Why not wear a bike jersey? (Page 2)

At my last HIM I had no choice but to wear my bike jersey. I left my tri top at home, and realized it the night before the race (out of town race).

So I had to wear a sports bra for my top. Wore it under my wetsuit... then in T1 I put on a full front zip bike jersey (I had packed it thinking I MIGHT use it). It worked great. I was able to pack my pockets ahead of time and it having a full front zip helped get it on easily. In T2 I just unzipped it and put on the tank top I brought.

While not my my ideal scenario, it wasn't a huge hassle and my transition times were faster than I had at my other two HIM's.



Edited by KSH 2010-11-19 8:16 AM

Yay!  I won an online argument!

Seriously, I'm not trying to be difficult.  Communicating over online forums can be difficult, and I think using bold, color, underlines makes it easier to highlight important points.  That's not something to get worked up about.

Don't shy away from good discussions, even if they feel like an argument! 

If tri suits are so vasty superior over cycling jersys why do zero professional cyclists wear tri tops?  In time trials they wear skin suits on the road they wear race fit jerseys.  As long as it fits correctly there is not going to be any time penalty from wearing a jersey... otherwise we would see all pro cyclists in tank tops.

ha-ha. Yes thanks for that.

You've still won the argument - I don't want to take that away from you

My overall point is that I think it can be easy to think you are getting a time gain from doing something whereas the net effect is a time loss.

I used the pros argument to illustrate that even they don't forgo comfort over efficiency.  I won't sidetrack the argument towards Sutton but one thing he does preach is that you race as you train - the thinking behind this is that it reduces race day stress and that will make you perform better on the day.

Because they are not doing the same sport.

If cycling jerseys are so vastly superior over tri suits why do zero professional triathletes wear cycling jerseys during races? Perhaps because they're not the best outfit to wear for this sport.

At my (only) HIM, it was cold so I didn't want a wet top for the bike.  I put on a bike jersey (sleeveless, so that wouldn't be the option for avoiding sunburned shoulders) and was very happy with it for the bike and the run.  I decided on the bike jersey over tri top becuase I could put more food and an extra tube in the larger pockets.
It was a full zip one.  I left it zipped a little and put it on over my head.  It got stuck so I would have saved time having it all the way unzipped to start with.
Wearing a sports bra so can't comment for the guys and running in a jersey.  I don't think I would like to wear one of my heavier, sleeved bike jerseys for the swim or the run.

The discussion is which is more areo.... is it not?  I keep hearing how you will loose time because of the drag from a bike jersey.  I say that is not the case if you have the right jersey.

People wear trisuits because they fit under a wetsuit and don't restrict arm movement during the swim... once you are out of the water you are a cyclist and the idea that a trisuit is better suited to cycling isn't borne out by any argument I've heard yet.  They are not more 'aero'.  They are more convienient because you don't loose time in tranisiton putting it on. 

But once you are on the bike... a properly fitted jersey is the better piece of equipment. 

No, this discussion is about use of equipment in a triathlon. Putting on and taking off a bike jersey takes time. It's also a pain to put anything on over a wet body. This isn't a bike race.

Sheesh.. Touchy aren't we.   The OP is a Pro Con discussion of wearing a cycling jersey vs a tri top. 

One of the cons is obviously the time penalty in changing in T1.  I am saying that the Con agrument that a tri top is more areo is not necessarily true if you wear a properly fitted jersey. 

Nope. Don't much care one way or another. I just don't see what the heck bike racing has to do with anything. They don't get penalized for time it takes to change. Keeping it apples to apples is a preferred method of discussion. Next a roadie will start talking about the benefits of three strap bike shoes as a preferred shoe. Has nothing to do with triathlon racing, though.

"I just don't see what the heck bike racing has to do with anything"

Hmmmm.  The longest portion of triathlon is on a bike.. all of the technology of tri bikes comes from bike manufactures that are building super fast and light TT racing bikes for pro racers... and triathlon is a race. 

I am pretty sure that I have read that trisuits, with less zippers and pockets, are significantly more aero than bike jerseys. Of course, I couldn't say what the time savings are.
In addition, the though of having to unzip so far to take a pee puts me off. I have worn tri shorts and a tri top at just about all of the races I have done (maybe 7 or 8, including 3 HIM distance).
 
Finding the balance between comfort and benefit is really the key idea. Each athlete has to make the choice on whether the benefit of a particular piece of gear matches their race style and comfort level. Once a change in gear or technologies causes a time loss, it has defeated its purpose.

And, in reference to the bike racing, it is a different animal, drafting makes a HUGE difference, and eliminates many of the benefits you get from using aero items, since your are in the shadow of someone else anyway.
Plus, stage racing is very "traditional" would you want to be the only one in a tank top? If you thought Juan Pelota was a bad nickname.... 

I'm pretty sure sleeveless tops are not legal for bike racing.  And on the road, there's something called the peloton...  Sort of makes aerodynamics less important than during a time trial where as you said, they're wearing something aerodynamic.

Having said that, I wore a bike jersey for an event.  I put it on in T1 and wore it for the bike and run, but it was only a 30K bike and 8k run.  I didn't have any chafing issues nor comfort issues.  My cycling jerseys are generally fit snug, so there wasn't anything flapping in the wind on the bike.  And I didn't load up the pockets with 9 powerbars and 12 gel packs like I saw a few people do, so there was no bouncing around.

X2

For me, the choice between a bike jersey and a tri top is made by the weather.  Being cold saps my energy and slows me down far more than a tad more drag ever will. 

Generally my plan is a tri top or tri suit although these days I rock the 2-piece more than the 1-piece.   But at race like the Boise HIM last year (upper 50s, pouring rain) I'll switch to snug bike jersey for the extra warmth.

I have done several sprints with my bike jersey under my wetsuit.  In almost every case it was just a little uncomfortable during the swim, too wet and clingy during the ride and too tight for the run.  In the future, I will probably dry off in T1 and put on a skin tight dry bike shirt and depending on how I am doing doing during the race, change into a more comfortable running shirt at T2.

Tight fitting tri jerseys are more aero than standard bike jerseys. Bike jerseys serve more functions than just being aero...that's why pro's use skin suits in TT's...because they are looking for the most aero setup AND don't need the functions of the jersey.

Having said that, Bike jerseys do have a benefit....pockets and it covers more of your body for warmth.

Rasmus Henning used one at IMArizona this last weekend. He simply put it over his tri top in T1. When he was coming into T2, he unzipped it and removed it. He had TONS of stuff in the pockets. I can imagine nutrition and probably flat kit. So pro's do sometimes wear them.

My wife did a great deal of marathon training in a bike jersey, because it has the big pockets on the back. She wore it for the race, too.