Plaid and Flannel Cycling Jerseys: How to Wear the Check

Checks on a bike: how to pick one, and how to wear it.

Plaid has been on bikes for as long as people have ridden to work in shirts. Printed onto a modern cycling jersey, it's one of the easiest ways to stand out on a group ride without wearing a costume. Here's how the main checks differ, what to pair them with and when to wear them.

Plaid, tartan, flannel, buffalo check: what's the difference?

• Plaid is the everyday word for any pattern of crossing stripes.
• Tartan is the Scottish version: several colours in a repeating sett, traditionally linked to a clan or place.
• Buffalo check is the simplest plaid: two colours, usually red and black, in big even squares.
• Flannel is a fabric, not a pattern. It's the soft brushed cloth that work shirts are made from, which is why people say "flannel" when they mean a checked shirt.

On a cycling jersey the fabric is always technical, so a "flannel" jersey borrows the look of the shirt, not the cloth.

Why checks work on a bike

Big repeating patterns read well at a distance and in motion. A check is easy to spot in a group, it photographs well, and it hides road grime better than a pale solid colour. Large squares hold their shape on a moving rider better than fine pinstripes.

Two ways to wear it

Buffalo check: The Lumberjack

The Lumberjack ($99.95) is red and black buffalo check with printed work-shirt details: a button placket beside the real zip, two flap chest pockets, rolled cuffs and collar points. A CORBAH TIMBER CO. label sits on the back. It's the bolder, funnier of the two.

Tartan: The Scotsman

The Scotsman ($89.95) is a full tartan jersey, with matching Scotsman bib shorts ($99.95, sold separately) if you want the whole kit in plaid.

What to pair it with

• Black bib shorts. The safe choice with any check. They let the jersey do the talking.
• Matching plaid bibs. Full commitment. Best for themed rides and photos.
• One accent. Pick a single colour from the check (red, in The Lumberjack's case) for socks, cap or bar tape. More than one accent and it starts to fight the pattern.

When to wear it

Autumn is the obvious season: gravel roads, coffee stops and leaf-covered lanes. But a check works year round, and it's a natural fit for themed rides. A Friday ride where everyone wears flannel or plaid is an easy club tradition to start.

A printed jersey is still a summer-weight jersey. On cold mornings, layer it the same way you would any other: see what to wear cycling at every temperature.

Sizing

Checks show a poor fit more than solid colours do, because the lines bend where the fabric bunches. Measure first and use the size guide. For reference, a rider at 180 cm and 69 kg (153 lb) wears a Medium.

Get yours

Every Corbah jersey is made to order and delivered in about 5–6 weeks, with free personalization (a name, text or logo). We don't do returns or exchanges, but if the size is wrong you keep the jersey and can order another size within 15 days of delivery for about 20–60% off. See every check we make in our plaid cycling jerseys collection, and for more jerseys with a sense of humour, see funny cycling jerseys.