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Triathlon clothing?

Hey veterans,



What do you wear?



Going from the swim to the bike... do you just strip off your wetsuit and hop on? Change into some biking shorts for a little padding in the rear?



Going from the bike to the run.... I imagine if you bike in your swimsuit, you can run the same way. If you put on padded shorts, do you run in them?



What will make your overall time faster - a quick transition or added comfort.



I appreciate your advice.



Thanks,



Turtle

Comments

  • Hi Turtle,



    You know most people would wear their Tri Suit under their Swim suit. This could be an all-in-one or 2 piece. The Tri Suits and shorts have padding in the 'Butt' area, but its not as thick as normal biking shorts.



    The padding is suffiecient on shorter distance races but on the middle to long so I usually shove half of a 'car sponge' down my shorts, it sounds a bit odd but it does the job, especially if you are on the bike for six hours.



    I would always go for comfort, it will help you to relax, and being relaxed is what its all about.



    Anyhow, happy racing
  • i race for the pleasure love competing i am not very fast last race took me 13hr40 min in zurihc
  • Up untill a few months ago I may have said it depends on the distance, being new to tri myself I was undecided whether to go for a one / two piece tri suit or change at each transition from swim gear to bike gear to run gear. The advice I got was mixed but with one month to go till my first Ironman (New Zealand - 3/3/07) I opted for the one piece. I had no comfort issues even during the 6 hours in the saddle and saw so many people struggling to change, especailly in T1. It definatly made transitions a lot easier, faster and most inportantly relaxed. My total time (12:36:15) wasn't great but my transitions were above the avaerage. As every one says though its down to personal choice.
  • theNoortheNoor Posts: 6
    I swim in a pair of lycra shorts, cycle in padded shorts and run in 'short' running shorts. But changing in the leisure pool changing room is different to 'on the day' racing!



    Can you buy a pair of shorts that you can swim, cycle AND run in? Can you give an example that I can google and look at. I was thinking of running in lycra shorts but I guess one needs a bit of, ahem, support, no?



    I don't fancy these full tri-suits yet. Plus some tri's I plan to do are in pools, so no need for a wetsuit.
  • I wear Orca tri shorts and a separate tri top. The shorts have some padding but are fine to run, bike and swim in. For open water swims I wear both the top and shorts under my wetsuit. In a pool I can just swim with the shorts on and then put the top on in transition.



    The other big clothing question always seems to be socks - I've always put them on in the past but am planning to try a sprint triathlon without them this year so I can check how vital they are (I have no problem running or cycling without socks in training). If you're doing anything longer than an Olympic triathlon then I'd definitely go for the socks and car sponge option! Good luck

  • TheNoor - you asked for names that you could google on. One website link is below, but other makers include Ironman, Quintana Roo, Sugoi, pearl izumi and several others. Other websites/companies include wiggle.co.uk, jejames, tri uk, sbr (swim bike run), evans cycles etc. If you're doing Olympic distance or less then you really don't want to be changing shorts in the transition area - it takes an age to change clothes when you're wet and your muscles are cramping up, and many races disqualify you if there's any nudity in transition. For Ironman distances it may well be worth it.



    http://www.tfn.uk.com/acatalog/copy_of_Orca.html
  • theNoortheNoor Posts: 6
    Many thanks. I think I'll go with the Orca shorts you suggest, found them for £25 which aint so bad. And then I might decide on a top to buy...
  • TurtleTurtle Posts: 29
    Thanks everyone. I'm looking to get a hold of one of these trisuits. The local sports store doesn't have them in stock yet. I think all they carry is Craft - funny, someone else is looking for them, but I don't know if they want to order from Sweden. I met a veteren here who says it really comes down to the sun. If it's a "hard" sun (Sweden's sun is pretty intense... I guess it's that the ozone is weaker the closer you get to a polar region), then he recommends a bike shirt on top of the running shirt. If not, then he just has the running shirt - which, I guess, is the top of the trisuit) - which he wears under the wetsuit while swimming. He bikes without socks - full Ironman. If you're coming from an open water swim, try to have a bucket of water or something next to your bike, your feet may get sandy on the way up, and that'll be a pain to bike with. I imagine I'll have some crew socks to put on.



    Best Regards,



    Turtle
  • shamus_2shamus_2 Posts: 4
    tiring, I would not attempt to do the run in sockless feet. You are fine on the ike, as there is little friction, however a race (of any distance) will not similate what you do in practice. I speak from experience (was like 20 years ago now) that it's not pleasant to finish the last couple KM's of a run portion in bare feat because you cannot bear the feeling of shoes on your feet any longer from blisters and bleeding. I couldn't run for at least a week after with shoes on from what I recall.



    BEst of luck!

  • hound doghound dog Posts: 293
    sassigs264 wrote:


    Hi Turtle,



    You know most people would wear their Tri Suit under their Swim suit. This could be an all-in-one or 2 piece. The Tri Suits and shorts have padding in the 'Butt' area, but its not as thick as normal biking shorts.



    The padding is suffiecient on shorter distance races but on the middle to long so I usually shove half of a 'car sponge' down my shorts, it sounds a bit odd but it does the job, especially if you are on the bike for six hours.



    I would always go for comfort, it will help you to relax, and being relaxed is what its all about.



    Anyhow, happy racing





    Dont think Ive got the hang of this quote option!! Doesnt a car sponge start to chaff a lot? What sort of distance do you start to think about using one?
  • rpopper65rpopper65 Posts: 171
    Well, for sprint and olympic distance tris, I run sockless, as I found that putting socks on during either transition was the slowest and most frustrating part. I train for a couple of weeks before each race with no socks, to get the feel for it, and you should never make a radical change from your training routine for a race. If you find that you can't run without socks, then put the socks on. For me, a comfortable, worn-in pair of running shoes, laced up and fitting properly has never hurt my feet when I run sockless. But, that's just me, everyone's different. Find out what works for you, and try something new every so often (but not too close to an A or B race).
  • AndyAAndyA Posts: 14
    Don't bother with socks for anything up to oly distance, they're just a pain to get on and a few practice runs without socks will soon toughen your feet up. Germolene Newskin is a paint on skin protector that you can get from pharmacists and is much cheaper than the compeed version. You just paint it on to protect any weaker points such as under the arch and it stays on for days after the event!(it smells a bit like nail polish, so it probably is!)



    One piece tri suit is up to you; i've never found one to fit properly (but then i'm long and skinny) and if you're using a wetsuit then they offer no advantage over two piece.



    I use a tri top with pockets (although i never use them) and a pair of Nike Drifit Tech stretch shorts. These shorts have been brilliant, they have no padding but it seems absolutely no problem , at least up to oly distance. The lack of a pad makes the run more comfortable and they have a zip pkt which will hold a gel if you really need one (or look at a gel belt from high 5).



    If you really want a one piece then i have a foor elite tri suit for sale! (one med and one large) which is virtually unused. List price £80, just £35 to you!
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