Downhiller Coefficient of drag: about 0.6

Val Di Sole, not very long ago

Just enjoy the racing.

I agree, and to be honest, seeing some of my mates in skinsuits would be enough to put me off DH for life. 😆

Sorry, ignore..

crikey, have you watched any of the recent World Cup races? their clothes are hardly parachutes billowing in the wind. or was the last thing you say Myles Rockwell and Jason McRoy riding Kamikaze in ’93 where skinsuits probably would be a good idea.
and have you thought about who pays for and sponsors professional DHers? would Fox, Sombrio, Royal be happy to sponsor riders wearing skinsuits? would amateur riders and kids want to emulate their Pro heros and buy replica Troy Lee skinsuits?

would amateur riders and kids want to emulate their Pro heros and buy replica Troy Lee skinsuits?

If you can get chubby Northern fellas into lycra bib shorts to ride off to the cafe on a sunday morning, I suspect that skin suits for wearing in woods around the UK would present no problem at all.

Is the tail wagging the dog here?

would amateur riders and kids want to emulate their Pro heros and buy replica Troy Lee skinsuits?

No, they would buy the baggier ‘punter’ version

yes, but without the tail the dog would be a dodo

I must admit that it is the only sport I know of where the trucker cap or snapback seems to be a vital part of the sporting wardrobe…

Val Di Sole, not very long ago

Yep, Hill destroying the rest of the field on a steep, fast technical course, everyone else wearing skin suits too, so no aero advantage to be had, just the fastest rider down the course wins. Ultimately Sam pushed too fast into the last corner and came second, but had he not, he would have decimated the field due to his technical ability, not his aerodynamic advantage. Steve Peat looked in slow motion in comparison to him on that day.

Was the racing at Val di Sole lesser due to the riders not wearing skin suits? nope, it was incredible stuff. Fair enough it didn’t have the same drama but that’s simply because it was a world cup, not a world champs.

Yep, perfect example, hill destroying the field on a technical course, everyone else wearing skin suits too, so no aero advantage to be had, just the fastest rider down the course wins. Ultimately hill pushed too fast into the last corner and came second, but had he not, he would have decimated the field due to his technical ability, not his aerodynamic advantage. Steve Peat looked in slow motion in comparison to him on that day.

The logical extension of this would be for them all to have UCI sanctioned parkas on to slow them down and therefore add to the spectacle?

Think of the profits for Fox, Sombrio, Primark etc…

The logical extension of this would be for them all to have UCI sanctioned parkas on to slow them down and therefore add to the spectacle?

Or conversely let them race naked, maybe wearing nothing but shoes and time trial helmets….or just let them have free rain, hey, stick an engine on the bike why not? or let them use some sort of motorized zorb?

Or conversely let them race naked

I’m thinking of my mates, and i think you win.

Not the same as deliberately wearing clowns pyjamas to get down with the kids though, is it?

I think if you asked the racers they’d want to be up with the MX boys, not down with the kids…

The only unfairness I guess is it’s now difficult for the race official to say if something is insufficently baggy… A bit vague.

I think the official test is “minimum 3 inches of bagginess”

If you can get chubby Northern fellas into lycra bib shorts…

Just stop right there.

How frustrating….it doesn’t help much 🙁

Just have to make it bigger