Cycling suit with improved water barrier effect

Abstract

A cycling suit (1) has a top part (2) and a trousers portion (3) comprising leg portions (4, 5) made of a first material such as Lycra; an end section (6) of each leg portion (4, 5) of the trousers portion (3) is made of a second material such as Neoprene, which acts as a water-barrier and stops water from penetrating into shoes and overshoes under intense rain.

Claims

1. A cycling suit including at least a trousers portion forming a pair of trousers, wherein said trousers portion comprises leg portions and each leg portion includes a first portion which is made at least partially of a first material and a second portion, the second portion being a lower leg portion which forms an end section of the leg portion and terminates with a bottom aperture, wherein said first portion and said second portion are connected to each other at a a transition line, said second portion consisting of a second material other than said first material, and said second material being a water-barrier material, wherein the first material is an elastane fabric material, wherein the length of the second portion from the bottom aperture to the transition line, all around the leg portion, is in the range of 5 to 25 cm, said length being greater at an inner side of the leg portion than at an outer side of the same leg portion.

2. The suit according to claim 1, said second material being a water-proof rubber or synthetic rubber.

3. The suit according to claim 2, said second material being: polychloroprene, also referred to as Neoprene.

4. The suit according to claim 1, each one of said end sections having the shape of the surface of a cylinder.

5. The suit according to claim 1, each one of said end sections having the shape of a cylindrical segment, the upper part of said cylindrical segment being truncated by a plane of truncation which is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the respective leg portion.

6. The suit according to claim 1, comprising a top part integrally formed with the trousers portion.

7. A cycling suit including a trousers portion forming a pair of trousers and a top part integrally formed with the trousers portion, characterized in that said top part is formed as a jacket and said trousers portion comprises leg portions and each leg portion includes a first portion which is made at least partially of a first material and a second portion, the second portion being a lower leg portion which forms an end section of the leg portion and terminates with a bottom aperture, wherein said first portion and said second portion are connected to each other at a transition line, said second portion consisting of a second material other than said first material, and said second material being a water-barrier material, wherein the length of the second portion from the bottom aperture to the transition line, all around the leg portion, is in the range of 5 to 25 cm, said length being greater at an inner side of the leg portion than at an outer side of the same leg portion.

8. The cycling suit according to claim 7, wherein the first material is an elastane fabric material.

9. The cycling suit of claim 6, wherein the top part is a long-sleeved jacket.

10. The cycling suit of claim 7, wherein the top part is a long-sleeved jacket.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a front view of a cycling suit according to an embodiment of the invention.

(2) FIG. 2 shows the end of one of the leg portions of the cycling suit of FIG. 1.

(3) FIG. 3 is a front view of a cycling suit according to another embodiment of the invention.

(4) FIG. 4 shows the end of one of the leg portions of the cycling suit of FIG. 3.

(5) FIG. 5 illustrates another preferred embodiment of a cycling suit according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) Referring to FIG. 1, a cycling suit 1 comprises a top part 2 and a trousers portion 3 including two leg portions 4, 5.

(7) The top part 2 and the trousers portion 3 are made at least partially of a first material, preferably a suitable elastic fabric material such as Lycra. In some embodiments, the top part 2 and/or the trousers portion 3 may include parts made of different materials or having different properties such as thickness or breathability.

(8) Each of the leg portions 4, 5 terminates with a respective end section 6. Said end section 6 is made of a second material which is a water barrier material, having suitable properties to prevent water from travelling through the section 6. Preferably said second material is Neoprene or rubber or an equivalent.

(9) The height H of the end section 6 from the lower end aperture 7 of the leg portion (FIG. 2) is preferably between 5 and 25 cm and more preferably between 10 and 20 cm.

(10) The end section 6 is basically a tubular member going all around the ankle.

(11) FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment where the upper boundary line 9 of the water-barrier section 6 is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 8 of the leg portion. Accordingly, the section 6 can be regarded substantially as a cylindrical surface.

(12) Said line 9 is the transition line from the material of the leg portion to the different material of the end section 6. Said line 9 may be a seam line made with a known technique such as stitching or welding for example.

(13) FIGS. 3, 4 show another embodiment where the inner and outer sides of water-barrier section 6 have a different height and, as a consequence, the line 9 is tilted relative to the axis 8.

(14) More preferably, the inner side 10 of the section 6 is higher than the outer side 11, as shown. The inner side 10 is more exposed to the water sprays from the road and generated the front wheel of the bike. Accordingly, the water-barrier end section 6 configured as in FIGS. 3 and 4, that is higher on the inner side 10, offers a better protection. The section 6, in this embodiment, can be regarded as a cylindrical segment cut by a plane inclined with reference to the axis 8, as illustrated in the FIG. 4.

(15) The height of the section 6, on both sides 10, 11, is preferably within the above mentioned range of 5 to 25 cm and preferred range of 10 to 20 cm.

(16) In FIG. 1, the top part 2 is formed as an integral jacket. Various different embodiments, however, are possible within the present invention. FIG. 5 shows a particularly preferred embodiment of the cycling suit 1 where the top part comprises shoulder straps 12. Any embodiment of the top part 2 may be equally combined with any form of the transition line 9, in particular with those illustrated in FIGS. 1-2 or FIGS. 3-4.

(17) In use, the end section 6 is inserted in a shoe or overshoes. The water barrier end section 6 stops water from penetrating in the shoes by flowing through the fibre of the suit; as a result, the comfort and performance in rainy weather is substantially improved.