Van Rysel Road Suit Review

In its road cycling apparel range, Van Rysel offers its first full road suit designed for hot weather. We tested this product in the summer temperatures of the French Riviera and Ariège. The goal: to become one with your outfit. Here is our verdict.

By Pierre-Maxime BRANCHE. Photos: Camille Sarda and Cyril Sar.

Last January, at the Velofollies show in Kortrijk, Belgium, b’Twin unveiled its new signature: Van Rysel, which literally translates to “from Lille.” This Flemish connotation is intentional and embraced, linking to the original land of cycling, the setting for some of the greatest feats in competitive cycling history, as well as a name connected to the company’s identity and geographical location. Since the beginning of the year, Van Rysel has covered Decathlon’s road cycling range, which includes, for example, the Ultra RCR CF Ultegra Di2, an elegant, racy, and high-end equipped bike that we reviewed in April, and the Road900 shoes in another review in May.

For hot weather

Today, we’re focusing on apparel with this road suit, the first of its kind from the Decathlon group, developed with its competition partner, Team U19 AG2R – La Mondiale. Designed for warm temperatures, it consists of bib shorts sewn to a jersey made partly from mesh fabric (back and side panels) to provide better ventilation. It features a full-zip (without skin protection) allowing the jersey to be fully opened if needed, very wide elastic bands for arm and thigh support, another small elastic band on the lower flaps of the jersey, three good rear pockets (none zippered), and some reflective elements for visibility.

Inside, the gel insert offers three different densities for seating comfort, as well as a perforated central channel to relieve and ventilate the perineum. Also noteworthy are the very numerous seams. They are found everywhere, are very thick, especially around the insert, but also on the arms and thighs, and are quite unsightly when looking at the whole in detail.

A successful design

The cut is necessarily very close to the body; here, a second-skin effect is sought. The design is sober, graphic, and modern with its gradient of black and anthracite gray in parallel stripes on the upper back. Personally, I was not very keen on these colors, which were too dark for my taste, although it was a great success with my cycling companions. Van Rysel also offers this model in a very successful black bib short and glacier white jersey color. The Van Rysel logo, both discreet and prominent on the central back pocket and over the heart, adds a very classy touch.

Two pieces in one

Is it a true skinsuit? When we received this product, we expected a single piece of fabric, with a jersey extending from the bib shorts, like a time trial or track cycling suit. Here, Van Rysel offers us more of an assembly, strapless bib shorts sewn to a jersey at the lower abdomen, with both sides hanging if the zipper is fully opened. Two pieces that are almost one. The “almost” is important here because, when putting it on after adjusting the bib shorts, you put on the jersey and close it like a classic jersey. This double layer, that of the bib shorts and that of the jersey, therefore does not create that second-skin sensation typical of a true skinsuit, at the lower abdomen.

That said, this design is understandable given that Van Rysel did not make this suit exclusively for time trials or speed, but to offer an aero product made for road cycling in general, for competition as well as training, and for hot temperatures. This is why, in hot weather, during a long climb, for example, you have the option of fully opening the jersey part, as you would with a classic kit, to cool down your engine.

Wrinkles everywhere

The fabric of the upper part of the bib shorts, at the lower abdomen, lacks support due to the absence of straps and the construction of the panels. It is supported by the two sewn sides of the jersey pulling on it. The result: a floating central part, stretched seams, and the formation of many wrinkles. Also, sweat accumulates behind this floating central part and cannot escape because the bib short fabric in this area is non-breathable, not perforated, and, when the jersey is closed (which is most of the time), a second non-breathable layer from the jersey is added. During effort, the entire area quickly becomes wet and tends to stay that way. Moreover, with abdominal breathing, you feel your skin sticking and unsticking to the wet fabric. Not very pleasant.

On the upper body, the fit is very snug. This suit really runs small. Here, this size L is almost too tight, whereas I usually wear M. The fabric pulls on the shoulders, and the neck is also very tight when the zipper is fully closed.

No protective fabric at the zipper was provided to prevent irritation. The large elastic bands on the arms and thighs do their job perfectly to keep the suit in position while pedaling. However, they are not at all forgotten due to the thick seams that encircle and squeeze the biceps and quadriceps quite tightly.

For dynamic rides

The rear pockets are large enough to carry all essentials, including a large smartphone, but be careful with perspiration. The moisture transfer of this suit is not its strong point when the effort is intense and the thermometer rises. The perforated mesh, although present across the entire back and on two side panels, is not the most breathable.

In terms of durability, after several washes, we can also notice initial signs of wear on some seams with fraying threads, as well as the elastic bands on the thighs starting to no longer fully stick to the skin. However, the gel insert proved to be very comfortable with its different densities, firm at the back and softer at the front, and a soft top layer that caused no irritation.

We liked this suit for short, dynamic or non-dynamic rides. We appreciated it less for longer sessions due to its lack of overall comfort. We were also not convinced by its use in the strong summer heat. At €99, it remains a well-priced product in terms of quality, benefiting from the strength of the Decathlon group and its Research & Development department, but certain flaws such as its lack of breathability, its too numerous wrinkles, the fit of the upper part of the bib shorts, or the thickness and positioning of some large seams, would deserve to be reviewed to truly benefit from a second-skin and comfortable product.

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