At a recent time trial, the zipper on my Sparx skinsuit would not work, and I had to pin my suit together with 15-20 safety pins. I almost missed my start time. I was really disappointed given this was only the second time I ever used the suit.
Any recommendations for a reliable, yet affordable, skinsuit? I prefer long sleeves but short on the legs. (I plan to buy two so that I can have one for backup in case this ever happens again.)
Hard to look past Velotec.
I have two that I like a lot (but I’m selling them because I’m getting out of the sport).
Castelli “Greater Than” Skinsuit has sleeves to the elbows and is a zip-together arrangement. Extremely comfortable, but not quite as aero at the front of the waist. It’s designed to almost look like a jersey with shorts. New, it was about $180. Very reasonable for a professional-grade kit.
Castelli Body Paint Long Sleeve SpeedSuit is a great product. As expected, it’s a chore to get into but, once you’ve got it on, it is very comfortable and fits like a second skin when you’re in the extensions. Great suit. More “hard core” than the “Greater Than.” You’ll never mistake it for anything but a speedsuit. This one lists for about $230. A great deal for what it is.
velotec and nopinz are hard to beat. Velotec for the price, Nopinz for the service.
I use both Velotec and Castelli Body Paint.
Velotec is cheaper and reportedly quite fast. I’ve used Castelli for years, but from now on…
1: BioRacer speedsuit - it’s the most comfortable suit I’ve worn, it’s fast and has a great chamois. Also check out the NoPinz version on the NP website
2: NoPinz - seems to be fast, custom tailoring options if that’s your thing, NO more pin holes!
3: VeloTec - fast suit and can’t really beat the pricing.
4: whatever fit is the best fitting with a chamois that works with your position and saddle.
Other notable mentions: Huub 4zero7 - if you have a real fast TT with low yaw angles, this suit might be for you.
Skin suits perform differently on different people and there are also helmet/skinsuit interactions. However, given that you want one of each, I would get a Velotec and a either a NoPinz of BP3.3 Velotec is really a great suit for the price. NoPinz is also fast has the number pocket, which is nice. BP 3.3 is nice and MIGHT work better with a short tail helmet or higher position (this is a guess related to the heavily textured back that might be better at keeping airflow attached in lower pressure areas. No idea if it is really true).
Thank you for all the suggestions. I appreciate the feedback.
Which model Velotec?
I have two that I like a lot (but I’m selling them because I’m getting out of the sport).
Castelli “Greater Than” Skinsuit has sleeves to the elbows and is a zip-together arrangement. Extremely comfortable, but not quite as aero at the front of the waist. It’s designed to almost look like a jersey with shorts. New, it was about $180. Very reasonable for a professional-grade kit.
Castelli Body Paint Long Sleeve SpeedSuit is a great product. As expected, it’s a chore to get into but, once you’ve got it on, it is very comfortable and fits like a second skin when you’re in the extensions. Great suit. More “hard core” than the “Greater Than.” You’ll never mistake it for anything but a speedsuit. This one lists for about $230. A great deal for what it is.
Beginning of last month I purchased Castelli Body Paint 3.3, flouro color, on sale for $160 bucks. Fits awesome! Does run a little hot with the long sleeves but I got some good times out of it. Really nice construction and quality.