Rapha Pro Team Aero Suit

Rapha's latest and most technically advanced offering in its Team Sky-derived Pro Team collection is the Aero Suit, a one-piece jersey and shorts outfit developed along similar lines to Castelli's hugely popular San Remo speedsuit.

Like Castelli's offering, the new Rapha Pro Team Aero Suit essentially joins a jersey and pair of shorts together, to create a garment that provides the aerodynamics of a skinsuit but with the practicality of a regular jersey and shorts, with pockets for your food and a front flap for easier toilet stops.

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Rapha have taken three years to develop the Aero Suit in conjunction with Team Sky. With aerodynamic clothing now becoming a regular feature in the pro peloton as racers increasingly seek out every possible aero saving, the Aero Suit was a big omission in Rapha's range, as several brands have followed in Castelli's slipstream and developed similar garments.

The front panels of the Aero Suit are constructed from a very stretchy fabric and that, along with the shape and placement of the many panels, ensures it fits beautifully. There are seamless shoulder panels and sleeves, the seams relocated to the back of the shoulders, the idea being to reduce drag across the top of the shoulders. The three rear pockets are designed to sit very flat, so when empty they shouldn't cause any drag.

The full-length zip stops a couple of inches from the bottom of the jersey - unlike the Castelli San Remo Speedsuit which has a zipper extending all the way to the bottom. Rapha's reason for this is to produce a better fit around the waist and avoid excess material bunching up. While it does enhance the fit, I didn't find it really prevented the bottom of the jersey bunching up when crouched low over the drops.

The side and rear panels and pocket interiors are made from a mesh material to ensure good breathability, and help excess heat escape. The whole jersey is also treated with ColdBlack which reflects the heat, and means you can wear the all-black suit on hot days and not unduly suffer.

Fit is critical with a product designed to be aerodynamic; the Aero Suit basically needs to be skintight. I normally wear a size small jersey and medium shorts in Rapha's range, so I first tried a medium Aero Suit. The fit wasn't that great around the top of the shorts, though, it was strangely baggy.

Going down a size remedied the fit issue, and thankfully there was no restriction elsewhere as a consequence of downsizing. It's a downside of the one-piece approach but, provided it works for you, the benefits are improved aerodynamics. It would be nice to see Rapha offer a wider range of sizes for people who fall between sizes.

Inside the shorts is the same padded insert that Rapha use in their other bib shorts. It's a very comfortable insert to place between yourself and the saddle, good for the longest rides, and it stays reasonably dry on hot and sweaty rides. The leg openings are hemmed with a wide elasticated band with a grippy material that keeps the shorts in place without causing any irritation. It's a similar design at the sleeves, which are long, as is the trend these days.

With the sizing issue taken care of, the Aero Suit offers an exceptionally good fit everywhere. It's as good as the Castelli San Remo, the benchmark in this category, and testing both garments side-by-side there is very little to split the two. The Aero Suit is snug but the stretchy fabric and smart panel shaping mean no areas of restriction at all.

With no wind-tunnel on standby, testing a product designed to reduce drag is difficult. Rapha also don't publish any aero data for the Aero Suit, so we can't verify the aero improvement compared with a regular jersey and shorts outfit.

One benefit of the one-piece design I can comfortably vouch for is comfort. I've been wearing the Aero Suit as much as possible for the past couple of months, from lazy Sunday rides to fast-paced evening chain gangs and my local 10-mile time trial. It's been impressively comfortable every single time.

The biggest advantage is the removal of the bib straps, so it's more comfortable on the shoulders, along with improved comfort around the waist, as here there are no shorts gripping your midriff. Another benefit, particularly when hunched over the bar, is that the jersey can't ride up.

The Rapha Aero Suit is similarly priced to Castelli's range-topping Sanremo 3.0 Speed Suit, but the Italian company does offer more affordable versions of the Sanremo. You can pick one up, with an online discount, for nearly half the price of the Aero Suit, which does make the Rapha harder to justify.

The Aero Suit is a very well designed outfit and is extremely comfortable on all fronts, from the chamois to the fit. If you have any interest in aerodynamics it makes a lot of sense to ensure that the body, which accounts for about 80 per cent of the overall air resistance when cycling, is covered in a slippery tight-fitting outfit, and Rapha's Aero Suit meets those requirements.

The Rapha Aero Suit is available in just two colours, black or the opinion-dividing Data Print, and in six sizes.

Verdict

Superbly comfortable aerodynamic skinsuit