Le Col x McLaren Project Aero Speedsuit

The Le Col x McLaren Project Aero Speedsuit is a good race day option that is generally quite comfortable once you're on the bike. The cut is all about a close fit when in an aero position, but I found that some sizing issues centred around the leg grippers meant the fit wasn't as good as it could be.

Speedsuits, as the name suggests, are all about going fast. They need to be close fitting so that there is no fabric flapping around in the wind, use materials that help you to cheat the wind a little, and have a cut that works when you're hunkered low at the front end.

> Buy this online here

Le Col has collaborated with McLaren for a new aero range and this, the Project Aero Speedsuit, is the short sleeve road racer's option (as opposed to a TT suit), with rear pockets that are just about big enough for a few gels. (We've also tested both the long and short sleeve Project Aero jerseys.)

Is it fast?

I'd suspect that, if you're looking at such a garment, you're rather interested in speed. Le Col says that McLaren 'independently tested' the suit and found that it 'tests 32s faster than world tour leading speedsuits over 40km at 300w'. There is a claimed 6-watt saving at 35kph vs the leading World Tour skinsuits, and a 10-watt saving at the same speed vs the best-selling aero short sleeve jersey.

Causing this slipperiness is a range of textured fabrics in what are apparently key places. With so many panels, stitching becomes very important, especially when the garment is tight and suitably difficult to get on. But thankfully, the stitching is very good.

Do you want to believe the 'independent' testing? We don't have details about which suits were tested against and the protocols of that testing, so you can probably take the claims with a pinch of salt. I can't verify the claims unless someone wants to buy me a wind tunnel.

Fit

The fit, as with pretty much every road race skinsuit, is very close. Come back to racing after a winter of eating mince pies, as I intend to do, and the Le Col speedsuit is going to feel very cosy around the waist. That said, with plenty of stretch in the legs, waist, chest and shoulders, this speedsuit hugs the body rather than turning you into an aerodynamically efficient sausage.

I found the shoulders to be particularly comfortable, with loads of movement available. But it's not all good.

For some reason, Le Col has opted for a leg gripper with barely any stretch. With my 60kg climber's build, I am not blessed with very big quads, but getting the gripper even just above my knee was near impossible with the size small that Le Col initially sent.

A replacement size medium did help a little, but this then caused the rest of the suit to be too roomy. Le Col is trying to keep your legs covered as much as possible, the thinking being that fabric is faster than skin. While this is a good move for aero, it is easy to make a leg gripper stay in place while avoiding the discomfort that the Le Col design causes.

Once I got down to some racing – a 25 in this case – the discomfort of the leg grippers faded into the general pain of a time trial so I wouldn't say that the leg gripper situation should put you off trying this speedsuit, just bear in mind that other brands do this part better, especially if you have big quads.

> How to get into time trialling: simple tips for racing the clock

As with the legs, the arms are quite long, making it easy to get the skin covered right down to the elbow. The front section of the jersey is far shorter than the rear, so this is definitely one that only fits once you're on the bike.

The materials used are at least soft against the skin and very breathable, so you won't cook on a hot day.

Pad

The Project Aero Speedsuit features a brilliant pad that has been designed for this range. It is dense, soft on the skin and placed perfectly for the aero riding position that you'll be adopting when using the suit.

Other touches

The back of the jersey features a few pockets, with two on the small of your back where you'd usually find the standard three on a jersey. These are the ideal size for a few gels and maybe a bar and I'm glad Le Col has kept them on the small side.

There is also a radio pocket located midway up the back on the right. Realistically, this won't be used unless you're a pro.

I'm slightly disappointed to see a lack of number pockets. Le Col provides one on the long sleeve skinsuit version but not here. You could send this off to NoPinz to have pockets installed, or rely on good old safety pins, but you'll be putting holes in a £350 piece of clothing.

Value

And that leads us nicely into the thorny topic of value. Ideally, I'd be able to point at reliable test data and say 'that's the fastest, buy it'. But unfortunately, I can't. What I can say is that the Le Col Project Aero is seriously expensive. If you're a privateer road racer or crit specialist, you can have two of the NoPinz Pro-1 road suits (£149.99) with the number pockets, with cash left over for race entries. It's a much more comfortable option, though it might not be as fast.

> How to get into racing – 3 steps from sportives to real competition

dhb's Aeron LAB Raceline LS Speedsuit (£220) is another option. It has a cut that is equally good for a low race position and, again, it's more comfortable than Le Col's Project Aero.

Then we have something like the Castelli Sanremo Speed Suit 4.1 for £260 (Stu tested the 4.0 a couple of years ago). This isn't as pure speed-focused as the Le Col, so if you're looking for comfort on a long road race, this is a great option.

Conclusion

The Le Col x McLaren Project Aero Speedsuit is a supposedly very fast option for criterium, circuit and shorter road racing. The pad is perfect for this and the small pockets are ideal for gels, though I'd have liked a pocket for my race numbers. There are, however, some potential fit issues caused by the overly tight leg grippers that make recommending this speedsuit quite tricky.

Verdict

Speedy speed suit that delivers a very close fit, but some will find the leg ends overly tight