There’s a finite criteria that the highest level of aero cycling jerseys have to meet in order to be better than the rest; they needs to test fast, fit well, be comfortable, be cool and be practical. The cycling industry has continued to evolve kit into the outer limits of what can be achieved, when the effectiveness of these designs begins to plateau, things have to change to improve.
Zipless is the answer. What, at first, seems like a loss is an improvement on all fronts.
Foregoing a front zip allows an improved skin-tight fit and in doing so, improves both comfort and aerodynamic performance. A quality fit allows for smooth airflow across the body without a ruffled inelastic zip, the removal of which means the garment can be worn as a single layer without irritation. Our flagship Aero.21 has tested significantly faster than the market leaders as a result of these qualities, the zipless jersey concept has been proven at World Tour level and we have further refined the idea.
One of the primary concerns people have when switching to zipless jerseys is the ability to keep cool. With the advent of modern lightweight fabrics, a well-fitted, quality jersey being unzipped has little-to-no benefit over a single layer against the skin especially when weighed up against the significant aero penalty of flapping fabric, hence the increasingly rare sight of unzipped jerseys on the world stage.
Speed and comfort are half of the battle won but nothing without practicality, even the most well-supported elite riders still need to carry those essentials for any race or ride, we’re not going to pretend our integrated rear pockets are designed for many hundreds of kilometres of bike-packing, but they are perfect for your gels, keys, phone, mini-pumps etc. you won’t be without but you will have made significant gains.
Cycling is a sport deeply rooted in tradition but defined at the highest level by a hunger for the next advantage over the competition, be it the introduction of deep carbon wheels or Greg LeMond’s aero bars in the tour. The future is zipless.