deciding whether to pull the trigger on a one-piece tri suit
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cavewoman15
Posts: 278 Member
this is my first (but hopefully not last!) tri season. for my last race (a sprint), i wore tri shorts and a sports bra for the swim and threw on a wicking tank at T1. this worked okay, but the tri shorts were a tad big and would come down some when pushing off the wall in the pool. my next races are in open water, so i suppose that won't be as much of a problem.
i have a sprint next weekend and an oly in 6 weeks. YAY!! i'm trying to decide whether to pull the trigger on a one-piece tri suit. i have the suit picked out - Pearl Izumi Women's Select, but it's 72 bucks and i feel like i have spent so much money on my new hobby already this year!
are one-piece suits really as awesome as they seem? are they worth the money?
i have a sprint next weekend and an oly in 6 weeks. YAY!! i'm trying to decide whether to pull the trigger on a one-piece tri suit. i have the suit picked out - Pearl Izumi Women's Select, but it's 72 bucks and i feel like i have spent so much money on my new hobby already this year!
are one-piece suits really as awesome as they seem? are they worth the money?
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My personal opinion, is no. I much prefer my two piece to a one piece.
I started with a one piece, and used it for two years. It was fine, and convenient most of the time. There was one race I had a near wardrobe emergency as I the zipper got stuck after using the port-a-pottie pre-race. There were several moments of panic, but I did manage to get it unstuck.
The next year I needed to buy a new one anyways, as I had lost a decent amount of weight. Because of the previous wardrobe panic, and budget constraints, I bought just the tri shorts and wore a moisture wicking tank under my wetsuit. That worked just fine.
Last year I bought a two piece tri suit, and that is my personal preference. I think the biggest advantage was being able to buy the shorts and the top in different sizes. Also there is no need to unzip the entire thing in order to pee!0 -
IMO, it's largely a matter of personal preference. For me, shorts are NEVER as comfortable as bibs/suits, and that alone makes them worth the money (especially on longer courses). But, as said previously, they can make bathroom stops a bit awkward.
FWIW... when justifying purchases, can you use the item for other things as well? So in this case, you're thinking about a tri suit. Could you use it for regular cycling, too? That might help justify the cost if you can get more use out of it.0 -
thanks for the input! my synthesis from your responses is that each person has their own preferences about what they wear, which i suppose makes sense. i'm bigger.. size 12, and i've had a really hard time finding tri tops that fit me. they are all so skin tight that i can't hardly stand having them on. and the couple wicking tanks i have tried that worked in the water then rode up on the run, which to me, is the absolute worst thing.
so, i went ahead and ordered the suit. amazon has free returns, so if i don't like the way it fits, i'll probably return and look for a tri top that doesn't feel like it puts my chest in jail.
thanks for your help!0 -
Two piece all the way. There's no need to be overly delicate here, but when nature calls, attending to such matters along the roadside is far easier with just shorts. That likelihood increases significantly in the longer events. Granted, we are part of pretty rugged community but when you drop a one-piece modest is long gone.0
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I prefer a one-piece. It doesn't ride up, stays put, and fits me well. It can be annoying to pee in...but for me the comfort is more important to me than taking a few extra minutes to pee.0
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One piece for anything up to HIM distance. I'll probably buy a 2 piece for an IM just for the convenience of toilet stops and hopefully I won't have an embarrassing fat belly to poke out between top and bottom by then and no one needs to see that
Most races have portaloos / portapotties so it shouldn't be a problem if you have to remove the top.
Most women I know prefer the one piece and if they have an ample cleavage (is that the best politically correct way to say it?) they wear a sports bra underneath. The built in ones are apparently useless if your boobs move when you jump up and down.0 -
thanks all for your advice on this. this is apparently a common issue for noobs! here is my two cents on the process in case it is helpful for others.
i ended up ordering the pearl izumi women's select one-piece, and i love it!! i immediately liked it when i tried it on, and then i went to a great local tri store we have here and tried on a bunch of two-pieces over the weekend to compare. my guy is running his first tri saturday and was looking for two-pieces so it worked out well. the two pieces were nice because you could pick and choose different brands/styles/sizes for top and bottom, which i could see being a real advantage for people, especially women. i found a few combinations that i liked, but i didn't like any of them better than the one piece i had at home. i ended up sticking with the one-piece for three reasons: (1) the pieces are all about the same price, meaning that the one piece i had cost the same as ONE of the pieces of the two-piece, (2) the one-piece cannot ride up when i'm running - a major issue for me for some reason, maybe my shape, and (3) in order to prevent the ride-up issue, the pieces have to be tight, meaning that for bigger girls like me, the two-pieces necessarily reveal something of a belly-pinch muffin-top kind of deal. not so nice. the one-pieces don't do that - granted, you can still see my belly (this is not a secret!!) but it's, let's say, smoother, in the one-piece. haha. in the end, i felt more comfortable and more confident in the one piece. and i saved some bucks.
two negatives about the one-piece suit to consider: (1) in my suit, the legs are a bit longer than i normally like in a cycling short - they come all the way down to an inch or so above my knee and i'm 5'8". it could be that i needed a smaller size, but i sized up because the reviews recommended it. other than that, the fit is great - nice and form-fitting, but not to much compression that i feel like i'm being squeezed to death, and (2) the one-piece IS harder to remove for bathroom-going. yesterday i was headed out for a swim/bike and needed to go and i had already stretched out and everything, so i was all sweaty. that was a bit challenging, but possible. if you are a person who has to use the restroom often or if you are a person who is not willing to pee in a lake, i might suggest a two piece.
and as the other posters mentioned, the bras are useless if you are at all big-chested (i'm a 36C). i just wear my own sports bra under. that's one reason why i like the pearl izumi select - the bra came separate and is removable. it did have a nice bra that came with it, but not enough support for this girl.
hope this helps!! happy tri-ing!!0 -
Tri suits were the topic of conversation at my tri club during our training session last Monday and the consensus was pretty much a "no" based largely on the convenience of a two piece outfit when nature calls. Personally I've opted for tri top & shorts but for me, it's also a fit issue, XL top & M shorts (combined with a long torso) makes finding a one piece that fits well an issue.0
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First of all, I can't believe I am qualified to answer this.... I tried the one piece-er and I seriously felt like I was pregnant with a giant camel toe, I pretty much cried in that suit... So even though I spent over 100 bucks on it, I bought a top and shorts. I don't need to look like a fashion model out there, but I don't want to look pregnant either. I have a long way to go, I will tuck the one piece-er away for now and keep using the top and shorts.. that's just me 0
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One piece for anything up to HIM distance. I'll probably buy a 2 piece for an IM just for the convenience of toilet stops and hopefully I won't have an embarrassing fat belly to poke out between top and bottom by then and no one needs to see that
Most races have portaloos / portapotties so it shouldn't be a problem if you have to remove the top.
Most women I know prefer the one piece and if they have an ample cleavage (is that the best politically correct way to say it?) they wear a sports bra underneath. The built in ones are apparently useless if your boobs move when you jump up and down.
Where was this boob post when I needed it! I have struggled really bad with finding enough support.0
