It seems to me that the tri tops with pockets, whether on the side or on the back, turn in to parachutes in the water, making it more difficult to swim. I’ve asked the guy at the local tri shop a couple of times but the only answer I get is: “they wouldn’t put it on there if it slowed you down”. Really?
Or is the time lost in the swim wearing a tri top with pockets less than the time lost jacking with the tri top in T1? Has anybody done a time trial with the tri top on and compared it to the same TT with it off? Did you notice any difference in time and/or effort? For $70+, why would I want a tri specific top……unless it didn’t have pockets?
BTW….I am a male.
You’re right. I have a tri top with side pockets that acts like a drag suit in the water. I have other tri tops with no pockets at all which are super slippery. A lot of folks wear swim skins or wetsuits over their tri tops, so it wouldn’t make a difference to them. If you’re racing with a wetsuit/skin, or just using a top for training, the pockets are fine. But if you’re racing in it, those pockets will slow you down.