TWO-PIECE TRI-SUITS

Wearing a separate vest and shorts is often more comfortable and convenient for long-distance racing. But which is best? Matt Baird tests seven

The two-piece is making a comeback! And for very good reason. Here we test seven of the best suits on the market to find the finest for race day

Watch any old YouTube Ironman Hawaii videos or flick through the back issues of

220 (hello, Faris Al Sultan!), and it soon becomes apparent that the two-piece was once king for both short- and long-course racing. This dominance ended with triathlon’s Olympic Games introduction at Sydney 2000 and, even for the portable toilet convenience needed for 8-17 hour Ironman racing, the all-in-one suit largely ruled the roost.

And yet, due to improvements in tech (most notably brands finding a way to stop the waistband riding up) and the increase in long-distance athletes, the two-piece is still going strong in 2018. And the quality of most of the suits on test here, from £80 steals to techy £300+ wonders, ensures that athletes have plenty of choice when picking their two-piece racing suit. While convenience and comfort is the major two-piece draw, there’s also plenty of versatility with having seperate shorts and tops as well, and we’ve already got plenty of wear using the shorts for gym and swim sets. We’ll also be using the outfits for training in the build-up to our major races this summer and beyond.

In terms of testing, we had middle- and long-course racing in mind when putting these suits through their paces, with the main test consisting of a continuous 3:30hr ride before a run straight after.

We were also lucky enough to test the ventilation and quick-drying of these suits in British summertime conditions in our new favourite winter training destination, the Azores (£50 return, do it!), complete with sun, winds and, okay, plenty of rain. Time, then, to go all Al Sultan and let the testing begin…