southernfox

I have the opportunity to work with a cycling kit company (who sponsors me), who is willing to develop a high end speedsuit, pretty much based on my needs for track.

What are your favourite speedsuits? What are your must-have features for going fast AF?

(I have thoughts of my own, but I'd like y'all's too)

southernfox

Posting the first reply from the 'small questions' superthread:

carleton

I'll add:

Since Fox is racing in the Southeast in the summer, staying cool is a priority. Compression gear does not cool as well as bare skin. It just doesn't. Yes, "skin is slow", but heat exhaustion makes one slower.

I'd say maybe ask for a short sleeved option for weekly races and bust out the long sleeve for big events.

Be wary of CX skinsuits. My team once ordered skinsuits that were thick as hell for winter CX racing...the team manager was a CX guy :-|

There was a post recently where some GB guys tested 4 skinsuits . Maybe in the interesting stuff on the internet thread.

I like the idea of a 2-piece skinsuit. Onsies are fast, but a pain in the ass for weekly racing. I wonder how much different a 2 piece skinsuit is from a 1 piece in terms of aerodynamics. Yeah, the pros were 1 piece, but they also have helpers to get them in and out of them.

queerpunk

Yeah there are some tradeoffs. Tighter means harder to put on and off (a trip to the bathroom instead of just changing under a skirt in the infield), especially if you're already sweaty... but it also means that once it's 'placed' on your body you're likely to have fewer wrinkles and be more aero.

Reminds me of Vogel's recent IG post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BauNbAqF...kristina.vogel

Voodoo76

Along those design lines take a look at the Voler Road Suit. It's basically a Top & Bottom attached about 3/4 around the waste with a full zipper in front. I have a couple & fit is almost as good as a one piece in terms of wrinkles but super easy to get on/off or in the Portajohn. No idea how much slower it is than the Assos Chronosuit I've been racing in but a lot easier to deal with.

carleton

That looks awesome and a fair compromise.

To deal with the same ease of use issues, I would train and race in bib shorts and a Nike compression top. Short or long sleeve depending on weather. $35.

Not sure how aero it is or isn’t compared to dedicated speedsuits. But it’s certainly more aero than a regular jersey.

At risk of being rude (we’re all athletes here, right?). Going #1 is much easier than with a skinsuit. And #2 is a bit more involved because I have to pull the top off over my head to get the bibs off. But not nearly the drama of trying to get out of a skinsuit or keeping the skinsuit top from touching the bathroom floor (real talk).

Also, you can pin your own number on as you would with a normal road jersey.

southernfox

FWIW, June I'll be at Trexlertown the whole month, July is Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. Sept is Milton, ON; Oct is worlds in LA (both of these indoors).

I won't be doing any 'southeast' racing, not really. It's not at the level I need (for women, anyway).

southernfox

FOR GUYS!! ...for women, it's all the same.

carleton

Local training races are grouped more by ability than gender. You’ll simply race with women or men of similar skill and speed.

Hahahaha. Yes. Sorry.

Godsight

The first think I would ask for in a custom skinsuit is number pockets. So one LS skinsuit with a single number pocket on the lower back for TT and one SS skinsuit with 2 number pockets for each side for bunch start races.

sarals 

My team uses Castelli, so with that limit in mind, I ordered a Bodypaint 3.3 for next season. I was given a Jakroo skinsuit with pockets that I've used for team events. It fits well, seems slippery, and is easy to remove, ummm, get out of the way, when I need too? The Bodypaint I tried at the team fitting, and oh my, was it nice. I was told by several whose knowledge I hold in high regard that it's "fast". We shall see!

Looking forward to seeing you, @southernfox!

Huskey

My favorite slinsuit is my castelli body paint 3, my
only issue is that the legs are just a bit too long. Sits just above the kmee so its a bit looser on the cuff than I'd like. Fits well everywhere else

southernfox

This is more about the *features* you like, than brands that already exist.

southernfox

Here are some of my thoughts:

Primarily it needs to be really aero: very tight so that, bent over, there are no ripples in the fabric to catch air flow. It should be tight enough that it's uncomfortable to stand up with it zipped. (I find many skinsuits far too long in the torso, so they bunch up when bent over on the bike.)

Personally I hate collars on speedsuits/skinsuits. They feel like breathing is restricted, or that I'm very subtly choking. So I like speedsuits to have the low collarbone look. Castelli bodypaint is a good example.

A thought: for track and TTs, a rear zipper is better than a front zipper. Have a little pull tab on it to help with zipping/unzipping oneself.

Leg compression would be nice, but not if it makes the suit hot/not breathable.

High heat areas need to be particularly breathable: armpits, lower back. I like thinner material all over. I find Voler's long sleeve speedsuit to be comfortable even in 100F temperatures. It feels cool from sweat evaporation through the thin fabric.

Some suits are using a thumb loop on the arms to help keep the sleeves tight and in place.

And if some consideration can be given to where numbers are likely to be pinned on a speedsuit: a single number middle of lower back for TTs, and often one on the left lower back for track (though two for higher level events).

sarals 

SF, the Bodypaint 3.3 - this is my view and how it fits me - is comfortable, doesn't bunch up anywhere, and it is flexible but tight. Right, it has no collar. It DOES have thump loops, and they're well placed and well attached to the cuff. The forearms are solid material, above that it has breathable material. The torso fits very well everywhere, even over my chest and under my arms, and it doesn't bunch. I prefer longer leggings, and it stops right above my knees but the bands are tight enough to keep it from loosening and riding up or catching air. I didn't look at the lower back, but my memory indicates the material there was thicker, so perhaps thought was given to pinning on numbers (I use glue myself).The zipper is in the front (more than one person I talked to at Worlds - ladies all - complained about skinsuits with rear zippers, one saying they were harder to unzip than a wetsuit). I really like it. Your mileage may vary, of course!

carleton

The idea of a speed suit that is shorter/tighter in the front than normal is nice and sounds cool, but in practice, you got to take the rider in the bike into consideration. A few wrinkles in that area aren't a big deal.

Why?

Because right under there is literally 1/2 of your body mass churning up air like an egg beater at 110-140RPM with legs switching 220-280 times per minute with a top tube halfway down the middle swirling things up even more. It's a mess.



The discomfort of walking around half hunched over or worse, ripping your skinsuit at the zipper (which I've done with a Castelli Body Paint...I've had 3 of them) may not be worth it.

I think the short-in-the-front speed suit was something that Team GB did first.

Maybe simply make the fabric in that area very elastic such that it's taught when doubled-over as well as flexible enough to allow one to stand and do this:



Notice how it's not tugging at the collar or pulling up at the belly area. It's not super tight in the front. It may be horizontally snug, but not vertically restrictive.

Bioracer makes some of the fastest suits available.

sarals 

Not to take away from @southernfox's OP, however, in my case I'm restricted to what my team has to offer. Right now that's Castelli. We can branch the discussion into what kits we can actually wear in sanctioned competition, but I'm not advocating hijacking SF's thread.

I do like the way the skinsuit Kristina is wearing fits. Nice, snug, and sleek. My training partner wears a Skins, and it fits very well, too.

southernfox

Yeah...I get to ask for whatever I want as a starting place to see what's possible for their R+D project to develop a high end speedsuit.

sarals 

Nice!!!

tobukog

Short of going to a wind tunnel, Cuore tests well for most riders. You might look at their design and ask for a similar designed suit in terms of panels and seam placement. Castelli body paint is considered to be pretty inconsistent with the trips and seams working for some while testing really slow for others.

MarkWW

Here's that skinsuit test:
https://youtu.be/lseOPmxIvKw

pierrej

Realistically fast and sorta comfortable is what you want, I'll be buying a velotec for ease but my club kit supplier has a few option he's testing at the moment.

Ideally though I'd be after:
Full sleeve, different textures for lower and upper arm.
Rear zip, number pockets, rough texture on the upper back, thick seams on shoulder.
Close collar like the German one up there as opposed to the wide v neck that's popular.
Long legs just above knee, smooth textured outers with a prominent seam towards he middle of the quad.

As long as something like this fit moderately comfortable I'd be happy

krispenhartung

I have two Castelli suits, a short sleeve and the long sleeve the Body Paint....fits alright but the mesh on the top is very volatile and rips easy, plus it's a bit tight on the top for me. My two team skinsuits, short and long sleeve, are Voler, and I loath them to hell, almost as much as their kits. They fit horribly on me and don't provide enough support...maybe good for a eunuch though. ;-) jk

I recently, as in 2 weeks ago, bought both the POC skinsuit and the Bioracer Speedwear Concepts TT suits...spectacular. Both fit very well, look awesome, and I love the non-descript black. The POC suit does, however, run a size small. I normally wear a Med, and the Medium almost cut the circulation off at my armpits. The Bioracer Medium is a tad tight as well, but not uncomfortably so. I may get a Large and try both. Maybe use the Med for short distance and the Large for when I do 40K time trials --- though I'm sure the Medium would save me a few seconds. :-)

I like the look and feel of the Bioracer so much, that I'm buying their road jersey and road aero suit for road racing.

Voodoo76

Not to hijack. I didn't think Bioracer was available in the US? The few comparisons I've seen they test faster than the typical stuff (Assos, Castelli). It all can be so individual, Voler fits me like a glove, better than Castelli where I'm always between sizes it seems.

carleton

BioRacer's US distributor is in FL, I think.

BELGIUMBIKE

I have not bought anything from them. But one of their reps was really responsive via email. So, this isn't an endorsement. Just passing info along.