General Discussion Triathlon Talk » 1 piece or 2 piece tri suit? Rss Feed  
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2015-07-26 8:22 PM


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Subject: 1 piece or 2 piece tri suit?
i will be participating in my first triathlon in about a month and a half, and have been looking into Tri suits. I am a tall female, and about 50 pounds overweight. Just wondering if any other "plus size" athletes have a preference between 1 piece and 2 piece suits. Thanks!


2015-07-26 9:48 PM
in reply to: hrmueller89

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Subject: RE: 1 piece or 2 piece tri suit?
Not "plus size" but in my mind size (plus or minus or whatever) shouldn't matter for this decision beyond whether the suit fits well and is comfortable for all three events. Tri clothes need to be tight enough to not flap around on the swim and provide some compression for muscle support on bike and run, but not so tight they make breathing difficult. Length can be an issue with both one piece suits and tri tops for taller people. Plus the pad in shorts or a one-piece suit needs to work comfortably with your body and bike saddle. It's a lot to ask from a piece of clothing!

Personally I've found it easier to find a one-piece that fits the bill than a two-piece, but that probably varies with brand and body type. Intuitively I'd think a one piece suit with some compression would be more forgiving of extra pounds, particularly in the middle. Unless you happen to be exactly the size that the tri clothes people envision, there's often an awkward gap ("muffin top") or overlap between the top and bottom of a two piece suit. I'm medium-tall and skinny, but still prefer the one piece for this reason. Some people prefer the two piece as it's supposedly easier to get out of/into to use the bathroom; with a front-zip one-piece suit, I haven't noticed any difference.

I've gotten a lot of nice tri stuff (though not actually a one-piece) from Danskin. They are durable, cheaper than many of the dedicated tri brands like 2XU or Zoot, and come in attractive designs and a wide range of sizes. I've seen some fairly large women (as in close to 6 foot and 200 pounds) at races wearing their tops and one piece suits and looking good in them.
2015-07-30 5:53 AM
in reply to: 0

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Subject: RE: 1 piece or 2 piece tri suit?
A friend of mine who is little overweight has recently purchased this 2XU Male Perform Compression Trisuit. He prefers 1 piece tri suit. And I also like 1 piece more, but I can't say "plus size" about myself)

Edited by MaryGreen 2015-07-30 5:53 AM
2015-07-30 8:53 AM
in reply to: hrmueller89

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Subject: RE: 1 piece or 2 piece tri suit?
I started tris in a two piece tri suit and switched to one piece for two reasons:

1) If you plan to swim in it w/o a wet suit over it, the one piece suits feel a lot more streamlined.
No matter what two piece combination I tied - I always felt like the bottom of the top was "flapping" in the water during the swim.

2) On longer tris, the one piece will keep you lower back from getting sunburned on the bike.
My two piece top always kept riding up on the bike leaving some skin exposed.

Congrats on working toward your first tri! Have fun!
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General Discussion Triathlon Talk » 1 piece or 2 piece tri suit? Rss Feed