WOMEN’S TRI-SUITS

Trends are changing in tri-suits – and 2017 might well be the year sleeved versions take over from vested. Helen Webster tests six women’s styles

S tep back a couple of seasons and a few female triathletes we were chatting to at races (this magazine’s editor included!) were getting a little bit cross about the number of fancy short-sleeved tri-suits appearing on the market for men, while women were being left pretty much with only vested suits to choose from.

Well, come 2017 and it’s all change as for the first time we have enough sleeved versions available in the market to be able to do a full grouptest (women’s vested versions will follow separately in issue 340, on sale 21 June). Given their popularity then, what’s the thinking? Well really, it’s down to marginal gains, as the sleeves were originally introduced to increase aerodynamics and started out in top-end brands to be used for longer-distance races.

As well as being more streamlined though, sleeves have the added advantage of keeping the sun off your shoulders and, in our experience, lead to less underarm chafing. Plus it’s not the main selling point, but we have found they look more flattering, too!

So sleeves aside, what were we looking for in this test? Comfort was key – your tri-suit is the only thing you wear for the whole race, so it needs to have the flexibility to move with your body throughout swim, bike and run. We also considered the chammy and that fine balancing act between being padded enough for the bike, but without being too noticeable in the run. Nobody likes that soggy-nappy feeling. Fabric should be wicking and dry quickly, yet be breathable enough to be comfortable in hot conditions. We also looked for added details such as an integral bra or pockets for gels.

HUUB TANA

Designed in collaboration with Tana Ramsay (wife of the shouty chef), you’ll need deep pockets for this suit. That said though, it feels very high quality and more like the kind of thing you’d find on the rails in Sweaty Betty than your average tri shop. The fabric is soft and feels great against the skin, while ventilation is courtesy of clever punched holes under the arms and in the lower and mid back. Two rear pockets in the lower back are plenty big enough, although you’ll need to be flexible to reach them. This was the only suit on test with an integral bra and although the suit itself was a perfect fit, the stitched-in bra was too big for our cup size and we’d prefer to have had the option to add our own. Also, although the compressive leg grippers were comfy, they created a bit of an unflattering indent on our non-supermodel thighs. huubdesign.com

COEUR SLEEVED ONE-PIECE

American women’s brand Coeur are fast gaining some fans in the UK, thanks to their unique one-piece chammy, that is best described as a piece of soft fleece that extends across the crotch and down the inside of the thighs, thus removing any uncomfortable seams or ridges. We found this worked well and, as you’d guess, it was easily the least noticable on the run. The fabric was very breathable and the suit had wide, rubberised bands similar to the Orca and Zoot suits that kept the legs in place. Beyond that though, it was tricky to judge the suit as the fit of the top half was just way too big for us although the legs were fine and Coeur recommend a tight fit to get the best from this suit (we tested mediums from all brands and checked size guides). We’d also have liked a zip guard as the scratchy zip top rubbed uncomfortably. coeursports.com

2XU SLEEVED TRI-SUIT

A relatively short zip made this suit a pain to wriggle in and out of (you’ll need good shoulder flexibility!) but once on we liked the slightly wider scoop neckline, that was comfortable and flattering. It did seem a little shorter in the body than the others on test though, leading to the fabric not sitting flush against our lower back – although that may not be the case for everyone as fit is so personal. 2XU cite compression as a key selling point for this suit and although we didn’t notice a great effect, it did sit snugly and felt good throughout all three disciplines and a decent zip garage was a nice touch. We were less keen on the compressive leg bottoms though, which weren’t flattering or comfortable and the legs were relatively long. The two tuck pockets were also a little shallow, which would limit choice of gels. 2xu.com/uk

ORCA 226 RACESUIT

The only suit on test to feature a jacketstyle top that fully opens, you’d be forgiven for scratching your head a bit with this one. On the men’s suit it makes sense (it’s there for quick, ahem, ‘toilet stops’), but women don’t have that option! That said though, we actually really liked this feature as it made taking the suit on and off super-easy and if you did need to stop for the loo in an iron-distance race, it would be a lot easier than wrangling with some of the others in this test. Thanks to the mix of high-quality mesh fabrics it also wicked superbly, while the chammy felt great and the wide, rubberised bands on the legs kept them firmly in place without a hint of dreaded ‘sausage’ effect. Finally, two big stretchy pockets were big enough to get your whole hand in and were really easy to access. In short, a well-designed and top quality suit. orca.com

BLUESEVENTY TX2000

Rating highly in our men’s sleeved test last issue (it scored 91% and took the Best On Test award), the TX2000 proved a solid performer here too, but up against some pretty heavy-hitters in this test it just didn’t quite float our boat to the same degree. On the plus side, it’s the least expensive which will make it an attractive buy if you fancy trying sleeved for the first time – plus it was comfortable throughout all three disciplines and the sleeves stayed in place well thanks to a rigid band. The fabric wicked well, but although we found the chammy comfy on the bike it was one of the ones here that felt a bit more noticable on the run. Pockets were angled and roomy. Sadly, we really weren’t a fan of the oldfashioned rubber dot leg grippers though, which felt cheap and made the legs curl up somewhat during the bike and run. blueseventy.co.uk