Skinsuits

[ridley25]

I'm not sexy enough to wear one and this is an honest question, not meant to stir any debate (like shaving one's legs, which I do):
Are there tangible benefits to wearing a skinsuit in CX, or is it just "what the pros do?"

kevin

 

[kiwirider]

I'm not sexy enough to wear one and this is an honest question, not meant to stir any debate (like shaving one's legs, which I do):
Are there tangible benefits to wearing a skinsuit in CX, or is it just "what the pros do?"

kevin

Only one that I can think of is that when you wipe out you don't get dirt and grass up under your shirt and into the top of your bib shorts!

So long as your shirt's tight enough around the waist that you're not going to hook a pedal when you shoulder the bike, I'd say it all comes down to personal choice ...

 

[Barbarella]

Benefits I've found to wearing a skinsuit:

-your shorts can't fall down, this is especially important when it's wet and your chamois weighs as much as your bike

-your jersey can't ride up

-a skinsuit fits much tighter than a jersey and is less likely to catch on stuff and flap in the wind

-you are faster and people take you more seriously when you wear a skinsuit (this last reason has not yet been scientifically proven)

 

[kiwirider]

Benefits I've found to wearing a skinsuit:

-your shorts can't fall down, this is especially important when it's wet and your chamois weighs as much as your bike

-you are faster and people take you more seriously when you wear a skinsuit (this last reason has not yet been scientifically proven)

Bib shorts stay up well in the wet too ... but then again they don't have that same sort of street cred that a skin suit does ...

 

[cromagnon]

Bah I thought this was like the babes on bikes thread.

 

[James Huang]

In really cold weather thermal skinsuits are warmer than separate bibs and jerseys as there are no potential gaps for biting wind to get in.

And yes, for 'cross, it's also nice that there's no excess fabric to get caught in anything during mounts and dismounts and when shouldering the bike during run-ups.

 

[ridley25]

Some of those sound like pretty decent reasons. I guess I'll have to shed a few pounds.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Also the thermal 1 piece seems to shed mud more easily than a jersey. So you don't gain 15 lbs as the race goes on.

 

[BrandonT]

Got my first skinsuit today and I am very excited to give it a shot this weekend. Its a good thing I am not shy. ha

 

[printf]

Hi!

Where do you buy your skinsuits?
I'm looking for long sleeve version which would be little bit thicker than normal TT-skinsuit.
I'm hoping I would found it from Europe.

 

[orbeas]

skin suit

as the first person to wear a skin suit in a cross race in the uk in 1978, it was because after a very muddy cross race, I weighed my shorts jersey and socks and it weighted 4.5 lbs and we were drilling holes in chainrings and brake levers to save weight, yet carrying round 4 lbs of mud. skin suits were used only in timetrials that year and my local clothing supplier happened to have a sample one to see what this new material was and made me the very first one.
needless to say my first race in it caused some very very strange looks and comments.
I was also the very first to have shorts other than the required black ones, red in fact , but it only lasted for 6 weeks and was told black or be banned!!

 

[nightfend]

Unless you are thin, do everyone a favor and don't wear a skinsuit.