Seems like most Tri Shorts aren’t designed for use in chlorinated pools? Is the chlorine really that harmful? What should I expect could happen?
They will wear faster as the chlorine destroys the fabric.
Seems to chew them up pretty fast - although I think the spin dryer is a culprit as well. They just seem to wear out where they stretch the most very quickly. I’ve had them “give up” in the pool before. Not good.
- Mike
You will look like that guy in front of me on the bike in last week’s race. You could see his entire butt crack, top to bottom, through his shorts. Not a good look. I felt so bad for him I was going to say something but I was about to puke so I just hammered ahead of him and tried extra hard to stay in front.
Occasional exposure to chlorine will not ruin any of our garments, but it will shorten their lifespan. This is the case for all tri garments and all brands. Any garment that has lycra or spandex (the fiber that allows a garment to stretch) will be eventually ruined by chlorine, as there really is no such things as a completely chlorine resistant fabric. It all falls apart eventually. None of our trishorts are designed for swim workouts, but our Forza Tri Shorts appear to last the longest in chlorine over other shorts. Keep in mind though that they too will deteriorate in chlorine. Best thing is to try them out…they hold up pretty well, we just try to protect ourselves from warranty issues if people swim in chlorine.
THERE IS NO FABRIC THAT STRETCHES THAT IS TRULY CHLORINE RESISTANT. CHLORINE WILL RUIN ANY GARMENT.
Please note though, these Trishorts are not swimsuits designed to be used regularly in chlorinated pools. They are great to train in for swimming in lakes or ocean, but chlorine will ruin any trishort.
A Tip from Emilio: Prolong the life of your clothing.
The information below applies to just about all brands of triathlon apparel, but I am referring only to care of De Soto Products.
To prolong the life of your tri clothing:
- Do not wear them in hot showers, hot Jacuzzis, steam rooms, saunas, and do not wash in hot water. Hot water and hot surfaces burns the Lycra or spandex fibers, leaving the material see-through after a short time.
- Do not put them in the dryer, do not place them near a heater, and do not dry them with a hair dryer, oven, or microwave (yep I have heard it all). Suit spinners are fine, but nothing that emits heat.
- Use the product! Do not store it inside a drawer buried under other garments. Have you ever pulled something you have not worn in a long time (like a swimsuit or underwear), and stretched the elastic on it to find that it stays stretched out and it no longer has “elasticity?” It has dried up and deteriorated on you from sitting in that drawer.
- Chlorine will shorten the life of a garment, especially a garment that has spandex or lycra in it. Swimming pools will regularly be “super-chlorinated” (a process done to burn up the pollutants with strong oxidizing chemicals) and there will spots of excessively concentrated chlorine that will ruin garments. Do not swim in your most valued Tri Shorts as they will not last long in the pool.
And the worst, and least known destroyer of tri clothing - Do not wrap your garments in a towel and do not stuff them in your gear bag. Also keep them out of plastic bags. Bacteria starts to form within 120 minutes on any moist surface that is restricted to fresh air. The best thing to do after using a tri short or a tri suit is to rinse it immediately in cold water and let it breathe, let it get lots of air…fresh air. Let it hang on the outside of your pack, or place it in large mesh pocket that gets a lot of air.
Typical lycra/spandex swim trunks would only last me ~6-9 months swimming in chlorine 3-4X week. I bought a Tyr “durafast” suit which is primarily made from polyester and it’s holding up great after a year and a half. Highly recommend this fabric.
Scott
Tri-shorts: $60/pair +
Jammers: ~$30/pair.
Both decay at the same rate.
Cheaper to not swim in the pool in tri-shorts.
-Jot
Tri-shorts: $60/pair +
Jammers: ~$30/pair.
Both decay at the same rate.
Cheaper to not swim in the pool in tri-shorts.
-Jot
+2.
It’s not that tri-shorts have any particular issue with Chlorine…and I’ve often done run/swim or spin/swim workouts where I use my tri shorts just because I run from the first workout to the pool.
I’ve completely ruined two pairs of tri shorts in the pool. Different manufacturers too. I bet neither one had more than 5 swims in them. I don’t know if it is the chemicals in this particular pool or what it is. I was always careful to immediately get out & thoroughly rinse the shorts in the shower. I would have never put them in the dryer, but maybe my wife did? I dunno. I will never wear them in a pool again though.
Why would you, or anyone for that matter, wear tri shorts in a pool?
I bought a few pairs of these because my tri shorts weren’t holding up in the pool and they were about the cheapest replacements I could find. They’ve lasted me over a year with almost no signs of wear and they look nice to boot.
http://stores.ebay.com/dance-w-shark_Mens-swimwer-30-32_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ7141728QQftidZ2QQtZkm
Re: Tri Shorts in a Pool, Why Not?
Because you’ll look like the tool at my pool who swims in tri shorts, and then goes to the changing room next to the pool to put on a Speedo to walk through the gym to the locker room. WTF is that about?
You will look like that guy in front of me on the bike in last week’s race. You could see his entire butt crack, top to bottom, through his shorts. Not a good look. I felt so bad for him I was going to say something but I was about to puke so I just hammered ahead of him and tried extra hard to stay in front.
Goodness gracious! I almost spit coffee out my nose into my keyboard!
I have much better memories… a month ago I was riding around NYC’s Central Park and there was a European tourist who rented a bike to ride. Her pants were so low and shirt too short that I could see her undies (thongs) from the back.
If you are a dude, the first thing you will notice will be your junk bouncing around as the shorts lose their elastic. Don’t ask me how i know. While we are on swim wear, replace your swim suit before the rear seam gives out. Don’t ask me how I know.
Why would you, or anyone for that matter, wear tri shorts in a pool?
i run 25 minutes to the pool, do my swim workout, run home.
Why would you, or anyone for that matter, wear tri shorts in a pool?
i run 25 minutes to the pool, do my swim workout, run home.
Then Jammers were made for you.
ya i run with those too, but they are a little tighter on the leg. i have 1 pair of industrial strength nylon (feels like anyways) jammers. they swim better, but the tri shorts run better.
I used to wear my tri shorts when I went to the pool. I was too cheap to buy tri shorts and jammers or some other dedicated swimwear. Finally this year I decided to spring for a couple pairs of jammers. Now I don’t wear my tri shorts to the pool. Nothing really wrong with doing so but they do tend to wear out faster.
Do yourself a favor and buy a polyester training suit - - they. They last forever. Save the spandex and lycra for non-chlorinated environments.