Fashion Over Function in Downhill Mountainbike racing

February 8th, 2010 @ 1:19 PM

Irish filmer John Lawlor needs your help with some research he is doing for a college project about skinsuits.

Click skinsuit survey, fill it out and be as honest as you can.

lawlorskinsuits Fashion Over Function in Downhill Mountainbike racing

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34 Responses to “Fashion Over Function in Downhill Mountainbike racing”

  1. Lawlor is going to have some late nights sorting out all the questionaire data, be interesting reading though!

    Filled mine out…I’m all for skin suits.

  2. This survey is useless because the issue of protection is not mentioned.
    to me , i agree that riders should never be dictated for the style of garments they are wearing in UCI sanctioned races.
    skin suit , moto , freaking kilt of you want , whatever …
    but…protection should be mandatory.
    full face , back , knees and elbows…no arguments.
    this first and most reason why i want to see top riders in protection is ; -influence.

  3. i guess that just back and knees could be good..i mean,you can break your left arm,but you CAN’T break your back..that’s my opinion…i’ll now go filling the survey..

  4. “do you think the ban of skinsuits is hindering the progress of the sport?” – There are far more things that are hindering the sports progress than skin suits from the riders (appearance, attitude, pro set up, all round skill, media training etc) to events (better TV coverage, quality, promotion, safety, general look and feel) and lastly governing bodies (long term objectives and consistency). These are far more important than worrying if you have got the fastest aero kit. Surely we want people to see our sport on terrestrial TV, newspapers and think god that looks cool – I want to have a go / go and watch than worrying if a rider went 2s quicker. The sport needs an image and I am not sure skin suits fit that image.

  5. Great idea for a thesis. Gonna be sure interesting to see the results….

    JW, I agree….. there are many of things (like you’ve suggested) hindering the sports progress…. but thats not what this survey is about, the thesis is about ‘fashion over function’

    Kinda interesting to compare the photo’s up top…. Baltic and Sam, two of the riders with the best style and tech ability… same turn with only clothing different… now who looks better..

  6. I was going to go on a skiing holiday with some mates last winter, then I saw ski sunday and they were all wearing skinsuits – NO WAY am I going to go skiing if the pros look like that, I guess that’s why I heard skiing as a sport is dead

  7. who cares…just get out on a hill and ride down it.

  8. It also appears to be overlooked that quite a bit of the gear worn by pro’s on the downhill circuit at the mo (mostly the trousers) look absolutley gash anyway!
    And are probably worn for their functional purposes.

    This only outlines that ‘the image of the sport’ is subjective anyway. you cant really damage the image when some people think that skin suits are ok, and others think that clown suit trousers are fine.

  9. Surely if no one wears skinsuits, all the advantages are negated?

  10. just rock a skin suit. Its a sport, performance is every thing why wear a flag for a top. I heard MX was looking into tight clothing, I don’t think mtbing should go one way and then go back just because mx has decided to wear tight fitting clothes. Following the moto look.

    Skiing dead? Alright.

    Top paid cyclists are roadies and they wear lycra. There are other issues surrounding the sport but seriously you think that changing to baggies is going to address that? The UCI who sanction these things are cyclists you want them to take us seriously then wear lycra simple. Also dh will never be a main stream sport the UK bums football and anything else is a side line.

  11. I’m not a professional downhiller, I’m not even that great at this sport. It doesn’t matter to me if the UCI ban skinsuits, bring them back or do whatever they want with them as it won’t change the way I ride my bike. Stop complaining and start riding.

  12. Downhill’s against the clock. Surely any advantage helps? Skinsuits are faster – Fact. So it’s just a question of image.
    I’m sure it’s down to big sponsors wanting Downhill Racing to represent a certain lifestyle to people outside the sport. An advert for a car with some guy on an MTB jumping a canyon looks better to the layman if the rider’s dressed in MX gear over Lycra. Just my opinion.

  13. I agree with wICK and Willysnow, both.

    First, protection. Great to have the armor on, and you CAN squeeze on a skin suit over armor; but if you crash, that’s potentially a lot of skin flapping in the wind. Hard as hell for anyone in a skin suit to take a pre race ‘pressure reliever’, too.

    Second, with all racers in baggy clothing, it’s a level playing field (although with all racers in skin suits, it’s a level playing field, too).

    Sponsors want baggy kit for advertising space; team directors want skin suits for race wins. What do the racers want?

    Personally, I think skin suits look ridiculous. But I also thought that Bryn Atkinson’s baggy kits for ‘09 looked ridiculous, too. I think the top level racers would still be on the podium wearing baggy kit vs. racers in skin suits. There are only two courses where a skin suit offers an advantage over a baggy set, anyway: Ft William and Mt St Anne. Cathro had his best showing ever at Ft William in ‘08 while wearing a skinsuit, and was still off the back from the top dogs by 4 seconds.

  14. the race kit DHers wear is helping the sport because many people, including myself will see sam, steve, greg …. in a sweet jersey and go and buy it putting money into the sport. who in real life is going to go and buy a bloody skinsuit to go down there local trails???? Plus what a tool you look in one, not going to help get more young guns involved.

  15. Surely this only directly affects the World’s top 20 riders who actually have a chance of winning a race and may have been given an advantage by more aerodynamic clothing?

    Even though many top pro riders race their respective National Champs (with many races especially in France, Britain, Australia and New Zealand having some of the top 10 riders competing against each other), did you see Peaty or Gee racing at Inners in a skinsuit?

    This a matter that needs to be resolved between national governing bodies and the UCI. The wearing (or not) of skinsuits is far from the mind of most downhillers in an everyday capacity.

    I really don’t see the need for a survey of this type unless it’s going to be presented to the UCI and they are actually going to take note of it.

  16. your either fast or your not wearing a skin suit isnt going to make much dirrence if any at all but hey if you freaks wanna wear them then you should have the right to!!!! viva le revolution

  17. Wear as much baggy kit as you like for practice.

    When it comes to riding quickly, swap to the skinsuit.

    A rational way around it.

  18. Lawlor for college project? Really? So he learned to write;) (Victory-it’s 3rd not 3th)

  19. The opinion of the writer shone through – lots of leading questions don’t make a good results.

  20. HI Guys

    The survey will close tonight at 12 midnight.

    Thanks to everyone who helped out by filling it in.

    John Lawlor

  21. Wick is all I think.
    Protections mandatory.
    Out the guys without gloves (Blekinson)!
    out the nude arms and no torso protection (Hill, just take a look when he stop after the finish line at his final World Cup in 2009, roll up his jersey, nothing under). Bad infleunce for youngers!
    Too much collarbones & wrist broken in this sport. It doesn’t help for development.
    It is an extreme sport. Don’t need to be crazy doing it!
    So if you wear protection, ok for skin (I don’t like it but…)
    Without protection: no

  22. hmmm. intersting. i think that the pic of sam is the best out of the two. and once forgetting my jersey at the bottom and racing fort bill nps in my base layer i definatly felt the beifits. and the comisaire said it was ok because i had my spine board over the top of it?????

  23. Definitely agree with wICK on this.

  24. skinsuits dont shave off that much time. in road, junior cyclists have a max gear their allowed. there are always weird rules, and skinsuit bans arnt that strange. i think its good becuase it improves the image though, which in the future might lead to more coverage and money in the sport.

  25. dont agre with wICK on this, in the national seres here in nz you have to wear elbo guards and gloves, its so stupid everone just cuts the inside out of the glove and dont wear elbow gurds andits so gay when they make you.

  26. In the old days if I saw a skin suit I knew it was the world champs[one race]and the moto look was for the world cup.I found no problem with that.Now days the world champs does not have the same feel or look,just another race.The skin suit gave it an elite look.As for protection,a full face should be the only thing compulsary and may be your neck.

  27. Even though theres no real evedence a neck guard protects you in the way it claims. Spine board, helmet knee and shin should be mandatory.

    Also if you’re doing something because you think that it’ll make you coooler then you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. Those PJ mx trews and tops look even more stupid than skin suits. What happend to the mx trews that are tappered in at the bottom with a cuff for the ankle, and then a cycling jersey? A happy medium!

  28. There is evidence neck protection works.F1,moto cross,Go carts,V8 super cars,nas cars etc all wear them and swear by them .They work,its proven.Most damaging spine injuries start at the head and neck.Back protection only really protects impact direct to the back.

  29. about 30% of mx racers wear neck braces. Last year someone damaged vertibrae in a sx race and his injury was made worse by the neck brace or at least it was suspected to now even fewer mx racer wear them. Motor sports they can work because of the way they are anchored to the seat of the car hence maintaining constant inertia with the car hence decreasing the risk of these types of injuries.

    There is still no body of evedence suggesting that they work with motox, even if they did there is almost no way of replicating the forces on a push bike. Even if you were going as fast as an mx bike or jumping as high.

  30. “do you think the ban of skinsuits is hindering the progress of the sport?” – There are far more things that are hindering the sports progress than skin suits from the riders (appearance, attitude, pro set up, all round skill, media training etc) to events (better TV coverage, quality, promotion, safety, general look and feel) and lastly governing bodies (long term objectives and consistency). These are far more important than worrying if you have got the fastest aero kit. Surely we want people to see our sport on terrestrial TV, newspapers and think god that looks cool – I want to have a go / go and watch than worrying if a rider went 2s quicker. The sport needs an image and I am not sure skin suits fit that image.

    I totally agree.

  31. whit JW :D

  32. I did my product design degree dissertation covering this subject a few years back. Titled ‘Mountain Biking IS a fashion’

    It may be of no use but, I will happily forward a PDF copy if there’s a contact e-mail? OR preferably e-mail me: ae212060@gmail.com

    Cheers

  33. I think skinsuit’s were cool, it made the world championship more unique and exiteing..and when skinsuits are banned all they try and do is wear the tightest clothes or wear xc jerseys insead of dh.

  34. wow, that was one biased survey. i almost turned pro skinsuit.

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