kosmo886

What do people like for aero cycling jerseys?

RChung

Depends on your individual body shape. Look for no wrinkles around the neck/shoulders when you're in riding position, tight sleeves that go down close to the elbow, and that doesn't bunch up along the zipper. Zipper should always be up. Nice fabric is nice but nice fabric and the right texture in the right places takes second place to the right fit. If it doesn't satisfy those fitting cues then it won't matter whether it has the right texture on the upper arms and the shoulders.

tempocyclist

I'm a big fan of the Castelli San Remo speed suit. I've got an older version with the three rear pockets, the new version is (allegedly) even more aero.

If just after a jersey, their their "Aero Race" jersey is pretty slick.

caloso

I have one. It's pretty great. Very smooth in the riding position.

canklecat

Pearl Izumi Elite Pursuit SPD. Excellent value, especially if you aren't picky about color. I put a bunch in my Amazon cart a year or so ago, moved them to the "save for later" bin, and waited for price drops. I got a blue and a hi-vis yellow short sleeve for $25-$30. And a long sleeve wind resistant version in hi-vis yellow for the same price.

It's a race fit -- snug but comfortable, and short waist hem. It's meant to be worn with bibs. Some buyers complain it's too short, but when they provide details or post photos, they're either wearing shorts rather than bibs, or lugging a pot belly. Wrong jersey for them. I'm 5'11", usually around 150-155 lbs and the medium fits me perfectly.

The sleeve fabric feels a bit plasticky and is supposedly more aero, but it hasn't been uncomfortable in summer heat.

Minimalist pockets, so you can't carry much. I only wear these on speed workouts, usually no more than 90 minutes, so I don't carry much anyway. If I need more than a gel, there are convenience stores near my usual training routes.

My only nitpick would be the pocket openings don't lay perfectly flat so even when empty I wonder whether the pockets are catching air. Probably not a big deal. If I was concerned enough I'd add some Velcro or tape the pockets shut and see if it made any difference.

I think it's been dropped from the PI catalog but still available from many sellers.

nomadmax 

If aero is a concern for me on particularly fast rides, I wear a skin suit.

seypat

If you're really concerned about aero, you need to first get a nice aero gut. Then get a jersey that fits over that.

canklecat

Yeah, for awhile there was at least one hydration pack meant to be worn under a jersey -- under the front, if I'm recalling correctly -- for an aero advantage. I think it was banned from competition and is still occasionally available online heavily discounted.

I put on about 5 lbs over the last year, all in the belly, so I'm skinny with a bit of a pot belly. I've yet to see any aero gains, dagnabbit.

BTW, some wind tunnel tests show significant gains from an aero helmet, even those without the extended tailfins. I have a rounded aero helmet that's a knockoff of a Giro model from a few years ago. It has a magnetic sun visor that's very nifty and holds securely, and a snap-in/out vent cover. Wind tunnel tests show rider head position is less critical with rounded helmets, while high tech aero helmets are optimized for one head position that may be difficult to hold consistently over time and distance (recall Roglic's desperate efforts at the end of the 2020 Tour de France time trial -- although that may have been due to several factors, not just discarding the visor and wearing the helmet askew).

Sure seems to help. I usually average about 1 mph faster with that helmet and ordinary aero jersey with the same effort. Might be some placebo effect, hard to tell without wind tunnel testing and a power meter to check my actual effort. But over a number of rides on the same route (a large loop to somewhat negate wind conditions, etc.), I'm consistently faster with that helmet.

POC's Cerebel helmet is designed to be less position-critical than their oddball but effective Tempor aero helmet. If I'm recalling correctly testing showed no significant advantage to POC's aero version of the Octal, compared with the vented road version of the Octal.

RChung

Yup. The best thing is be in perfect position with the best helmet that's perfectly matched to that perfect position -- but not everyone can always do that. Roundish helmets can be more "robust" in the sense that maybe they're not as good when you're in perfect position but they're still okay if you move your head and are out of position or it's windy as hell and the crosswinds are vicious.

Robustness is a good trait to have, not just in helmets but in lots of tools. Lots of situations in life aren't ideal so it's good to have the choice between the perfect tool for the job and an all-around tool that still works okay under Plan B. So if I were still serious about racing I might have two helmets, one for optimal conditions and another for cross-wind situations.