There are now 3 notable baselayers (R28, NoPinz, Huub), and Kalas has just announced a very similar suit, that is basically a 1 piece version of the baselayer + smooth suit.
I have a R28 Base layer that I’ve been wearing underneath mainly road race suits, and recently took delivery of a NoPinz hypersonic suit. I chose NoPinz because the Flowsuit has always tested fastest for me. I made a few observations and compared it to the R28 base layer right here:
Our Neo Suit and Aero Base Layer is faster than our wing suit was in all but the most extreme yaw angles - something that you’re unlikely to ever encounter on most courses. That’s why we no longer manufacture the wing suit - we’re faster within the UCI rules.
As a little bonus our Aero Sock also outcompeted all others Matt tested.
Skinsuits are the most variable bit of aero kit you can use, that’s why we have kit in several test locations. Performance of suits can vary so much between riders, positions, speeds and yaw angles. It’s very easy, if your suit is half way decent, to cherry pick numbers that look good.
If you can, go test kit yourself either on a velodrome or in a wind tunnel. Testing allows you to dial in your position. This can save you way more than aero kit too.
Really cool to get some insights from @Rule28 directly.
Your stuff clearly seems to perform well. Apparently though, there is no fitting options for tall skinny people …
Regarding the Endura Encapsulator suit. It didn’t test so well on me either. NoPinz FlowSuit was quite a bit faster.
Would love to get around comparing it to the Rule 28 1.1
For tall and skinny people we recommend going off the weight measurement of the size guide. As the base layer is only the arm fabric and a support panel to hold them in place, it’s all about getting the arms tight enough to be smooth.
As the base layer is designed to be 3/4 arm length (with the optionality to adjust the fit to wear under a short sleeve), on tall skinny people it can we worn as closer to 1/2 arm length.
If fit doesn’t feel right then we can always exchange for another size.
Since I won’t be able to take time off to travel and test, I’ll probably get the only white one available out of the fast-testers by next spring: NoPinz Flow-suit Subzero. It’ll be used in a 4000+m granfondo in european peak summer. Absolutely no chance I rather look cool in black than actually be cool in white.
The lack of color options in skin suits is infuriating. I do Ultra’s and spend a lot of my time riding solo. I’d prefer colors that aren’t proven to make me invisible to motorists.
@Rule28, is there any chance you guys will be releasing a fully blacked out jersey and/or race suit? I was close to pulling the trigger but the designs on the back of the race suit are a no go for me. The new jersey is ok, but if you had an all black and all white jersey, I’d buy in a heartbeat. A small logo isn’t ideal but I get it. Just curious.
We can do custom designs for this if you’re keen. The logo positioning would remain constant but besides that we can Co a plain or colourful as you’d like!
As noted earlier. I was pretty hyped for the Nopinz baselayer until I held it in my hands. The stripes being very low profile makes it rather questionable for me, that this actually has the same effect as on the Kalas or R28. They are just much more pronounced. The Nopinz is hardly visible through the material.
I’m disappointed with nopinz. I’ve had one speed pocket rip on a pro1 suit and two pairs of show covers rip in the same place near the heel. I also feel bitter regarding the claimed performance of the Flow that never worked for me compared to the Pro1.
I need to look into that kalas brand. It’s not something I’ve seen or heard of in my area