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Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear
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Hi, I'm looking to get a new triathlon outfit. (I realized mine is older than my kindergartner.) I've been looking online and really like the Betty Designs ones. It seems like there are a lot of brands like this that I have never heard of- so I'm looking for suggestions of brands to look at.

I prefer more coverage on the top since I have some scars in the fold of my shoulder I prefer to try and cover (sunburn on them is no fun).

I love the bright colors.

I will be using for Xterras.

Any feedback on quality and fit would be awesome too!
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Re: Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear [Moonrocket] [ In reply to ]
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Soas is my go to. So comfortable. I'm really large on top and have to wear a sports bra with the top even though they come with a built in bra. Though, there is no padding in the shorts so that might not be good for you if you like a lot of padding. The material is less shiny and slippery than other brands so I find it really stays put (like the top doesn't try to ride up on the run).

Smashfest Queen has awesome designs but runs crazy small and has the worst return policy ever.

I like shopping for Zoot or Pearl on Zappos because of their great return policy. You can actually get a decent selection on there.
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Re: Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear [Moonrocket] [ In reply to ]
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I've been involved in triathlon for 10 years now so I've tried a LOT of tri kits. My favorites by far are Coeur Sports (http://www.coeursports.com/) and SOAS Racing (http://www.soasracing.com/). Both are quality suits that fit a wide variety of body types, have comfortable chafe free felt chamois, if you are smaller chested A/B the tops have plenty of built in support, and there are lots of pockets in both the shorts and top. The Coeur Sports chamois runs down the entire inseam of the shorts so there is no chance for chafing and the SOAS shorts have a very soft seam on their chamois so there is no chafing either. My friend just coordinated a custom order for a Coeur tri kit with a Coast Guard design and the owner Kerby is super nice and did an awesome job in helping design the suit - it's what I plan to wear at IM Louisville this year. I've worn both Coeur and SOAS suits for half-ironman distance races as well as multiple 100+ mi bike rides and had no issues - I only use tri shorts in training and racing, the padding in bike shorts are too much for me. I find that this year's SOAS designs run just a tiny bit larger than last year so if you are in between two sizes on the size chart I would size down... but I also prefer my suits to be more form fitting versus too loose.

Before this year I would have also recommended Betty Designs but they redesigned all of their suits this year - made a disasterous change to thier chamois and got rid of the built in bras for the tri tops (I understand this isn't a must have for everyone but it is for me). I bought the Garden Party Tri Kit this spring and wore it for a 102mi bike ride in May and I'm still recovering from the damage to my lady bits despite stopping to reapply chamois creme twice (which I rarely do). I spoke to the owner Kristen and she said that she hadn't heard any complaints but I have a few die hard Betty fans that also agree that the new shorts are only good for rides up to 25-30mi. They changed from a felt chamois to a very thin and VERY narrow piece of foam for their chamois with rough seams... for reference my thong underwear is wider in the crotch area than the chamois. Other than the chamois shredding my lady bits the shorts were comfortable... new yoga waist band and legs felt comfortable. If only they could go back to the old chamois design these would be solid shorts but without that change I would recommend staying clear of the shorts. If you really like the design of the Betty Kits I'd recommend getting their tops and pairing them with the Coeur Sports Little Black Shorts (http://www.coeursports.com/...tle-black-tri-shorts).


Elisha
"Triathlon doesn't build character. It reveals it."
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Re: Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear [Moonrocket] [ In reply to ]
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i think the new soas designs are SUPER pretty. i have SOAS stuff (only tri, bike and run) and love their stuff. works especially well here in teh heat of the tropics. can't wait for the new stuff to go on sale - so pretty!

http://harvestmoon6.blogspot.com
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katasmit


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Re: Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear [Moonrocket] [ In reply to ]
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Another vote for SOAS, super comfy, doesn't ride up and looks cute too!
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Re: Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear [Moonrocket] [ In reply to ]
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I haven't tried any of their tops, but I love my Shebeest shorts. As my regular bike shorts wear out, I am replacing them with Shebeest tri shorts. They have a really comfortable, thin chamois and they don't chafe.
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Re: Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear [f_ahsile04] [ In reply to ]
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I've had the opposite experience with Betty Designs - I think their new kits are fantastic. I much prefer the thin foam to the thin fleece they used to have. It dries way more quickly and doesn't bunch up. I got chafed terribly in a 70.3 in the rain (it was being wet all day I'm sure) a couple of years ago in the shorts with the fleece pad. Other than that, I liked the fleece but the new foam is way superior.

I like that it's a bit narrower (to say it's narrower than a thong is an exaggeration IMO) - I find the narrower cut of the foam chamois simply fits more anatomically correct. I use chamois cream for races 70.3 and above, but have had no chafing without and don't find the seams any different than the older fleece version.

Plus, no one has designs as cool as Betty stuff, that's for sure!
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Re: Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear [Moonrocket] [ In reply to ]
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The new Betty Designs tops have a bit more coverage, they don't have a skinny racer back anymore so more protection for the shoulder blades. Plus they are longer, which I really like as I don't like that exposed back strip when I'm riding that I get from some tops. They don't have a built-in bra anymore, which is nice as you can wear the bra that fits you best.
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Re: Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear [alligatorCAN] [ In reply to ]
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I only wish it were an exaggeration. The first two photos are my size small of the new Betty Designs Tri Shorts and size small Victoria's Secret Thongs. The last photo is the Betty Designs shorts from last year. Last year's Betty Designs shorts were much wider... as far as I know I do not have behemoth lady bits. I've never had chafing issues in any other shorts including last years Betty Shorts (and I've tried many over my last 10 years in the sport).






While the difference between felt/fleece and very thin foam may be personal preference, the narrow crotch is in excusable and it has very rough seams. Like I said fine for less than 30mi but over 30mi it was not pretty.


Elisha
"Triathlon doesn't build character. It reveals it."
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Re: Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear [f_ahsile04] [ In reply to ]
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Sorry to hear about your chafing! That's not been my experience with them, but I checked and the seams on mine aren't rough, so I wonder if you got a manufacturer's defect. I plan on wearing mine for IM Louisville, and I always use chamois cream in an IM (mainly because I think a lot of chafing is caused by being wet). Hope you heal soon!
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Re: Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear [alligatorCAN] [ In reply to ]
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Yep I always use chamois creme as well even for shorter rides. Good luck at Louisville with your Betty shorts and I hope they work out better for you than they did for me. After a rough 102mi ride I learned my lesson. I wanted to wear Betty because I love their edgy designs but I have since become a Coeur Sports convert and I'll be wearing their shorts at Louisville this year... their seam free chamois is awesome: http://www.coeursports.com/...s?variant=1037722225.


Elisha
"Triathlon doesn't build character. It reveals it."
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Re: Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear [f_ahsile04] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for all of the feedback!

I'm a pretty big fan of padding in my shorts. Maybe I will mix and match brands. I love the Soas colors, but prefer more coverage. I like no built in bra since I always wear one under anyway. I think I'm going to order a Betty top since I love the colors.
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Re: Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear [Moonrocket] [ In reply to ]
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I highly recommend Garneau tri suits... super light and comfortable. For more shoulder coverage, I'd go with the regular Pro tri suit (or 2 piece, if that's your preference). I've got the Pro ITU style suit this year -- the fabric is so thin and comfy it's like you're not wearing anything. Their "elite chamois" is perfect too, which is a huge draw for me. Because if you're uncomfortable in that particular region, it can wreck your whole day.
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Re: Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear [Moonrocket] [ In reply to ]
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Another Soas vote. Just got my first a few weeks ago. I've had time to do a 3 hour ride and a few bricks in it. It is so very made and extremely comfortable. Not to mention the styling is pretty neat.
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Re: Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear [Moonrocket] [ In reply to ]
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I'm a huge fan of SOAS Racing. I'm a brand ambassador since I love them so much. The shorts are the best I've worn. I also have a discount code on my blog right sidebar if you're interested (link in signature). I don't get anything from people using it - just want to share!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cynthia
Blog: http://yousignedupforwhat.com/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/yousignedup FB: http://www.facebook.com/yousignedupforwhat IG: http://instagram.com/yousignedupforwhat
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Re: Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear [Moonrocket] [ In reply to ]
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Another option is the Wattie Ink gear. As a member of Moxie Nation we use the Wattie Ink stuff and I really like it. The chamois on the shorts are a bit rough but if you use some anti-chafe around the seams, no prob. I prefer more low rise shorts so if that is something you like, this might be a good option. When I first wore the top (Texas 70.3 was the first race I wore it for) it felt super tight and I thought I was in a size too small but actually it fit well and has a grip at the bottom so it stays put. I train with the gear regularly too.

Other shorts I like are the Desoto carrera low rise. minimal padding, which is what I like but stays put and is comfy. I have not worn either for anything > 60 miles though.

-Chris
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Re: Brands to look at for Women's Tri Gear [sportyone13] [ In reply to ]
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Im with Coeur and Soas! I also like the way Pearl Izumi bottoms fit- not in love with their designs though.
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