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Hey everyone - I'm working for Apknite - an MMO company but outside the working hours, I'm a swimmer and cyclist.
I signed up for a full IM and want to get a jump on gear. I have a sleeveless wetsuit for the swim and know most wear their trisuit underneath. Trisuits I'm seeing have much less saddle padding than what I might otherwise wear on a long ride. Is that just life? Is there a secret I'm missing here like throwing on a pair of riding shorts over the trisuit? Any info or experience of riding gear in relation to the swim and then run without a huge diaper of padding would be greatly appreciated even if anecdotal.
Cheers!
Yes, trisuits have a thinner chamois intentionally as it is designed to not be cumbersome for the run. That said, if you feel more comfortable, have a different suit for riding and running. You do you.
Now stand-by for the anti-sleeveless wetsuit comments.
If you have a good saddle that fits you well then a well padded short will be less comfortable.
On a short nosed saddle (eg ISM) in aero it will be positively uncomfortable.
There is no rule against changing clothes so you bike in bibs and run in running shorts. It used to be common practice to change in the open in transition for long distance races. I remain of the opinion trisuits only became popular over the longer distances because people got weird about nudity in transition. Now most full distance races ban nudity and provide changing facilities if you want to change but it is not uncommon to see towels being used discrete in transition even if against the rules.
Personally I have never found a tri suit I like running in. I come from a running back ground and I hate feeling restricted so it is split legs shorts all the way. On this basis I go down the route of changing before the run. I would rather sacrifice the time in transition than be uncomfortable during the run but I am also not running a sub-3 marathon and competing for the podium so I don't lose sleep over a few minutes.
On more general terms I am also a 100% fan of two piece tri-suits. They may be marginally slower than a properly fitted skin suit but getting the fitting right on a two-piece is so much easier. Even a slightly ill-fitted tri-suit will be slower and more a hassle to take on and off. If you are male the DeSoto Fli bibs are especially nice for races where a pee break is essential.
You can simply change in T1. Some people put on cycling shorts over their tri-suit with good results on the bike. My saddle works better with a tri-suit than most cycling shorts....weird I know but I'm glad for that.
Short sleeve suits IMO are better than sleeveless, they are faster and better sun protection. A good short sleeve suit is just as good at a cooling effect if not better than sleeveless too.