I’m a little confused on skins suits and speed suits and I was hoping ye could help clear some stuff up for me.
Last year was my first year at tri’s and the clip on bars on my road bike (Kestrel Talon with road bars) were my only aero equipment. I managed to get my 40k time down to 62 mins by the last tri and I’d really like to push it as low as possible this year. I bought a Powertap and have really focused on the engine over the winter but I’d like to swap some money for speed as well.
Articles like the following http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/2010/04/biggest-bang-for-your-buck-in-time-trial-equipment/ really help define what can I can and should do. I’ll be using the same bike, but I’ll be getting a TT helmet and disc cover for my rear wheel. I might even get a front wheel at the next Flo offering, but I’m confused about the whole skin suit/ speed suit issue.
There are lots of of threads recommending Tri suits like the kiwami but I don’t really have any reference point for how that compares to a true cycling speed suit. For example is an armless suit as aero as an armed suit? After all skin is mostly smooth. Do I need to shave my arms? (I’m a man). Would a kiwami style suit be a good choice for pure time trials as well? Should I get a shoulder covering version?
“Speed suit” is a term often used in triathlon to refer to a swim suit that is worn over your race kit. So that might be part of the confusion.
A speed suit is a tight, form-fitting suit with some sort of hydrophobic coating. The idea is that the suit compresses your body and makes you smaller in the water (reducing form drag). The hydrophobic coating reduces drag further. These suits also can offer some compression, which can be helpful. But these suits don’t have a chamois and get taken off in T1. To complicate matters, speed suits are also called “swim skins or swimskins” by a lot of people. Some brands make a hybrid of the speed suit and a traditional race uniform, and the generic term for that is a “tri suit.” By constructing a single-piece suit with a rear zipper (usually) and limited or low drag pockets, you get a product that you can swim in and also wear for the entire race. Tri suits have a chamois. Lots of brands have trisuits. Typically these aren’t optimized for aerodynamics or given any serious wind tunnel testing, although Pearl Izumi is probably at the forefront of using CFD and the tunnel for their apparel design.
Sorry, I can’t weigh in on bike apparel aerodynamics but would expect that a purpose-built garment (i.e., aero-tested) would be faster than skin. Check out what Marino Vanhoenacker has been racing in lately.
From the testing I’v seen, yes on a well fitting suit full arms covering is better than short sleeves which is better than no sleeves. But thats assuming a well fit well designed suit. I’m sure some sleeveless suits are better than some full sleeved suits on some people.
I’m a little confused on skins suits and speed suits and I was hoping ye could help clear some stuff up for me.
Last year was my first year at tri’s and the clip on bars on my road bike (Kestrel Talon with road bars) were my only aero equipment. I managed to get my 40k time down to 62 mins by the last tri and I’d really like to push it as low as possible this year. I bought a Powertap and have really focused on the engine over the winter but I’d like to swap some money for speed as well.
Articles like the following http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/...ime-trial-equipment/ really help define what can I can and should do. I’ll be using the same bike, but I’ll be getting a TT helmet and disc cover for my rear wheel. I might even get a front wheel at the next Flo offering, but I’m confused about the whole skin suit/ speed suit issue.
There are lots of of threads recommending Tri suits like the kiwami but I don’t really have any reference point for how that compares to a true cycling speed suit. For example is an armless suit as aero as an armed suit? After all skin is mostly smooth. Do I need to shave my arms? (I’m a man). Would a kiwami style suit be a good choice for pure time trials as well? Should I get a shoulder covering version?
Could some enlighten me on this whole issue?
Thanks,
Matthew
“Skin suit” = cycling TT specific outfit, not comfortable when not in the aero position. extremely fast
“Speed suit” = cycling outfit meant for criteriums, road races where aero advantages matter a lot (i.e. WC, Olympics, etc). very fast.
“Swim skin” = triathlon swim outerwear designed to be worn solely in the swim over the triathlon apparel. very fast…in the water.
“Tri-suit” = one piece for swim/bike/run. Pretty fast in the water, pretty fast on the bike. Triathlon apparel isn’t “normally” aero-optimized, but most very nice one piece tri suits will be fairly aerodynamic on the bike, but not on the level of skin suits and speed suits.