Just wanted to post this as I noticed that Descente got a pretty bad review in Inside Tri’s buyers guide “scratchy,” was the word I believe. Well the order finally came into the store I work at last week and curious to see how stuff this amazing looking could receive a bad write up I tried it on. I was also in the hunt for a skintight tri-top in white and the Descent top looked perfect.
This stuff is NOT scratchy and fit’s beautifully. The fabric on the tops is really nice and conforms really well without being claustrophobic and making you feel like a sausage. I swam in this top yesterday during a mini practice tri and had a PR swim (granted it’s my first oly swim of the year and I’ve been really working hard at it) but this top is very swimmable which is a rarity in wide shouldered tops. I can swim in my Orca “man-bra” top but the Descente looks a hell of a lot better and is much less restrictive. The top has a nice looong semi-hidden zipper which zips cleanly with no excess fabric. Two small back pockets are just right for a gel packet or small flask. Don’t try to fit anything else in there though, they are strictly race pockets. The arm binding was ultra clean and I didn’t chafe at all which was surprising as I had chewed my pits up two days before trying out my TYR aquashift suit. I think I’ve found my new dream top!
-Note, this top fits pretty small. I’m 5’10", 150lbs and normally buy size small for a swimmable fit. Had to go med in this and the tri-suit.
I checked with the rep and he mentioned that the review was on a sample suit and they would be rereviewing it in a future issue. I actually checked out the product samples months ago and remember not being very impressed so I can see the negative review. The production stuff is very nice though.
Tried the suit on too. Nice bike pad, very plush fleece. TIGHT fitting lower back. Perfect for me as I’m a skinny guy but for bigger guys try before you buy. This is only the second tri-suit I’ve tried on that didn’t leave a huge air-gap right at the small of my back(desoto being the other). I’ve tried on a lot of suits (TYR, SPEEDO, DESOTO, ZOOT, SUGOI, IRONMAN, HIND) and while I liked most of them none of them fit my back that well, so if you have the same problem check out the Descente. Shorts were nice, not super compressive but nice light fabric, kind of an mix between “power” type Lycra and Desoto short support.
*Disclaimer-I’m not sponsored or anything by Descente but work at a shop that is selling it along with Zoot, Desoto, Pearl, Oomph and others. I am sponsored by Hammer Gel which is the same product rep as Descente but I’m buying my Descente stuff not getting it free (I wish) and tried it out and loved it on my own accord not the reps. It’s just really sweet stuff and I figured some might pass it up because of the bad review. It’s worth checking out.
Hmm, don’t know about anyone who sells it online. I do know that all the stores just got thier shipments last week at the earliest and some are still waiting. If you get desperate you could call the Running Room in Hawaii and we could send you what you wanted. We don’t specialize in mail order sales though and as the size is a little tricky I’d say you should try it on if you can find it.
I wasn’t going to post about it but I used it on Sunday for a practice tri with this big tri-training group and a lot of people were wondering where I got it. It’s hard to find nice fitted tri tops with more shoulder coverage that you can actually swim in.
Excel Sports 800 627-6664, excelsports.com has them in their new catalog I just received. I don’t see them online. The Aero-XT Triathlon Top is $59.95 and the Aero-XT Shorts are the same price.
What do you think of the Pearl Ixumi tri shorts? How is the pad? I biked IRONMAN NZ in Microsensor shorts and they felt much 10x better than Zoot, Desoto, RNH, and others I have tried that just have a fleece pad. I’ll took the extra 15 seconds to change out of them for the run, but would like to be able to avoid that if possible.
Almost twenty years ago, the first pair of higher-end bike shorts I purchased were Descente. I wore them until there were parts of me showing through that should never see daylight!!! I still have them in the bottom of a drawer somewhere.
Always thought they were comfortable…glad to see them making a comeback!!
What do you think of the Pearl Ixumi tri shorts? How is the pad? I biked IRONMAN NZ in Microsensor shorts and they felt much 10x better than Zoot, Desoto, RNH, and others I have tried that just have a fleece pad. I’ll took the extra 15 seconds to change out of them for the run, but would like to be able to avoid that if possible.
Barefoot
I just bought a pair of these, and I think they are great. I’d rather run in them than in my running shorts; my longest run so far in them was 7.4 miles. I’ve biked with them only once or twice, and they seem fine. The pad is minimal.
good point, I didn’t even notice that until you pointed it out!
but otherwise, yeah they seem to have some really nice gear. I had never really heard of them before as being from Hawaii I’m definetely not a skier and haven’t been in cycling long enough to know about when they were big there either.
don’t know why the wide shoulders, it’s just a nice option. And it’s not really that wide just wider than most other swimmable tops but about the same as most tri suits out there. I just wanted something to wear for hotter races, something in white that might keep me a little cooler than going topless. Also being in Hawaii I have to be able to swim in the top as well and that means that most of the tops out there except for the Orca and I guess the Desoto aero top are out of the question. I have the Orca and it is great but too tight on the run sometimes and I’ve tried the Desoto but it feels like it’s sucking up water on the swim and flapps in the wind when I ride. I’m doing a race this weekend in Kona which will be an oven on the run if it’s like previous years and then a half Ironman there again in a few months.
yup Honu it is, funny I used to like narrow shoulder tops a lot more, but I can never find many tops that I can swim that don’t show a lot of stomach. Not that that’s a bad thing of course but sometimes I just feel that if I’m going for the man-bra look I need to compliment it with the obligatory speedo bottom and I am in no way going there!
Usually I race in a one piece though.
Yeah, I was caught in the “1st race in a week, crap my suit from last year is trashed and I haven’t picked up anything new yet” situation last week. Got lucky on the Descente top.
I’m w/ you there. Hawaii’s too hot for one piece, so I need to find a cool jersey that is tight enough to swim in, narrow at the shoulders, and tight in the waist. I, too, have a small waist relative to my upper body.
good point, I didn’t even notice that until you pointed it out!