I’d be interested in grabbing a pair for CX depending on the graphic.
I’d be interested in grabbing a pair for CX depending on the graphic.
The main goal would be first to have a very fast suit that the UCI will allow in nationals and international events. Some red below the waist (as in the below style replacing the black with red) could be added.
USA, Canadian, France, Italian, Mexican and 77% of all national flags have red and 73% white. Some basic flag logos, the name of the country or a touch of a different color could be added by each individual. Perhaps using custom design and transfer paper. The most important thing is to be allowed to race in a UCI sanctioned race using one of the fastest (not the most fashionable) skinsuit.
Sergio
Another option to check out is Pactimo.com
http://pactimo.com/custom/categories/skinsuits/genders/all/styles/c00093
We use them for our Team skinsuits and I really personally like the long sleeve one in the link above. Not sure about minimum orders, but you can totally customize the suits with any graphic, or no graphics (I think the one pictured on the site is kinda horrible)…no pockets on ours. They might be willing to sell you a plain one though…
Another option to check out is Pactimo.com
http://pactimo.com/...rs/all/styles/c00093
We use them for our Team skinsuits and I really personally like the long sleeve one in the link above. Not sure about minimum orders, but you can totally customize the suits with any graphic, or no graphics (I think the one pictured on the site is kinda horrible)…no pockets on ours. They might be willing to sell you a plain one though…
It is not just a matter of getting a plain skinsuit but a matter of finding a top performance plain skinsuit. Most of the top performance skinsuits (like the Nike Swift) are not plain because they were made for professional teams. There is no way you will be able to use a skinsuit of another team in an international UCI TT event.
In my last conversations with John Cobb about skinsuits, he mentioned that a skinsuit that looks fast is not always necessarily fast (it is also clear to me that a fast skinsuit might not be as fast on another rider). Not all skinsuits are equal. Just small details can make a skinsuit faster than another. I thought that my son’s national team skinsuit was reasonably good but it is not. According to John he is sure that it is not good at all.
I am very interested in the Castelli skinsuit because I am sure that Cervélo TT tested that suit and worked together with Castelli to design a faster skinsuit. Is that the fastest skinsuit for Sergio Jr.? We will not know until March when he tries several at the WT. In the meanwhile I have to get a few ready that seem to be faster than most… and they can not have any type of logo or advertisements on it.
Thanks to all for your comments and best wishes.
Sergio
I am down if you want to put together a sketch of what it would look like.
ST needs a group buy page like pedalforce. Jordan???
Also, are you coming to Fiesta Island on the 7th?
Do you use power? What was your power at the mt hood TT? 
Were you there? Is that you Jeff from CA? That was Crazy TT. I don’t use power for anything yet, I’m getting a powermeter this season, but I won’t be racing with it. I only use HR for training and pacing the TT right now. I didn’t have a good personal day at that TT because of the 25 min pre-race front shifter failure, calmly screaming 4 letter words trying to fix it, scramble to put a bigger cogset on rear wheel, lock front shifter into big ring, and make it to the starting line with 1 min to spare. I didn’t get a warm-up other than the 1 lap around the parking lot. Without a good warm-up my HR stays about 10 beats lower than my usual TT pace. I think my avg HR was 168 for Hood, most other TT’s that season it was about 175-180. That race turned out to be more survival than power with those crazy swirling wind gusts (>25 mph) especially on the downhills. I had a 50-25 as my lowest gear so the hills weren’t too bad. There were two times I wanted a smaller gear on each climb and missed my little ring. My result was good overall, but my HR performance wasn’t as good as the OBRA TT champs the next weekend (same overall result 2nd, but avg HR 181, 55:52 for 40K).
I am down if you want to put together a sketch of what it would look like.
ST needs a group buy page like pedalforce. Jordan???
Also, are you coming to Fiesta Island on the 7th?
The suit would have to be pretty basic to suit the before mentioned requisites. It would be like the pic posted of the black/white Cervélo skinsuit but the black replaced with red. Maybe a bit more of red on the top but if we want this to work for all it can’t be any other colors but white/red. I would rather want it to be white/green, but I am sure that would not be 0k for most.
Not sure if I will be in Fiesta Island’s first race, but Sergio Jr. will the 6th of February. He will try to break his Junior record in that course and 30 mph this next time if the weather cooperates. It will be very interesting to see the results of his new position. He will be racing based in San Diego in February, March and the first two-three weeks of April, I hope you will meet.
Sergio
I was there I am Jason… I think you passed me right before the tunnel. I don’t know how much of a warmup I would call rolling around the parking lot trying not to get knocked over. My power was horrendous. The whole time I thought I was going to get last place in the TT. I hear Marshall moved to Illinois or something, I wonder if he is going to do any more racing. I think I was doing 350-360W up the 2nd climb Day 1 and i looked over at him and he wasn’t even breathing. I think you 2 were having a conversation
I could potentially be interested, but I’d definitely prefer something quite neutral; black shorts section, white top. The black shorts vs. red shorts picture doesn’t inspire me to go back to colored shorts (nsfw? http://www.eatnineghost.com/why-bicycle-shorts-are-always-black/)
Hmmm… Maybe I am never interested in checking out that particular area, but I have seen many red shorts and I do not recall seeing that as conspicuous. I think that the problem with that Poland team shorts is a badly designed pad.
Check the pics of Team Radio Shack or other top pro team’s shorts with red in that area and you will see what I mean.
A white suit with a small amount of black in the needed areas could be the best design suitable for personal customization.
Sergio
I’d be interested if the centre short section is black with a predominantly white upper section, maybe with a little red. I don’t want red shorts. They don’t ever look right, especially when drenched in sweat!
I’d be interested if the centre short section is black with a predominantly white upper section, maybe with a little red. I don’t want red shorts. They don’t ever look right, especially when drenched in sweat!
White top and black in the shorts could be the answer to this “generic” but top performance suit. Something similar to the image I posted above.
There are many examples of this simplistic approach in suits used at worlds.
If you want to add a bit more color to the white top, all you have to do is earn your arm stripes at the Nationals… very simple. 
Sergio
Pactimo has a 5 piece custom minimum.
http://pactimo.com/custom/categories/skinsuits/genders/all/styles
Long Sleeve Summit Aero Skinsuit
Short Sleeve Ascent Skinsuit
Long Sleeve Ascent Skinsuit
I have both the long sleeve summit aero and short sleeve ascent. The long sleeve is really nice (highly rec) and I try to use it whenever temps allow (most of the time up here). Prices are reasonable, but we have a big team.
Sergio,
The Champ-Sys “Speedsuit” is available as “single order” ($240 SS, $260 LS) in a generic colored bottom (your choice) white top config.
http://champ-sys.com/media/file/speedsuitform.pdf
If you order 5 of them though, you can get them fully customized with whatever graphics you desire, for only slightly more:
http://champ-sys.com/custom/cs-five
You already said you want to order 3, so if you can find another Mexico rider(s) to get another 2 pcs, you could create your own Mexico design.
Just a thought…it too is also an apparently “fast” suit…
Sergio,
The Champ-Sys “Speedsuit” is available as “single order” ($240 SS, $260 LS) in a generic colored bottom (your choice) white top config.
http://champ-sys.com/...le/speedsuitform.pdf
If you order 5 of them though, you can get them fully customized with whatever graphics you desire, for only slightly more:
http://champ-sys.com/custom/cs-five
You already said you want to order 3, so if you can find another Mexico rider(s) to get another 2 pcs, you could create your own Mexico design.
Just a thought…it too is also an apparently “fast” suit…
Getting a “decent” or “apparently fast” skinsuit is no problem at all. Sergio has a collection of more that 20 TT skinsuits (from two different State teams he has raced for, the National Team and from other teams that gave him a skinsuit in the kit) that fit him reasonably well. The Mexican National team skinsuit (as the one below that he used in the Panamericans) I thought was “aero enough”, but when John Cobb checked it he told me to find a better skinsuit. Maybe I was not as sensitive to comments like these from John the first time Sergio Jr. got fitted by him (at 13) or maybe John has been testing skinsuits more profoundly now than ever, the things is that it is clear to me that a skinsuit can save you precious seconds in a TT.
Sergio is scheduled to go to the tunnel in March and by that time he should have at least four suits that are apparently very aero. I can use the skinsuits that Sergio discards in tests for my own riding so I do not mind testing a few of the ones that seem to be the best. I guess I will have to add the Champ-Sys to the list if looks fast enough to you.
Below a report http://www.cyclingtechblog.com/2009/11/25/wind-tunnel-testing-with-john-cobb-at-texas-am/ from someone you probably know when he tested skinsuits with John. It shows that you really have to test “fast” suits in the tunnel. with you as the test rider to know which one is the fastest and not only looks the fastest.
It is going to be fun finding the best suit… and I am going to end up with a bunch nice “discarded” kinsuits that will look on me much faster than I really am.
Sergio
For example, these two skinsuits are muy malos.
**
http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/3234/panams2010vsnats2009.jpg
Sergio
.
I guess I will have to add the Champ-Sys to the list if looks fast enough to you.
All I know is that Doc Coggan wore one of those during his last 40K record attempts at Moriarty…and he’s not a guy know for running stuff he hasn’t tested out as being “fast”
If you don’t mind me asking, but what features of Sergio Jr.'s skinsuit were apparently “bad” to Mr. Cobb such that he could “dismiss” it just by looking at it? Just curious…
For example, these two skinsuits are muy malos.
**
Sergio
Por que?