Yes, I have experience with their racing clothing, their wetsuits and- perhaps more importantly- their customer service.

Let me preface this by saying Sarah and I sell the stuff in our store. Now, while you may suggest that colors any opinion I may profer with a mercenary motive, I would suggest that before we sell anything we first have to buy it. That means I have to buy much more of it than you do since I am buying for an entire store.

You buy one singlet or a pair of shorts and don't care for it, it's a loss of about $100. I buy a significant amount of the same inventory and people don't like it, or we don't like it, and it amounts to a mini financial disaster. So, I guarantee you, it is harder to sell me clothing than it is likely to sell you clothing since I have to buy it for a living.

That said the 2Xu stuff is absolutely top notch and that is why we bought it. The wetsuits are very, very solid and reasonably priced, on par with the other suits in the industry but perhaps a tick more durable during donning and doffing and nice looking too, depending of course, on your tastes.

The racing clothing is the gem and they have also just introduced a training line of winter clothing that is superb.

2XU is an Australian company and the U.S. distirbutor buys from the Australian parent company. As a result, we don't always see everything available here in the states thatis available in Australia but the core goods are well represented here in the U.S.

All of the 2XU tri tops are nicely cut with good shoulders, realistic fit (try on a medium and it actually fits like a medium) and very, very nice fabrics. Designing a good tri top isn't all that difficult truth be told, but a lot of companies manage to blow it with bad zippers, too big pockets or bad pocket placement.

The shorts are also nice with a good length in between the longer DeSoto styles with the longish inseam and the absolute shortest inseam. One of the reasons we bought them is the inseam length is dialed in my opinion. Whe you wear a tri short with an inseam too long it shortens the look of your legs and makes (me at least) looo squat and stocky. I am squat and stocky so I like apparel that at least leaves the impression that I am not as stocky as I am. Again, fit on the shorts is realistic too. The cuts of the fabric panels works and the pads are good, but it isn't too difficult to make a good tri short pad.

All in all the stuff is solid with good attention to seemeingly minor details and nice color and design. I'd like to see more pieces and I am looking forward to using the new .98 bouyancy suit in Thailand at Laguna Phuket.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Duh, I was just re-reading my post and I forget to give fair acknowledgement to the customer service guys at 2XU.

I like working with a company that answers their phone. I also like working companies that are not pretentious. Guys like DeSoto, DeScente, 2XU, and Louis Garneau are real people in the sport, on the phone taking orders. They help you out, ship things quickly and do a nice job. The guys at 2XU were a pleasure to meet at Interbike and helped us with understanding how the fabrics worked and the line was organized. They were obviously enthusiastic about a lot of fun new stuff in their 2007 line.

Everything we've ordered from 2XU has showed up quickly and correctly and we haven't had a single defect. If we did, I wager they'd probably step right up to the plate and take care of it. A good group of people- friendly on the phone and enthusiastic about what they sell- with good reason, it's nice stuff.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Thanks. That was VERY informative.

I was wondering how they compared to QR wetsuits and Orca tri tops/bottoms as well... they seem so similiar that I dont know which way to go...

any thoughts on comparisons between these other companies?

Got elite tri suit, elite wetsuit, and comp pocket top with comp shorts and comp singlet. All good.

Elite TRI suit is the fastest thing I've ever tried on, can't wait to see Super Elite. Elite Wetsuit is also very flex and fast.

but the real difference sets them apart is the customer service!

As for the comparision, you can't even compare Elite line up of Orca and 2XU, they are (2XU) way ahead.

Never tried QR wetsuit but Elite 2XU wetsuit felt more comfortable for me then PFlex. Again this is a FIT thing.

i'll second it. i've got the standard shorts and top - its amazingly well build and fits perfectly. very fast and comfortable.

Well, the QR suits have always been nice but it boils down to a matter of fit.

I think there was some relationship such as former employees, etc. between 2XU and Orca going way back and that 2XU is an off-shoot (but in no way related to) Orca.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Tom, I tried PMing you a few times about their compression clothes. The reps at Interbike weren't able to give me any info unfortunately. There was only one guy who knew about the compression line and he was ALWAYS busy. Do you have any experience wearing their compression gear? Have any pricing on it?

A bit off the 2xu topic, but do you know anything about the compression suits that fighter pilots wear?

The compression stuff from 2XU is nice. The first of ours will be arriving in the next week. Most of what is being sold in the U.S. is the black color, not the red you so frequently see in the ads.

I actually can't recall pricing off the top of my head.

The compression girdle worn by combat pilots is commonly referred to as a "G" suit. In the 60's the early G-Suits were called the "CSU-13 P" There is a later designation that ends in "60" that was used by crews of the F-4 Phantom including all versions from F-4C up to the final F-4G Wild Weasel versions.

A "G" suit works by compression, pulling compressed air from a bottle stored on the ACES II ejector seat through a hose and into the G-Suit trousers. This is the hose you see the pilot of crew chief attach when a pilot gets into his/her ejector seat. As G-forces accumulate compressed air is valved into the trousers squeezing the lower legs and trying to maintain blood volume in the upper torso to stave off "brown-out" or black out during high performance combat manuevering or aerobatics.

Another method of staving off the effects of G-forces is an isometric exercise pilot's liken to having a hard bowel movement. There is aname for this but it escapes me at the moment.

Most people get hazy around 6 g's, or six times the force of gravity.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I have comparable 2XU and Orca tops and bottoms. I am very impressed with both however I did have a problem with my 2XU top (the zipper broke) and shorts (the stitching came out). That being said I did email 2XU and got a prompt response from them - just bofore Interbike I might add. I think the gear is very good - i was disappointed to have my first purchase from them to blow out (top & bottom) but am confident they will replace both part and that it was an isolated incident.

That being said - I do think Orca gear is top notch and have never had any trouble with it (except with inventory - they don't bring a lot into the states). I would 100% recommend Orca to anyone and am very willing to try 2XU again.

This is a link to ASICS Biomorphic Compression apparel. A lot of good information there about the ASICS stuff. I was skeptical of compression at first, but I can really feel the difference. T-Racer, ChadJ and I have worn it in training, during races and I have even slept in it during hard training to aid in recovery.

http://www.asicsamerica.com/...compression_tech.htm

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Shawn
TORRE Consulting Services, LLC
http://www.TORREcs.com