A race suit has two jobs: stay in place through a 100 km/h slide, and disappear while you ride. Both depend on fit. Too loose and the armour rotates off the joint in a crash; too tight and the suit fights you for every input — that's skeletal restraint, and it causes arm pump, fatigue and slower lap times.
Off-the-rack suits are graded around a narrow European GP body type. If your shoulders, inseam or torso fall outside that template, you inherit the compromise. Made-to-measure removes it: the pattern is cut to your body, not the other way round.
The five fit checkpoints
- Shoulders — armour must sit directly over the joint in a full tuck, not drift toward the bicep.
- Knees — knee armour stays centred when you hang off; it should not slide to the inside of the joint.
- Torso — snug enough that the speed hump and back protector don't shift under braking, loose enough to breathe at full lean.
- Sleeves — end at the wrist bone with gloves on, no exposed gap and no bunching at the cuff.
- Crotch & seat — no pulling when you're in a full tuck; excess material here catches on the seat during transitions.
Why made-to-measure wins
Every AT1 suit is cut from a 12-point measurement profile taken after checkout. A fitting expert reviews your numbers before anything is cut — which is why the fit guarantee exists: if an adjustment is needed, the alteration service is covered by AT1.
The other benefit nobody mentions: once your measurements are on file, reordering is trivial. A second suit, a replacement panel after a crash, a different colourway — your fit profile is already locked.
The test
When your suit arrives, don't just stand in it. Get on the bike or replicate your tuck: knees bent, chest to tank, elbows in. The suit should feel neutral — no pulling at the knees or shoulders, no armour drift, no restriction in your breathing. That's a race fit.