Originally Posted by
rosefarts
I'm genuinely surprised.
I figured with moving and frontal area, NBD. I also (erroneously) figured hair could create a buffer of turbulent air, possibly increasing speed (golf balls, dimples, rough texture on a shark).
Get me some wax!
Modern textiles are even faster than shaved skin. This led to the UCI banning socks and overshoes higher than halfway between the ankle and knee, with officials enforcing compliance measuring sock height in the Tour de France.
Golf ball dimples aren't out of the question - I have a couple of allegedly wind tunnel tested skin fit aero jerseys with dimpled shoulder/arm fabric. They're faster than regular race cut jerseys, although I couldn't say what fraction of the gains come from fabric versus the painted on fit.
Non-compliant socks that appear to be 4 cm too long:
