstand any insult.
The Poseur era ended when a new co-sponsor, Charlatan, came on board late in the season bringing an influx of francs. But when the promised cheque was lost, accusations flew, and Charlatan withdrew its sponsorship, casting its lot instead with the nascent sport of competitive bodybuilding. Time has not smiled sweetly on this once mighty team. You only find them at the best coffee shops and bakeries, always riding easy, never taking the lead. So now the question is: Do you have what it takes to re-ignite the storied history of Vélo Poseur? You may be Poseur’s last hope.