Not sure I believe the claimed gains, but anything close would still be huge:
http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/07/news/spotted-castellis-new-aero-race-jersey_293482
So for triathlon, the question would be if you could swim and/or run in the thing, or at what point potential gains on the bike would be worth making a clothing change in T1 and/or T2. Possibly worth it for an IM? Anybody switch to a bike jersey or use one in IM races? I’ve only used tri tops, but this makes me question it…
I thnk the comparisons are mainyl to standard cycling jerseys wit ha typcial fit. A trisuit that’s alreayd designed ot be efficient and tight fitting for swims, I would expect performs nearly as well as a aero jersey. Could you get back the 30 seconds or so it takes to put it on and take off an IM? Maybe but I’d want some good data comparing it to a trisuit. I also wonder how easy it is to put on wet and how how well it manages persperation. Remember, its’ intended for a <50 minutes race, not a 2-1/2 or 5 hour ride.
That’s my take.
“Castelli claims that the new jersey is 12 watts faster than the old version at 40 kph; that’s 12 watts faster than a piece of kit that was already at the top of the aero game. How much can be gained over a traditional, flappy jersey? “In the range of 32 watts at 50 kph,” said Castelli brand manager Steven Smith.”
Keep in mind, 40kph is 24.8mph. So maybe this gains you 10-15 Watts over a trisuit. What is that worth?
Maybe the tri companies need ot do some windtunnel testing and get a more aerodynamic suit that still swims well.
I have no problem believing that a skin suit is faster than whatever I am wearing at IM, maybe this aero jersey is as well (and so are shoe covers). But I have to imagine that a tight fitting tri top, made for swimming without a wetsuit (http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/17359.htm) or a tight fighting tri top made to be worn under a wetsuit (http://www.desotosport.com/product/RTJS) surely can’t be giving up THAT much time to another top. These are the two tops I personally where doing long course and I take every aero advantage that I can.
How much time is “that much time” I guess it depends. Can I swim in the super aero gear? Can I wear it under a wetsuit? Can I run in it? Is it comfortable enough that it won’t cause me to slow down at all due to a distraction or discomfort?
If the answer to all of those questions is yes, then I would say 1 second is too much time and we should all be wearing one of these new tops.
The more questions that are answered NO, the more time it better save me (because now I have to put it on a wet body in T1, I have to fiddle with it while riding because it is uncomfortable, I have to take it off a tired body in T2, I have to put something else on in T2). In that case, it had better be saving me minutes not seconds on the ride, because I am giving back at least that much with these issues.
I was actually present for all the Castelli cycling and tri wind tunnel testing. We tested the cycling stuff against the cycling stuff, and the tri stuff against the tri stuff, so I don’t have precise data on the Aero Race Jersey against our BodyPaint Tri Suit (which was pretty fast in the tunnel). Based on what we saw in the tunnel and realistic estimates in triathlon conditions, I’d estimate that throwing that cycling jersey on for an IM bike leg would get you to T2 about 2 minutes faster than an excellent fitting Tri suit, and significantly more savings over some of the bad fitting suits we tried.
The jersey is very much cut for a cycling position and would be pretty uncomfortable around the shoulders for the run.
Motoguy128 is right though about the tradeoff between the swim and the bike. This jersey would be good for races where you’re in a swimskin or a wetsuit, and I don’t think the savings in a sprint or olympic distance race are worth the time spent in transition.
With what I know I would definitely put on an aero top for a 70.3 or Ironman bike leg.
Thanks for the info. This sounds like it’s worth exploring.
Just to clarify, when you say it would be good for a wetsuit event, do you mean put it on after the swim, or wear it under the suit? I’d guess the former… I may have to try out the current (not as fast…) aero jersey for myself.
Putting the 2013 Aero Jersey under a wetsuit would probably be ok, but the 2014 model has a bit less movement in the shoulders. You’d want to give it a try.