[altsportjunkie]

Hi ladies. I'm a little nervous writing this since I'll be venturing out on my very first tri (sprint) soon. I will be starting swim training next week and need to get a suite I can actually swim in. Any suggestions on brand that will be good for training and events?<br><br>
I realize everyone has preferences but I have no idea even where to look for one as I haven't swam for fitness in years.<br><br>
Thank you for your comments.

 

[Kate60]

For training I swim in a regular sports style suit, Speedo, Tyr, Nike, etc. You can buy them at most sporting goods stores or online. For racing I wear tri shorts and a running bra top. I put on a bike or running shirt after the swim.

 

[slow_n_steady]

You know, just like everything else, all the suits fit different bodies differently. Me, I can pretty much only wear Speedo. The rest of them just aren't wuite right. My best advice would be to go to a store that carries a number of different makes and models of swimsuits and start trying them on and various sizes. Don't be too concerned if the swimsuit size doesn't exactly match up with your regular clothing size either....I wear a size 8 in clothes, yet my swimsuit is a 12. Go figure. When trying on do lots of bending over, knee bends, moving aroudn kinds of things in the fitting room to make sure it is not going to ride up or anything too.<br><br>
Anyway, once you know which brand and size fits you best, then you can buy anywhere....I get most of my suits off eBay for much less than I would have to pay at the swimming store.<br><br>
As for racing, I usually race in tri shorts and tri top. Whatever you are going to race in, make sure you try it out in the pool before race day...no surprises.<br><br>
Good luck!

 

[LeftRightRepeat]

Swumeth. Or maybe swamst.<br><br>
And yes, I'm reading the women's bathing suit thread.

 

[Stitcher]

Also.....<br>
swim suit for racing will feel tighter than you <i>think</i> is right if they fit right.<br><br>
If they are too big, they won't last as long as they could/should.<br><br>
You shouldn't have a ton of skin poking out all over the place, and your "bits" should not feel numb or anything, but it will be tight as opposed to loose if it fits properly.<br><br>
Some suits are sized rather than 8, 10, 12.....as 32, 34, 36......<br>
When I was in college, wearing a size 8 in most clothes, I wore a 32 suit.....now....I"m in a bigger suit. <img alt="wink.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/wink.gif"><br><br>
I find that speedo as a brand, tends to stretch the most over time.<br>
You'll pay for it, but the "endurance" fabric that speedo makes some suits out of really does last longer, although it has less stretch in it than the lycra ones.<br>
When lycra degrades, the suit becomes more and more transparent. Either get a new suit, or wear two that are falling apart. <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif"><br><br>
Suits with wider shoulder straps will be more comfy to larger chested wimmins.....<br>
suits that have the cute little tiny straps are good for the smaller of us in the group.<br><br>
Try on try on try on.....<br>
Find the store that sells to local swim teams if you can, as well....in addition to sports stores. They will usually have a larger selection.<br><br>
Swimoutlet.com has good prices, you can get grabbag suits there, too. Those are when you tell them the brand and the size, and you get what you get....usually for a good deal less than full price. You have to be brave sometimes, though, to wear what you get. lol

 

[wonicooker]

Certain times of the year, usually in the spring I find Speedo and Nike racing suits for $10-20 at TJMaxx and Marshalls. I'm talking about the $70 MSRP suits! I stocked up last year and I have enough suits to last for a couple of years. Buy a size smaller than you think. They stretch out pretty quickly and I hate it when they catch the water on push-offs.

 

[altsportjunkie]

Thank you for your tips. I appreciate them very much. I'll be shopping this weekend!

 

[Econo]

and....for that sprint tri, you might want to think about a one piece trisuit. I love mine (TYR). You swim in it, then hop right on the bike, then go right into the run. No changing at the transistions, unless you want to throw something on top for the colder bike portion.<br><br>
Do be careful about the mysterious disappearing swimsuit fabric after a while (for the swimsuit that you train in). They do become see-through with extended wear... I like my reversible suit and with the 2 layers, I think it will avoid the see-through problem longer.

 

[kimber45]

Econo, I've been trying to decide between tri-shorts and top or a tri -suit.<br>
I'm 5'4" and I don't have a very long trunk. I typically can't wear women's pants because they are too high waisted. How do the tri-suits fit? I would hate to buy one and have it be baggy in the crotch.<br>
Also, someone mentioned that taking it off to go to the bathroom is not the easiest thing to accomplish.<br><br>
You wouldn't think this would be such a difficult decision but for some reason I can't quite make up my mind what to buy. Since there is no where to try anything on, it's all going to be a guessing game.

 

[Econo]

Hmm, well, I'm almost 5'6" and it fits fine, if not a little snug in the thighs (heh). I'd try calling TYR on their 1-800 line and see what they think.<br><br>
To go to the bathroom, you have to unzip it down the front (strip, basically). So, yeah, that's a problem if you have 3 layers on top prior to the race like I often do.<br><br>
Also a note -- some women wear jogbra's under their trisuits if more support is needed.

 

[kimber45]

Hmm, how much support does the tri-suit give? I'm a small A cup. I just need something to squash me down. Will the tri-suit do that? And how do I know what size to order? Are they sized like swim-suits? Or are they small, medium and large?

 

[Econo]

I'm the same -- it's fine for the squash-down. <img alt="cool.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/cool.gif"> Mine's a size "small."

 

[altsportjunkie]

This brings up an interesting point for me....Since this will be my first tri and it's a sprint (400 meters pool, 9 mile bike, 2 mile run) what do I do about transitioning from the pool to the bike if there's no changing area. Do I wear a sports bra under my suit? Or buy a tri top/bottom set (while wearing sports bra) and swim in that? I'm large on top so there's not an option for bike/run to not wear one. Sorry for all the questions - I was thinking about this the other day and have no idea how this will work.<br><br>
Thanks!

 

[Kate60]

This is what I do, then throw a shirt on over the top.