So, a few years ago, the UCI decided to try and maximise the marketability of DH that people shouldn’t be allowed to wear tight stretchy clothes (that might let them go faster particularly on a fast/pedally course) or go without a peak.

Watching some of the highlights over this season, everyone seems to wear their “baggy with a bit of stretch” clothes on the pretty tight side. This makes a lot of sense, you don’t really want your clothes flapping about anyway and I’ve heard some are doing it for aero reasons.

Doesn’t this just make the whole UCI baggy clothes a bit of a joke?

Declaration of interest – I’ve always thought it was a stupid rule, it’s a race not a fashion parade.

I think the baggy clothing rule was to try to get away from the skinsuits. I thinks it’s just evolved to what we have now. As long as everyone’s content, why would the UCI try to change it?

IIRC it’s the same rule as the BMX riders have (for the same reasons) has to be possible to pinch an amount of material at certain points.

The skin suits were not a good look for anyone!

Especially the MOJO PVC gimp suits

The kit is baggy enough not to look like the ludicrous lycra worn by the xc bunch. Thats all the differentiation it needs in my view.

why’s he riding a kids bike in that last photo? 😉

Is that pic ^^^ Cathro?

Ah, no it isnt.

I think it is a spy shot of the 2020 Orange Five

I think the current crop of DH trousers match what some younger people in the real world are wearing, skinny stretch jeans are everywhere!

I do like the look of the fitted kits, not so sure on Loic’s trousers where they are a diff colour above and below the knee, I guess its to make it look like shorts maybe?

Anything, i repeat, anything, is better than an early nineties one piece dh skin suit.

The change it rules to baggy kit was rider driven not by the UCI. The current snug clothing does still look better than a skinsuit aesthetically so is supporting the rider driven change if pushing it a bit.

I agree with the rider-driven demand for baggy clothing. If anyone wears a skinsuit for competitive advantage then everyone wears one and no one has an advantage. Also everyone looks like a twit.

That said, some of the competitors look like they are filling their “baggy” shorts and should lay off the pies from the servo. It ceases to be baggy if you just expand fill it.

Wasn’t it just the national kit they wore for Worlds that were skin suits?

Anyway, as I understand it, Skin suits were more Aero so faster, so they wore it for the advantage, but it looked shit and was bad for sponsors so the teams/riders asked for a no skin suit rule. I have a mental scar / image of a late-career Warner in a skin suit that I’d rather have not seen.

Fashions change and the DH field is more competitive / professional than ever before so riders are probably pushing the rules a bit looking for that ‘half a tenth’ gain.

I’m surprised there aren’t ever shorter peaks on helmets too…

I’m surprised there aren’t ever shorter peaks on helmets too…

Maybe if they did they wouldn’t have room for the GoPro they’re not even allowed to turn on for race runs?

The “pinch and an inch” rule was to keep the sport cool so it could be marketed more easily…

The truth is that skin suits only really ever came out for the worlds (or when Chris porter trialled them) when riders were made to wear their national bodies official kit which tended to be lycra.

Personally I think it’s a stupid rule, let people wear what they/their team want, there are definitely aero advantages to closer fitting non-flappy clothing it’s supposed to be a cutting edge racing format so why can’t that extend to the clothing?

The current lot of DH Pyjamas are more ‘fitted’ and I think it’s obvious that the teams have recognised that it’s not going to help if their riders head down the hill with a mini parachute, pretty much everyone tucks their jersey in race runs these days…

Open up the clothing rules and see what happens, do they opt for looking cool or take the extra free second on a race run?

Us tubby weekend warriors will still buy the similarly styled but more “generous fitting” kit regardless, because we don’t want to look like fatties…
It’s not like sales will really be hurt simply by giving racers the option of having the right kit for the job…

It does infantilise the sport a bit. I mean we all admire the talent of DH riders, esp as it’s a very grassroots sport where riders have to succeed on their own terms, but a bicycle time trial wearing baggy clothing? LOL ok then.
The real LOL, though, is the fashion. Like we don’t want to be seen wearing lycra because we’re committed to these bad 70s sci-fi film pyjamas??! DH style is trash on wheels so what exactly is the rule protecting?

I get that having a no aero rule in a TT is a little silly, but it’s like saying that it is stupid to have power/weight limits in motorsport, why not let the cars be as fast/light as possible? The point it’s its the fastest rider within a set of rules, regardless of what they are Don’t agree with the rules, set up your own races with your own rules.

I look forward to the skin suit and bullet head worlds…

Wasn’t it just the national kit they wore for Worlds that were skin suits?

I think that was the borderline acceptable level for most riders, they wore what the governing bodies told them too as that’s who was paying the bill for that race. Some did it better than others, the BC riders had to wear the same skinsuits as the CX. Which say what you like about 70s sci-fi or wannabe mx / bmx riders, looks really bad combined with a full face and knee pads.

There was a season where a few riders started wearing them all the time which is where the controversy was. Then there was Chris Porter and his gimp suits.

A skinsuit looks good on a time trial bike. It even looks pro for CX. But for DH? It looked awfull.

It also encourages riders to forgo body armour. And no one wants debacles like the French commissar insisting on spine protrction, but not having a standard for it so riders were setting off with bits of cardboard stuffed up the back of their Jersey’s!

A skinsuit looks good on a time trial bike. It even looks pro for CX. But for DH? It looked awfull.

Right. So what happens next? You think people keep racing DH in a skinsuit and kneepads looking like spanners? Obv not, the sport would evolve. someone rises to the challenge of creating racewear that is aero, has protection, and looks good. Instead, we have this inept, sterile ruling enforcing baggy clothing (that looks shite).
Elite sport is about excellence. Pro DH racers spend their childhood relentlessly chasing speed downhill, incredible levels of technique. In the course of this they get fit as fk, in layman’s terms, and some make the sacrifices to build on this to become genuine athletes. And then come race day they stick on some baggy kecks and a top with flames on it 😀

End of discussion

And then come race day they stick on some baggy kecks and a top with flames on it 😀

Have you actually watched a DH race in the last ten years…

aero, has protection, and looks good

pick any two.

🤣

I’m pretty sure none of the riders want to wear lycra, rules or not, and you can’t really refer to their clobber as ‘baggy’ these days, it’s all pretty well fitted stuff now.

**** sitting about the podium looking like something from the blue man group.

I’m pretty sure none of the riders want to wear lycra, rules or not, and you can’t really refer to their clobber as ‘baggy’ these days, it’s all pretty well fitted stuff now.

The thing was that some did, and then other riders bemoaned the benefit those riders had got – IMHO, suck it up, looking like part of the blue man group waiting about on the podium is better than wandering off back to the pits 5s down on the leaders.

As has been said above, the riders are hugely strong and talented, and then their performance is bumped down by baggy clothing. Don’t get me wrong I don’t really want to see CX skinsuits either in DH, but even Steve Peat reckons the late 90s lycra look is *kinda* cool (he said so in a talk.). And with the right bars, that Tioga gimp suit would look great.

And with the right bars, that Tioga gimp suit would look great.

Would they be specialist gentlemen’s entertainment bars?

And with the right bars, that Tioga gimp suit would look great.

Would they be specialist gentlemen’s entertainment bars?

These days, not that specialist, er, I am told.

their performance is bumped down by baggy clothing

But the point is that once everyone is gimped up in lycra then noone has the advantage any more and everyone loses.

Once everyone is super then no one will be.

Meh, whatever floats yer boat. When I watch the WC, I couldn’t really give a flying duck about bike brands or wheel sizes, never mind what the riders are wearing.

And as said above, if they’re all 5 seconds quicker, what’s the point…

Once everyone is super then no one will be.

Might as well round up the last grid-full of 1.0l Metros, and call it F1 then, yeah?

Right. So what happens next? You think people keep racing DH in a skinsuit and kneepads looking like spanners? Obv not, the sport would evolve. someone rises to the challenge of creating racewear that is aero, has protection, and looks good. Instead, we have this inept, sterile ruling enforcing baggy clothing (that looks shite).
Elite sport is about excellence. Pro DH racers spend their childhood relentlessly chasing speed downhill, incredible levels of technique. In the course of this they get fit as fk, in layman’s terms, and some make the sacrifices to build on this to become genuine athletes. And then come race day they stick on some baggy kecks and a top with flames on it 😀

Do you get this angry watching badminton because they could hit it faster if the feathers weren’t there?

How about road cycling being held back by the rules that prohibit faired recumbents?

Or rugby, what’s the point if a ball that doesn’t bounce straight?

MotoGP, what an absurd rule limiting them to two wheels when we know the cars corner faster. Rossi must be furious that he’s been forced to ride a bike in races.

Footballers should be allowed sharper studs and should just wear more armour to deal with the consequences.

I hope you get my drift that equipment rules that often limit performance are often an intrinsic part of the sports they govern.

Might as well round up the last grid-full of 1.0l Metros, and call it F1 then, yeah?

It would be about as bloody interesting to be fair…

Might as well round up the last grid-full of 1.0l Metros, and call it F1 then, yeah?

It would be about as bloody interesting to be fair…

More so I would content, but not quite the pinnacle of motor racing it should represent.

(must ignore the straw man above)

But the point is that once everyone is gimped up in lycra then noone has the advantage any more and everyone loses.

Once everyone is super then no one will be.

Except of course, as the OP originally pointed out, there is currently somewhat variable interpretation of the “baggy clothing” rules with some wearing more taylored/stretchy stuff that is no doubt a wee bit more aero.

If you’re going to have a “rule” intended to stop competitor’s gaining any advantage from tight fitting clothing it needs to be better defined, and actually implemented otherwise its worthless…

I reckon a rule change is in order and its a simple one; riders can run baggies if they need to look cool, but they have to meet the pinch and an inch rule and actually be baggy and they’ll only be allowed one sponsor’s logo mid-chest no bigger than 8×3 inches. If however they run more “fitted” clothing they’ll be allowed as many sponsors logos as they want anywhere on the kit… And the bikes are only allowed the same decals/stickers that the production equivalent has, blanket rule…

Make it an going aero = commercial endorsement vs looking stylish decision and let’s see just how much “punk attitude” DH really has these days…

Make it an going aero = commercial endorsement vs looking stylish decision and let’s see just how much “punk attitude” DH really has these days…

That argument was made at the time, you can’t make out the logos on a flappy jersey.

If you didn’t know it was CRC, could you read this?