Skinsuits, race suits or Aero TT suits, as they’re variously known, offer a tremendous amount of performance-related benefits to any rider looking to quicken the pace and gain a serious advantage in time trial formats. Repeated studies have shown that wearing a skinsuit can conserve significant amounts of energy, and consequently time, when compared to even a well-fitting bibshorts & cycle jersey combination. Popularised largely by Team Sky’s Mark Cavendish and the dominating performance of Team GB at the 2011 World Championships, skinsuits are now recognised as a real asset across many disciplines, becoming increasingly frequent on winner’s podiums in a variety of events.
As an added bonus, many riders also find that wearing a full skinsuit tends to be more comfortable than any alternative, fitting, as the name suggests, consistently snugly to the skin; which promotes an effective airflow over the body, boosting aero dynamism.