I listened to the previous podcast on aero gains and there seems to be a consensus with most people in the industry that the one of the best aero gains come from a skin suit.
What are some recommendations for skin suits that don’t leave our wallets empty buy provide an advantage over a two piece?
I’d recommend a road speed suit (with a couple small pockets in back) vs. a TT speed suit that doesn’t have pockets. IIRC Castelli was one of the first to come out with their San Remo suit. Others have followed and now most manufacturers make a road speed suit that is designed very very similarly to the San Remo. Basically you can use it in crits, road and even the ITT w/o much aero penalty compared to one w/o pockets. Some manufacturers I’ve tried AND recommend:
https://www.elielcycling.com/collections/mens-speedsuits/products/mens-santa-ana-road-suit
https://www.castelli-cycling.com/us/men/tops/speed-suits/p/451800018P-010
https://eu.cuore.ch/eu/en/mens/cycling/suits
And finally Ale. They made one as well but, I don’t see a current link. Only tri suits, but, I’d highly recommend them as well if they still make one.
Others that friends have used and like: Vermarc, Louis Garneau, Champion Systems
I am getting a bit confused as a consumer.
What is the difference between
Skin suit and a Speed Suit?
A skin suit is an all in one aero suit, typically used in TT’s. It will be as aero as possible so no pockets on the back.
You could think of a speed suit as a pair of aero bibs and an aero jersey stitched together. It’ll have pockets on the back like a jersey.
While the differences will be marginal, a proper skin suit will be a bit faster.
Honestly, I’ve seen skin and speed be used alternately for the same thing so as of 2019 there is no rule. Do you want pockets in the back or no pockets is the only thing I look for now. For straight TT’s I look for the products with no pockets. For road, crit, cross, gravel I look for pockets. Generally the skin/speed suits with pockets will have the word “road” somewhere in the title. Still read the description and verify with pictures.
I wanna get one too!
But my thought is how can I go to the bathroom with them! Ha ha ha (not a pro, def not peeing in my pants!)
I think the velotec is a good starting point, imma get one of that, plus I don’t think paying $3-500 for my first one is the right moves.
The road suits are really easy in this regard. So the San Remo type suits. True TT skinsuits are a different story.
For the women out there…I bought my partner the Eliel speed suit for Christmas and it seems very nice.
@KorbenDallas how is the chamois on the Eliel? Say compared to the Castelli? I’ve had a pair of Castelli bibs and i didn’t like the chamois in those. Then i got Cuore bibs and I don’t see myself buying another brand of bibs in the future.
Worn a pockety-skinsuit for a few years and going for a pee is no problem at all.
I can confirm, however that if Tom Dumoulin had been wearing a skinsuit that day he would have lost a bit more time.
I have a bunch from Champion system- their speedsuits are normally rear zipper and aimed for Tt. They specifically have a crit skinsuit and a number of others across all price ranges.
Below is a pic of the Santa Ana Road suit pad. It works for me. I have no complaints. This was last years so to be honest I’m not 100% sure if they are using the same pad in 2019. Web site didn’t have any pixors which always makes it a little harder to decide…I’m 5’10" 165# and this is a medium. Pad fits and sits well for me.
Below is a pic of a pad similar to the Rincon Bibs I had some years ago. One of the original owners had me test them out but, I’m not sure if they still make this bib. The Hollywood had the same pad. Anyways, this pad is very nice and is very similar to Vie13 which is another kick ass brand. IIRC the higher end Castelli has this pad in it as well. So not sure which Castelli bib you had but, their Kiss pad sux compared to this one IME.
What level did you go with, gold?
Silver with their top level chamois.
For crits having pockets is helpful as silly as it sounds, especially for non-pros.
Having a small pocket to tuck race license, car key, etc. is so helpful compared to a full out skin suit, if you don’t have a pit tent or people you can give items to. Its handy as well for pre-race gels or gummies while you wait in staging, and if you race in the heat they double as ice holders which when placed against your lower back is SOOOOO nice in terms of cooling effect.
Has anyone had any experience with the Jackroo Echelon SS speed suits? I heard Neil say that the Jackroo chamois is his favorite and they have a speed suit with pockets that look good but am wondering if anyone can back that up? I come from a XC skiing background and have found that (atleast the XC suits) the material doesn’t hold up but want to know if their cycling suit material is different and better?
I’ve been using the echelon suit for the past 2 seasons and I love it. No issues with quality or wear over the years and having 3 pockets in the back is really convenient. I tend to favor it over bibs/jersey for training rides even.
To revive this thread a bit, I’m looking for a speed suit for this season. Really just want a short sleeve 2-in-1 with rear pockets. I like the Velotec (linked below), but the single middle pocket doesn’t seem very usable, or maybe I’m just not that flexible. Anybody have experience with this?
Also looking at Cuore. I know the TR team loves them. And I’ve heard you can get an all black one for a decent price (lower than quoted on the website). Castelli has a nice looking one on the more expensive side. And then Pactimo, which I love their bibs but it looks like you have to order custom for the speed suits.
$232
$390
Not sure why the $100 price difference, $300 or $400.
$200
Nopinz has some good suits that aren’t hard on the budget either.
