Getting back into doing TT’s this year after having several years off. From everything i’ve read, it seems like skinsuits have come a long way since my last purchase(Castelli Body Paint) approximately 4 years ago. I know that these things are very individual in terms of benefit per suit, but can anyone tell me which suits have low drag on most people. I don’t have access to multiple suits to test, so i will just have to take a leap of faith. Cheers
For the price (and if you can handle a black suit) the Velotec is tough to beat and tested well in a (cyclingnews maybe?) comparison test a while back.
Getting back into doing TT’s this year after having several years off. From everything i’ve read, it seems like skinsuits have come a long way since my last purchase(Castelli Body Paint) approximately 4 years ago. I know that these things are very individual in terms of benefit per suit, but can anyone tell me which suits have low drag on most people. I don’t have access to multiple suits to test, so i will just have to take a leap of faith. Cheers
I second the Velotec below. The entry level nopinz has data on their site, is meant for normal speeds of mere mortals, and has a number pocket.
For “cheap” and good, I like Galibier. That’s my testing and practice suit. Before owning a Notio I did a Chung VE test and it was equal or maybe a tad better than my bodypaint 3.3 was.
Just as always, either buy the thing that’s in budget and 90% of people say is good…or buy, test, re-sale used.
I saw the test on the Velotec and it seemed to test well. I was also curious about the NoPinz but haven’t really seen any independant testing on it.
Some independent testing of a few suits and helmets from one of the TR forum members here: https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/a-time-trialing-thread/46868/824?u=rjones07
He found the NoPinz Pro1 (entry level suit) to be faster than Velotec and Castelli for him. Remember that skinsuits test pretty individual, similar to helmets.
Just to make things more complicated, there are interactions between suits and helmets. I haven’t seen anyone provide general rules, but my theory on this is to consider what helmet was used when developing and testing the suit. I think the BP 3.0 was designed and tested on conjunction with the short tailed Giro Selector that Garmin was using at that time (the one they never actuall released to the public), while the Endura was designed with their long wide-tailed helmet. The BP has the really rough back material while the Endura was designed so that the helmet would smoothly dump the air onto the top of the back with minial turbulance. I think this just shows that there are very different approaches to managing the helmet/back interaction.
As long as you are guessing at what would work best, I would guess that you might be beter off choosing a suit that matches you helmet choice. So a long tailed helmet that smoothly integrates with your back might be best with a skinsuit that has a smooth back. Choose a suit with more texture on the back if you are using a short tailed helmet or your helmet doesn’t integrate really well with your back.
As usual, this advice is probably as valuable was what you paid for it (i.e., nothing), but it might make your decision easier.
Just to make things more complicated, there are interactions between suits and helmets. I haven’t seen anyone provide general rules, but my theory on this is to consider what helmet was used when developing and testing the suit. I think the BP 3.0 was designed and tested on conjunction with the short tailed Giro Selector that Garmin was using at that time (the one they never actuall released to the public), while the Endura was designed with their long wide-tailed helmet. The BP has the really rough back material while the Endura was designed so that the helmet would smoothly dump the air onto the top of the back with minial turbulance. I think this just shows that there are very different approaches to managing the helmet/back interaction.
As long as you are guessing at what would work best, I would guess that you might be beter off choosing a suit that matches you helmet choice. So a long tailed helmet that smoothly integrates with your back might be best with a skinsuit that has a smooth back. Choose a suit with more texture on the back if you are using a short tailed helmet or your helmet doesn’t integrate really well with your back.
As usual, this advice is probably as valuable was what you paid for it (i.e., nothing), but it might make your decision easier.
I went through some aero testing with J. Manton on the velodrome in Colorado Springs a few years ago and found a small, but clear and not insignificant, difference between helmet/suit combos just like you mention. I subsequently did some personal, very unscientific comparison testing with even more suits and more helmets, and unsurprisingly found that not only do some helmets and suits work better together than other combos, but that the best helmet/suit combos can change depending on one’s position. What worked well together in a narrow/high position might not work well together in a lower or wider arm position. Once you get things sorted, it can be incredibly powerful in its impact on your performances, but crikey it takes a lot of time and energy.