WOMEN’S TRI - SUITS
In the market for a new tri-suit? Making the right choice is vital for a trouble-free race. Here, Helen Webster puts six through their paces
Look at any race start and you’ll find sleeved tri-suits across all distances. Previously aimed mainly at long-course racing due to the added sun protection and aerodynamics, triathletes quickly realised that these benefits were useful in shorter distances, too. The result of this popularity? An explosion in sleeved suits across the market and a load more choice at price points from – in this test – a bargainous £59.99.
So, what should you look for when choosing a sleeved suit? For us, fit and comfort are key. You might pick the fanciest-looking suit in the world, but if it doesn’t fit well or it chafes, then you’re in for a slow and uncomfortable race day. Ideally, your suit will fit closely to avoid drag, but with enough stretch to allow you to fully extend in the swim and drop down on the bike. The fabric should be both breathable, wicking and quick-drying after the swim, so you’re not cycling in a cold and soggy suit.
Other features you should look for are good leg grippers that keep the suit comfortably in place, a chammy that offers enough padding without being annoying on the run and enough pockets for your chosen race-day nutrition.
Missed our men’s sleeved tri-suit test? Call 03330 162 139 and order back issue 392.
TENOLA ASPIRE
£100 You may not have come across this tri-specific brand before. In fact, this is Tenola’s first outing in a 220 women’s test, but we did see them in our men’s reviews in 2019. Made and designed in Great Britain by keen triathletes, we like the credentials of this brand. The Italian fabrics and coldblack treatment were nice to see during a heatwave in the testing period. This suit did a reasonable job of keeping us cool, with mesh panels under the arms helping too, but we did prefer the more breathable fabric of the Airofin on balance. Less positively, the design felt quite basic and old-fashioned, and the single-strip sticky leg grippers weren’t that comfy and started to peel away from the fabric early on in testing. Two slanted rear pockets were adequate for an energy gel each, while the chammy was soft and comfortable, if a little bulky. tenola.com
68 %
VERDICT NEEDS A FEW IMPROVEMENTS; FEELS OVERPRICED FOR WHAT’S ON OFFER HERE
HUUB COMMIT LONG COURSE
£119.99 The Commit is HUUB’s new range of quality racewear offering value for money for novice triathletes. That said, we were impressed by the features on offer and the reasonable price point. We’d happily pay an extra £20 over the Tenola suit here to get a more stylish design (that striking aqua blue on a women’s suit is a winner and looks great when on), as well as the lightweight fabrics that dried quicky and a 3D tri-specific pad that was silky and comfortable. While it didn’t feel as cool as some others, the fabric felt smooth and nice quality, with a breathable mesh insert down the spine and lower back. Two angled pockets with fold-over tops kept our gels safe. Our size small suit was a touch tight for this size UK10-12 tester, and we did find the leg grippers a touch unflattering, but that’s easily solved by sizing up. huubdesign.com
85 %
VERDICT A STYLISH SUIT FROM A BIG BRAND THAT PERFORMS AS WELL AS IT LOOKS AND IS GOOD VALUE
APTONIA LONG DISTANCE
£59.99 Aptonia is Decathlon’s tri brand and we were pleasantly surprised to see such an unusual design sitting at the budget-end of this year’s grouptest. First impressions on the feel and quality were good. We liked the jacket-style suit, the choice of mesh around the arms and the breathable striped back panel, which kept us cool. A few quirky touches included a pleat in the back for added movement across the shoulders. This was also the only suit on test to offer four pockets – two mesh on the lower back and one on each leg – allowing plenty of space to stash things for long races. The chammy is a thin, stretchy gel pad which was quick to dry, but a touch more padding might be preferred for full Ironman distance. Our only real niggle was the laser-cut hems on the shorts, which were a bit sharp on the edges, though those with slimmer thighs might find them okay. decathlon.co.uk
78 %
VERDICT A STRIKING SUIT WITH SOME NICE FEATURES AND THE LEAST EXPENSIVE ON TEST!
TRIMTEX AERO TRI SPEEDSUIT
€258 Given the high price point, this suit is most likely only ever going to grace the backs of triathletes looking for marginal gains. But if money’s no object and that sounds like you, then there’s a lot to like here. From the dimpled mesh upper to the ribbed aero panels on the legs, this suit incorporates a lot of features we’re used to seeing on cycling speedsuits, and it felt like a second skin. The chammy is developed in conjunction with Italian specialist Cytech and felt suitable enough for up to Ironman distance, while two zip garages (top and bottom) and spacious, angled mesh pockets, felt well thought-out. The wide leg grippers were comfortable without pinching, while a small gripper around the neckline kept the suit in place. In fact, our only concern, aside from the price, would be that the inner seams were slightly scratchy. trimtex.eu
89 %
VERDICT AN IMPRESSIVE SUIT WITH FEW CRITICISMS, BUT THAT’S AN EYE-WATERING PRICE
SANTINI VIPER
£159.99 Kudos to Santini for putting together a suit with a striking design, packed with extra features that the Italian brand claims are designed to help you achieve your ‘fastest bike performance ever’. This is a bold claim, but we did like the feel of the fresh-touch Artico fabric and the ribbed aero panels on the arms. Overall, the fit on our size medium (size UK10-12 tester) was good, although it did feel a bit short in the body on the run, so we’d be tempted to size up, as is often the case with some of the more top-end ‘race fit’ brands. The chammy was among the best on test, but although we understood the sentiment, we didn’t really get on with the large grippy area on the crotch, which is designed to help you stick to the bike. For us, it seemed unnecessarily large and perhaps more suited to time triallists than to triathletes, as it felt odd to run in. santinicycling.com
80 %
VERDICT SOME GREAT FEATURES, BUT THIS TECH-PACKED SUIT DID FEEL QUITE BIKE-SPECIFIC
AIROFIN ATHLETIC
£95 Airofin gets brownie points from the off for making this suit out of Econyl, which is a fabric constructed from recycled fishing nets. We like the colour scheme, although it went a touch transparent in the swim, but Airofin recommends wearing a swim bra underneath (and we always would, too, for support of delicate breast tissue on the run). The breathable top-half felt great on warm days and we appreciated the wide, flattering leg grippers. Meanwhile, the full-length ‘jacket-style’ zip made the suit easy to pull on and off. The mid-density chamois was comfortable, though perhaps most suited to middle-distance racing. We liked the ‘floating’ rear pocket, which had two decent sized compartments designed to not weigh down the suit when in use. We did find the bottom of the jacket a little tight, though, compared to the more flexible fabric used on the Aptonia design. airofin.com
82 %
VERDICT A WELL-DESIGNED SUIT WITH SOME NICE FEATURES AND GOOD ECO CREDENTIALS