Hey
Who uses Desot clothing here? How is the quality and fit? What about their womens clothes? Thanks
I train and race in a lot of their stuff and love it. I have some of the tri shorts that are several years old which I only use for swimming and they hold up pretty well to the chlorine. I race in the Power Tri shorts and I really like the material and the fit, they don’t soak up sweat and feel dry almost as soon as you finish running. I don’t like most of their tops because they fit too snug, I prefer the Zoot or Titan tops. My wife wears some of the DeSoto stuff and likes it too.
I have used De Soto for about 7 years. Quality is excellent, I am still using some of the cycle jerseys and tri shorts from that season! Fit is about “normal”, I guess I mean it is what size it is supposed to be. Our female team members are big fans of the tri shorts as there are no seams in the “wrong” places, if you know what I mean.
Personally, I only race in their power suits. They are superbly comfortable, even for IM.
I train and race in some of their power skinsuits and I love them. I will definitely buy more next time I’m looking for something. I wear them under my wetsuit and ride/run in them. Very comfortable, doesn’t get soggy or stay wet long.
I’ve been wearing DeSoto stuff for six years, and I have no intention of changing. HOWEVER, I am a bit disappointed in their new Power Tri Short, which doesn’t have the single pocket and seems to have a more robust cycling pad than I need. The P.T.S. with the four pockets is outstanding for long distances, as are the tri tops, which provide solid shoulder coverage. As for quality, I have never had a problem with intrusive seams on anything, and the race clothing appears to last forever.
I also think their running hat is the best one on the market. The visor/bill on it is thin and light, yet sturdy, and it just doesn’t get saturated as do other hats. It doesn’t have a terrycloth liner, but to my mind those just get saturated quickly when training or racing hard and become more bother than they are worth.
As for their clothes for women, uh, they look fine on the models in the DeSoto catalog…
I wear almost exclusively DeSoto clothing for training and only DeSoto for racing (including wetsuit). Quality is excellent and service is extraordinary. Call or e-mail a question, and you’ll likely end up talking to Emilio himself.
I have some favorite cycling jerseys that aren’t DeSoto, but the relatively recent addition of DeSoto bib training shorts has caused me to put away the last of my Pearl Azumi stuff. The bibs are wonderfully comfortable and have convenient leg and back mesh pockets.
On sizing, the shirts tend toward snug, whereas the shorts are just as the fit chart says. I’m 6’2", 175, 32" waist, 42" chest. I wear medium shorts and large tops. My Skinsuit is medium and lives up to its name; I think of it as motivating.
David
Their quality is the best. Period.
However, I don’t like their clothes much (although I own a number of sets from national team uniforms). The men’s briefs ride up in the butt, the “aero” top doesn’t come in a size XS. The lycra top with no sleves chafes like crazy because the arm holes are small and the zipper has heavy duty stitching. The tri-shorts bunch up and chafe. The power tri shorts are very oddly cut and come up over my belly button, and so they bunch up and chafe.
My two cents…
Have you tried the De Soto Arm Cooler™ Sleeves - New Invention! (#AC5)? The idea seems to have merit. just wondering if they really work.
… contrary to what you wear in the winter to keep your arms warm, this set of sleeves keep you cooler in hot weather…
I like their shorts. I own 3 pairs of them. I do find the women’s tops run a little small. Their medium fits more like a small.
I’m not crazy about this year’s colors. I liked the brighter colors better then the pastels they’re featuring this year. I can especially do without the pink!
the best race day suits made…period. the wife uses the mens skin suits. i like the skin suit with sleaves. the power shorts perform as advertised.
I can’t speak to their women’s clothing since we don’t sell much of it, but we do sell a lot of the men’s stuff and it is top notch. Customers like it and sells well. No problems with stuff coming back either.
There are quite a few posts on this forum about customers who had personal contact with Emilion, the company founder, over questions they had about product. They are a five star operation IMO.
I use DSS shorts and Sugoi, prefering the Sugoi elastic gripper band - my Desotos seem to bunch up and rise up the leg
Otherwise the DSS shorts are very well made, as are their tri tops
.
Emilio hooked me on DeSoto two years ago. I would almost buy the stuff just to support a business that’s all about customer service HOWEVER, I also like the stuff very much. I think the power tri shorts are great, I have no problems with fit and I’m hard to fit. I also use and love the two peice wetsuit.
Likewise, top notch company.
I bought their tri bathing bikini last fall and the bottom got worn out pretty quickly.
In spite of that, I bought a skinsuit and am optimistic that it will hold up well.
I am a woman and the Desoto tri shorts are by far my favorite pair. I haven’t had them for long, so I can’t say how they hold up. It’s a great fit though, for me at least. I got sick of my Zoot shorts b/c the elastic squeezes my legs and I swear it cuts of my circulation–and I have skinny legs!
I tried on their tops and found them too short. I don’t like it when they hit around the belly button (it’s all tummy, or no tummy with me).
I have the power tri short and love it. I haven’t bought anythimg else of theirs but own a set of “Sugio” shorts and will wear themm only as alast resort over my power tri shorts, and never to race.
I bought a pair of Power Tri Shorts about 6 or 7 years ago. In early 2001 I wore them for an adventure race, fully expecting they’d be trashed by the end. Well, they got abraded by boulders and tugged by trees, smothered in soil and dragged over stream beds, and came out of the wash looking new (wish I could say the same for my legs after that race.) Wore them in a race last week, in fact.
I’m still wearing them for long runs and for most swims at the pool, and they only have one minor issue where the thread has unraveled a bit.
For cycling gear I’ve worn all brands of shorts at all price points, and if I’m going to ride in a tri position at any time in a ride the Power Bibs are my top choice. I also love them for brick workouts as they are comfy for running afterwards. I just throw in a short-sleeved shirt like the Peaceful Tribe T-shirt and I’m out of my 16th floor transition area and in the elevator in a flash.
Good people, great stuff. I’ll be looking to give the wetsuits a try next time I’m in the market for a new one.
Been wearing DeSoto stuff for about 7-8 yrs.
I train and race in the stuff… and, it is clothing of high quality… has excellent customer service… and has very practical design.
They seem to pay a lot of attention to details and are constantly looking for things to improve on…
I have tried numerous other tri-clothing and find them always on the top in overall performance/comfort/quality.
FWIW Joe Moya
I use the tri shorts, power tri shorts, and zip tri jersey for racing, and baggy running shorts for training. Squid lid is comfortable and good for cold water swims. Great quality - good fit. Best customer service of any tri related business that I’ve dealt with. You can feel good about supporting Desoto. Oh yeah - Thanks Emilio!