Aero calf sleeves - Best option

Triathlon Forum
1

Hello everyone,

My wife is asking for ideas for Christmas gifts. As usual, it revolves around triathlon lol.

What are the top brands out there?
Who has had good experiences with certain brands?
Any brands to stay away from?

Appreciate your advice in advance.

Thanks you.

2

Zoots have generally tested well (and are easier to get stateside). I’ve actually had good aero results with CEP ribbed compression sleeves (not specifically designed for aero), but don’t care for the compression/insulation on the run. For some strange reason, calf sleeve performance seems highly individual; so YMMV. I’ve seen several pros test and find zero benefit, while I save 45sec/40K in an Oly with them repeatedly.

3

I have these and really like them. I was in between sizes and got the larger on the 2 sizes and they still stay put during the swim/bike/run. No idea if they are faster or not, but placebo effect may help and I think they may help my run performance due to some mild compression effect. They have some other colorways of these on their site also.

Unisex Elite Aero Calf Sleeves - Black

4

Having tested idk how many different brands (most of them) on numerous people, minimal 50 & most likely way more, the one thing I can say is calf sleeves are hit or miss.

Some people will get a benefit, some people won’t get any benefit other than sun protection and some people will go slower with them.

Do you know which category your wife falls in?

Depending on what kit she races in, sleeveless, 2 piece, certain brands that go for fashion before fast a 1 piece tri kit may be a faster option to put under the tree.

5

Desert-Dude - Out of interest, any hypothesis as to the wide range of testing results? I can understand things like helmets testing very different on different users, but a calf pretty much moves the same way on everyone? The folks that tested faster with sleeves, were they shaving their legs??

6

Blockquoteany hypothesis as to the wide range of testing results? I can understand things like helmets testing very different on different users, but a calf pretty much moves the same way on everyone? The folks that tested faster with sleeves, were they shaving their legs??

I suspect/know that some sleeves do better at higher or lower speeds than others. Calf shape probably plays a part.
I’ve tested on hairy legs and saw better and worse, on shaved legs and say better and worse.
I’ve seen some of the very expensive sleeves test slower than the cheapest model in that brand’s line up and then vice versa.

I would love, to do an calf sleeves aero shoot out similar to what we did with bikes. Although I’d like to have ~ 5 subjects of various speeds ranging from say 28kph to 45kph which would cover ~ 85% of triathletes & cyclists

1 Like
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Thanks, I guess that doesn’t help me decide, haha.

I know us AG’ers shouldn’t necessarily try to copy everything the pros do, but interesting that it looks like out of the top 15 at Kona, only maybe 2 used them (RVB & Koolhaus)? Though we now see some aero strips stuck on a couple riders as well…

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Is there a decent testing protocol / tutorial you’d be able to share? For rather simple things like 2-3 different tri suits, calf sleeves vs shaved legs, high stack vs low stack.

9

Start with position first
then helmet - if you have 2 positions that test about the same you may have to go back n forth to find the fastest position/helmet combo
then everything else

1 Like
10

for calf sleeves, go to Lionel’s last tunnel video. At minute 25, when they do the big reveal of his shaved legs they also show the Castelli, Huub, and Surpass sleeve results against shaved legs

Unfortunately, this is more representative of reality than a lot of the noise out there

11

The pros have an additional decision point that is age groupers don’t have, which is that they need to make the bike train out of town. Or in Laidlow’s case, leave transiton before the train.

If you’re first few positions out of the water (Koolhaas in 2024 and Laidlow in 2022) you can get them on and tack onto the back of the train, but if you’re back of the first swim pack putting them on might cost you

Now, whether or not the sleeves are more aero is another question, but the pros do have an additional reason why they might not wear them for a non wetsuit swim

1 Like
12

Thanks everyone for the help. I should edit my first post. I can see the confusion, but these would be for my calves not my wife’s lol.
I wear a 1 piece, sleeved Desoto suit. In a sprint I average anywhere from 36-39km/h, but for 70.3 and my first IM next year in Ottawa, I’m looking to average anywhere from 30-33 km/h. Not sure if that info helps.
Also, can you wear calf sleeves if it is non-wetsuit swim? Or are they considered an advantage? Wetsuit legal swims you can wear them under wetsuit as they provide no advantage?

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Ah, I was assuming the pros that used them already had them on during the swim. Is that incorrect? What about the front calf strips that Laidlow used, did he have to apply those in transition??

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You cannot wear them in a non-wetsuit swim, although that’s odd as they would not impart an advantage. The tape can be used in the swim, however.

15

The tape is ‘interesting’, as I personally think it’s a rule violation.

If you break a wrist and want to swim with a cast, you need a pre-approval. It should be similar with other ‘medical’ applications.

1 Like
16

What the tape does is put the onus back on the referee. We can’t have equipment whose only function is aerodynamics so we have equipment that has dual uses - who’s to say that you’re not hurt in that specific, aerodynamic spot?

I know its a bit silly at the end of the day, and unlikely that both Laidlow and Ditlev had the same injury, but the rulebook can only be so thick.

Maybe an easier rule is that pros have to apply for a variance, but for us age groupers, its not worth enforcing

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I believe that UCI banned it based upon the Danish track team utilizing it for team pursuit - could be wrong. The thin KT tape on Magnus couldn’t have supported anything - but Laidlow using the IM branded stuff to me is just a “here’s an idea that should work” kind of response.

I know when my daughter was swimming and had a shoulder issue, we had to have the head referee of the meet approve her using KT tape on the shoulder as it’s generally not allowed, but it was obviously used for an injury and not to help hydrodynamics…lol

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Maybe the aero sleeves currently on the market do not give much if any advantage in the swim; however, I could certainly see future designs or aftermarket alterations providing benefit.

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https://www.amazon.ca/Synergy-Neoprene-Swim-Sleeves-Black/dp/B07LG5X3FF/ref=asc_df_B07LG5X3FF/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=706747096021&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7319591344939718298&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9000087&hvtargid=pla-2317831320226&psc=1&mcid=1f0066a406a03a708c9d5bbbff2244ff&gad_source=1

:slight_smile:

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In Kona (non-wetsuit swim) you have to spend time to put them on in T1. That combined with the temperature issues is probably why we see fewer pros using them vs. a race like Roth where you can have them under your wetsuit and the running conditions are cooler.