In the world of road cycling, aero — that’s aerodynamics for people who are going too fast to say complete words — is king. In everything from bikes to helmets to clothing, trying to slip through the air with as little drag as possible is a priority, with extra slippery fabrics, extreme tube profiles and wind tunnel testing being a major selling point even on bikes not designed to win races.
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When it comes to riding bikes in dirt, it’s been less of a consideration. I’m currently unaware of any mountain bike on the market that brags about its aero credentials and only in recent years have we seen lids that tout a wind cheating profile; most of those tend to be repurposed road helmets too.
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While cross-country racers have traditionally stuck to tight fitting lycra and helmets without peaks, most mountain bikers tend to use baggies whatever discipline they ride. There are some reasons for this. The biggest is obviously fashion. Even at the genesis of the sport the long haired hippy types that thought drifting old beach cruisers down a hill in Marin County would be a laugh chose to wear jeans and flannel shirts, rather than traditional cycling clothing. There was a good reason for that — apart from ensuring a rugged looking legacy — because having thick, baggy clothing afforded more protection from the inevitable crashes that result from riding silly bikes on slippery surfaces.
Even in modern times, mountain biking is arguably still more closely aligned with 'action sports' such as snowboarding and motocross rather than road cycling, and so the culture and clothing tends to reflect this. Of course, whether some of the brightly coloured baggy clothing that you see out on the trails is objectively 'cooler' than skin-tight clothing is up for debate; to be honest both are a hard look to pull off when in the company of people who don’t partake in either sport.
Anyway, ever since 2008 “tight fitting clothing” has actually been banned in downhill racing by decree of the UCI, cycling’s governing body. Take a look at the Enduro World Series and you won’t see anyone sporting a skinsuit either, though many of the top riders certainly modify their sponsor’s clothing to make sure there’s not an excessive amount of material.
Part one: the roll down test
Part two: the offroad test
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