Do aero jerseys do anything (aero)?

[kgreene10]

That aero banana helmet thread was hilarious but it reminded me that I need a new jersey and have wondered whether there is anything to the aero jerseys (a la Castelli).

"Enhanced" clothing has been all the rage in swimming, ice skating, and maybe even curling, so does an aero jersey actually help in cycling?

Castelli's claim of 12w savings at 40kph sounds like a pipe dream but amazing if it's remotely true.

Anyone have actual insight?

[ultraman6970]

To me at least, no :P

[FlashUNC]

I think Heinrich Haussler is a believer.

[christian]

I'm a believer. My Sanremo speed suit SEEMS very aero. I bet it's worth a few watts.

[MattTuck]

40 kph is 24 mph... Yeah, at that speed a few watts would probably help. Don't forget, at speeds like that wind resistance is legit. At 16 mph... :rolleyes:

[Rob1519]

Some testing done in the Specialized wind tunnel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmNGQLi36xc

[kgreene10]

Very interesting video series and some surprising results. Thanks!

[cat6]

i stopped watching the video when the idiot said you can get to the finish at your charity ride 5 minutes sooner.

[gianni]

Aero jerseys are not cool. Think about perfecting your position rather than shaving eye brows and dumb hard lids for 10 watt savings.

Pardon my rant but IMO you can so much more out of just simple bike rides.

[kgreene10]

... shaving eye brows and dumb hard lids for 10 watt savings.

I would totally pull a Roger Waters for 10 watts.

Okay, maybe not the eyebrows, but 10 watts saved during my weekly crit would make a significant difference -- for me. I know many don't race and some who do don't want to get too deeply into the tech. I find it fascinating. I love pedaling my bike and I'm intrigued by the science. No trade off for me.

[ShaneAtSilca]

i stopped watching the video when the idiot said you can get to the finish at your charity ride 5 minutes sooner.

Why??? haven't you finished a charity ride after all the good food at the finish is gone??? it's heartbreaking! 5 minutes sooner could have gotten me done in time to get a whole chicken leg instead of some cold pasta salad in the past.

[cat6]

I would totally pull a Roger Waters for 10 watts.

Okay, maybe not the eyebrows, but 10 watts saved during my weekly crit would make a significant difference -- for me. I know many don't race and some who do don't want to get too deeply into the tech. I find it fascinating. I love pedaling my bike and I'm intrigued by the science. No trade off for me.

You should try riding naked to save watts.

[cat6]

Why??? haven't you finished a charity ride after all the good food at the finish is gone??? it's heartbreaking! 5 minutes sooner could have gotten me done in time to get a whole chicken leg instead of some cold pasta salad in the past.

No. I go straight for beer and eat at red lobster after.

[oldpotatoe]

Aero jerseys are not cool. Think about perfecting your position rather than shaving eye brows and dumb hard lids for 10 watt savings.

Pardon my rant but IMO you can so much more out of just simple bike rides.

Hey, hey, HEY, trying to sell jerseys here..c'mon!!!

You are spot on, of course.

Remember when scram said you could save something like 16 seconds over 40k or some silliness with 'return to center' TT shifters?? And shimano said hand fatigue caused by shifting was a huge problem solved by Di2?

:p

[Ti Designs]

Any go-fast equipment is like buying a lottery ticket, there's a small chance that it will make the difference you're after, there's a very large chance that it'll make you look stupid.

[rnhood]

For all practical purposes, you can not buy performance. You probably have a much higher chance of winning the Powerball lottery than becoming measurably faster due to some piece of equipment or attire. Long time trials may be a little different but, I don't think most people are competitively riding these TT's.

[bcroslin]

IMO you're better off buying a jersey that fits you correctly than spending a little extra on technology that will lead to a very negligible difference over 50 miles.

I've had good luck with the higher end castelli and PI jerseys with the thinner stretchier material.

[c-record]

They do fit VERY tight so keep that in mind. My Castelli is not as comfy as a regular jersey for sure and I'm fairly skinny.

[bcroslin]

They do fit VERY tight so keep that in mind. My Castelli is not as comfy as a regular jersey for sure and I'm fairly skinny.

The weird thing about the higher-end castelli jerseys is that they feel uncomfortable and "gappy" when you're standing up straight but they're cut to fit you properly when you're bent over the bike. The climbers jersey is fantastic IMO.

[kgreene10]

For all practical purposes, you can not buy performance. You probably have a much higher chance of winning the Powerball lottery than becoming measurably faster due to some piece of equipment or attire. Long time trials may be a little different but, I don't think most people are competitively riding these TT's.

This is certainly untrue. Sure, equipment isn't in some people's interest and that obviously fine but we have lots of measured data showed that some equipment gets you there faster than others. Wheels, for instance, have been highly scrutinized.

[torquer]

I'm a believer. My Sanremo speed suit SEEMS very aero. I bet it's worth a few watts.
It may be largely a matter of faith. But so what? The placebo effect cures some folks' ailments, so why discount it.
I (just barely) pack my 165#s into a size L SRSS, and once on the bike I feel like I've had an extra pre-ride esspresso.
Dress for success, as they used to say. (That sold some clothes, too, but didn't it also create some masters of the universe along the way?)

[Mark McM]

For all practical purposes, you can not buy performance. You probably have a much higher chance of winning the Powerball lottery than becoming measurably faster due to some piece of equipment or attire. Long time trials may be a little different but, I don't think most people are competitively riding these TT's.

If this is true, why did we recently have a discussion regarding bicycles used for the hour record? if the equipment didn't have a meaningful affect on performance, why did people argue that some types of bikes shouldn't be allowed for hour record attempts?

Of course equipment can improve performance. Some of it more than others. Would anyone claiming that using aerobars don't riders faster (at least on some course)? On the other hand, some equipment may only have marginal games (such as return to center TT shifters). But, in the end, it all ends up.

As far as aero jerseys, there's nothing particularly magical here, they are just tailored so as to avoid excessive folds of fabric in the riding position, and made out of stretchy material so that they fit close to the body, much like a skin suit. The concept is well accepted in sport, and has been used in many speed sports, including ice skating, skiing, running, etc. Will it make a significant difference? If you are competing in an event that is measured down to the fraction of a second, it probably can. But for the average cyclist, the difference will probably be below the noise level.

[jimoots]

I would totally pull a Roger Waters for 10 watts.

Okay, maybe not the eyebrows, but 10 watts saved during my weekly crit would make a significant difference -- for me. I know many don't race and some who do don't want to get too deeply into the tech. I find it fascinating. I love pedaling my bike and I'm intrigued by the science. No trade off for me.

Now I preface this with "if you actually save 10w"...

You're hardly gonna cop a 10 watt saving if you're hiding in the middle of the pack in a crit.

I'm not an aero gear head. But I do chuckle when people scoff at 1-2-3-4-5-10w gains as if they count for nothing. If you gave me another 5-10w at the pedals, I would not scoff!