race-wear suggestions please!

Hey, there.

Tri Suits are what it's allllll about!

I get the two piece (with the long shorts, mind you). Wear them under my wetsuit; there's padding in the butt of the shorts for the bike and they dry quite nicely on the ride and they're not too bulky (the pad, that is) for the run....

Maybe a shameless plug, but these guys are grrrreat http://www.trisports.com/trcl.html....Great customer service, fast turn around, competitive pricing. I'm partial to the Zoot brand but many other on this forum have their own favorites.

Best of luck!

nt

Thanks for the link Nancy. I have another question for you all though about Tri clothes. If you look at the sizing chart for the Zoot Tri Suits, you'll see that an XL is a 34-36" waist and 42-44" chest. Well, that's not very XL for some of us! I have the 34" waist but my chest is 48-50". Most of the Tri suits I see are sized smaller like this. Any ideas for us Clydesdale types? It's hard to get clothing to fit our shoulders and waist at the same time so if you have any suggestions I'm open to them. Thanks.

good question.
I know for me I ordered two different sizes for top and bottoms.....

you know what, I'd call them...like I said I was impressed by their customer service. My second order with them looked like it was coming late even tho I ordered it on time and I emailed them about it. The owner emailed me back, had it shipped out with his apologies and I got it in time for the event...so if anyone would have an answer on where you could locate the gear to fit you best I'm guessing it would be them. If they don't carry it themselvse (may not be posted on the site) they'd probably steer you in the right direction.

Good luck

nt

Thanks again Nancy, I'll give them a call and see what they have to say.

That XL probably won't fit me either (unless I loose a bit before the race!). Let us know how it goes when you contact them!

Are there any lower cost solutions? I was hoping to spend the money on a new bike instead.

I've bought biking gear at http://www.pricepoint.combefore. They have good deals on biking clothes than can easily transition into running clothes....

My new tri specific top and botton definitely saved me some time and the cool material feels great, drys quick and wicks the sweat away. I wore the bottom under my wetsuit but since I had a sleevelees I just put the top on in T1. An interesting side note was when I finished my wife started brushing all the salt off my shoulders/arms wondering how the swim was in the salt-water lake. Except, I swam in a fresh water lake? Then I realized that was my crystalized sweat, it looked like someone dumped a salt shaker on me. Next time, I am starting on the pretzels way earlier in the race.

One thing I picked up was concerning the number. Since I did not want to re-pin it to the front in T2 I tried to wear it in the front for the bike leg, it bothered me a bit and felt like it was catching some wind. I saw other more experienced racers with those number straps around their torso and then it made sense to me. They could just strap it on in T1 and keep the number out of the way on their back during the bike, then in T2 twist it around to have the number on the front where most races require for the run finish. I have one now.

number belts are cheap - i definitely recommend them. much easier to grab a belt and fasten it around your waist as your heading out on the run and no worrying about pins.

i prefer 2-piece tri suits - for several reasons, not the least of which is ease during those pre-race bathroom trips. and if you need it you can always wear a more supportive bra underneath.

check out zoot, desoto, louis garneau for brands... louis garneau i know does custom clothing, they might have more size options for those who need it. (http://www.louisgarneau.com/eng/)

I am getting a tri 2 piece suit this year b/c I want to save time. But last year I just wore my sports bra under my wetsuit and my bikini bottoms. It took me about a minute to put my bike shorts on. It's not the best option but it didn't cost me additional $.

Zoot makes a nice product but they run small for both men's and women's