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Triathlon Kit Tips

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Trigirl’s Triathlon Wetsuit Buying Advice for Larger Sized Women

It is important that your triathlon wetsuit fits you well – not too tight and not too big. But what do you do, if your wetsuit size is not available? What if you are looking for a women’s larger sized triathlon wetsuit? And why are XXL women’s wetsuits so hard to find?

Since this appears to affect quite a few women, we have gathered a few tips on larger sized triathlon wetsuits for women. 

A good fit is key

A good wetsuit fit for open water swimming or triathlon is important because it will enable you to swim well (and fast) without giving you a feeling of restriction. If your wetsuit is too small, it can restrict your blood circulation causing your legs to cramp. If your wetsuit is too big, water can enter through the collar and cuffs and exit through your leg hem and back zip as you swim. This means new, cold water constantly flushes through and your suit will not keep you warm and you will get cold quickly. 

You want to swim, not surf

Surfing wetsuits are available in a much larger range of sizes (and usually at a lower price point too), and so you may be tempted to opt for a women’s surf wetsuit instead. However, a surfing wetsuit will not work. Open water swim wetsuits are designed to improve your body position when you swim front crawl. Buoyant and flexible neoprene panels are combined in a clever way to allow you to swim more efficiently. Generally speaking, the shoulder area features highly flexible neoprene to help your front crawl arm movement. The legs feature thicker neoprene to aid buoyancy. 

Neoprene thickness and properties are very different in a surfing wetsuit. Surfing wetsuits are predominantly designed to keep you warm as you stride atop the surfboard. Swimming wetsuits are designed to make you swim faster in the water. Insulation is less important as you constantly move while swimming.

High quality, open water beginner swimming wetsuits have become like gold dust in recent weeks – even expensive mid-range wetsuits have sold out fast.

Covid-19 has disrupted everyone’s 2020 triathlon training and racing agenda. Although most races are cancelled for this year, each separate discipline of triathlon has seen a surge in participation. Open water swimming is booming as a result of pool closures. Summer weather has also prompted people to look for social distanced exercise outdoors. When open water swim venues re-opened a few weeks ago, they have been swamped. 

So what wetsuit can you buy if you are on a budget?

Open Water Swimming Beginner WetsuitThe wetsuit experts from Zone3 are launching a new open water beginner wetsuit – the Valour. Offering a perfect mix of flexibility and buoyancy, at an affordable price, the Valour is ideal if you want to try open water swimming this summer. With an emphasis on comfort, the Valour offers some excellent features, usually only found in more expensive wetsuits. 

An innovative “Extreme Flex” inner-lining material gives excellent flexibility around the shoulders and arms for a comfortable and energy efficient swim. The low neckline and perfect fit, as well as fully stitched and glue bonded seams throughout, make it one of the best value entry level wetsuits available.

Check out the full product description and all features of the Valour here

Trigirl have been very lucky to get hold of a few of these very much anticipated entry level wetsuits for you. Available in the most popular sizes SM, M and L, you can pre-order the Valour (£169) from our website today for delivery mid of July. But be quick as stock is very limited and expected to sell quickly.

Enjoy your swim!

You may also be interested in our article Wetsuit Buying Tips here.

The (literal) irritation of triathlon chafing

When you thought about doing a triathlon, you considered whether you had time in your life to train, whether you were fit enough for the challenge, or if you could make it to the finish line. Something you probably didn’t think about was chafing- ouch!

We pride ourselves at designing our triathlon clothing to minimise the risk of chafing. We flatlock our kit so there are no bulky seams to deal with. Our suits are made of high-performance, quick-dry fabrics. We cut arm and leg holes so that they hit in the most comfortable spots.

However, even with all of that, when you combine moisture and friction over time, there’s still a chance of chafing. In fact, you may find similar in the form of hot spots or blisters on your feet when running.

Neoprene warmth vest review by Jemima Cooper

Loving Open Water Swimming – Warmth in the Water!

I hate being cold. My lips go blue and I shake like crazy. I lose feeling in my feet, not to mention, I get incredibly grumpy. So when my coach said “why don’t you go open water swimming?” last week (this is British May!) I obviously wasn’t so chuffed!

Luckily for me, Trigirl stepped in with a snazzy under-wetsuit top, Zone3’s neoprene warmth vest, and it saved the day!! 

My thoughts on this little addition to your swim wardrobe: 

The idea behind the Zone3 neoprene warmth vest is to add a bit of extra warmth for open water or pool-based swimming. 

Want to show your triathlon pride, even when you’re not racing or training? Looking for an extra layer to wear pre- and post-race? How about one (or more!) of our new Trigirl Triathlon T-shirts?

Our new T-shirts are soft, stylish and feature a female triathlete swimming, cycling and running. The perfect way to show your triathlon love and your tri-girl power!

In two styles and three colour choices, Trigirl Triathlon T-shirts are 100% cotton or a super-soft cotton-poly blend, depending on style. Great for when you’re recovering– or just relaxing! Each T-shirt coordinates with Trigirl capris and  tri shorts, too, so putting together the perfect outfit is a snap!

Spice trisuit reviewKay reviews Trigirl’s latest one-piece trisuit

With my race only a few weeks away, I was really looking forward to getting my hands on my new Trigirl trisuit. I wanted to start to put the individual events together and understand what it feels like to do the cycle leg straight from the water.

So, I opted for the Spice trisuit in Paradise Bay. It’s a lovely electric blue with a contrasting turquoise on the front zip and back neckline. It’s lightweight and breathable, with mesh panels on the back and lower legs to keep you cool and speed up drying.

I was itching to test it out and wasn’t disappointed. The chamois was comfortable, low profile and super quick to dry. The legs didn’t ride up, and I have had no chafing. The rear pockets held gels safely in place.

It’s a flattering fit – you can tell these girls know what they’re doing! The legs are a good length and I was relieved to see it wasn’t see-through when wet. It’s very comfy, too, with no digging in around the armholes or straps and the whole thing dried very quickly.

In conclusion, this is a lovely piece of kit. I’m confident it will perform technically and comfort is one less thing I’ll have to worry about on race day. I think I feel the part now too. I’m less like the novice and more like a woman who means business – bring it on!

Zone3’s ingenious neoprene vest for open water swimmers is now available at Trigirl.com

Neoprene Vest for Openwater SwimmersDo you ever feel like your wetsuit isn’t keeping you warm enough? That you’d love to start open water swimming earlier in the season or keep swimming later into the year, but just can’t bear the cold water?

Trigirl is now carrying Zone3’s Neoprene Warmth Vest, an excellent solution to help cold open water swimmers.

Most women we know tend to ‘feel the cold’ a bit more than our male triathlete counterparts, which is why Trigirl loves the Zone3 neoprene vest. Form-fitting* with a high neck, the 2mm thick layer fits comfortably under a wetsuit, but makes chilly swimming far more enjoyable. A titanium coating applied to the internal material takes it a step further, additionally helping to maintain your core temperature. We’ve been wearing them ourselves and it’s amazing how much more we’re enjoying our open water swims!

The warmth vest can also be used when the weather/ water is warmer, but not quite warm enough to go without a wetsuit.

Click here to buy the Zone3 warmth vest or check out the rest of our webshop at trigirl.com.
* Please be sure to read sizing information to ensure a great fit.

two-piece-trisuit-or-one-piece-trisuitWe hear the question all of the time, ‘Should I buy a two-piece trisuit or one-piece?’

It should be a matter of personal preference, but it seems everyone wants to weigh in: ‘My coach said I should only get a one-piece’, ‘My friend says two-piece all the way’, ‘But the pros all wear one-pieces’… even I have written an article for Trigirl on why I love my two-piece trisuit!

There are pros for both options, so to help guide you in your choice, we offer our latest article on the pros of both one-piece and two-piece trisuits.

If you already have a strong preference one way or the other, we’d love to hear from you. Let us know why you love your one- (or two-!) piece.

Read our latest article here.

Trigirl adds women’s cycling kit to our range!

Women's Cycling KitCycling fever has swept the country – from numerous Team GB medals in the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, to the number of people cycling throughout the country for fun and fitness, to the Tour de France starting on our shores in 2014… We’ve definitely been bitten by the cycling bug!

We love riding our bikes at Trigirl, so as the company continues to grow and we look for new ways to bring you the best women’s-specific gear, fabulous cycling kit seemed like the perfect way for us to expand our collection.

Without further ado, we introduce Trigirl’s cycling range! We’ve taken all of the attention to detail and fit that we apply to our triathlon clothing and created lovely cycling-specific kit, just for women.

Why women’s cycling kit versus triathlon kit?

Of course, our triathlon kit works wonderfully for cycling, but when you don’t also have to swim and run, your needs are a bit different and our cycling kit reflects that. Our cycling top, for example, is made from WonderPlume material, a wonderfully breathable fabric that is super-soft, but offers a more relaxed fit than our tri tops. There are cycling-specific pockets, which would cause drag while swimming, but are aerodynamic on the bike and perfect for carrying anything from a couple of energy gels to a handheld tyre pump.

Our fabulous Cadence cycling shorts offer  renowned Trigirl details, such as a high-cut back waistband to keep your lower back covered and soft gripper tape in the hem to keep the shorts perfectly in place. But since you don’t need to run in them as well, our cycling shorts have a cycling-specific pad, with the same quick-dry properties as our tri-specific pads, but with a little extra strategically-placed cushion to keep you comfortable on rides of any length.

And our cycling kit looks great, whether you’re riding all out in a peloton sprint or going for a leisurely spin to the local cafe.

Perhaps best of all, if you purchase one of our cycling-specific packages, you’ll save 15% off the price of buying the items separately!

So catch the cycling fever but still look and feel great- in Trigirl cycling kit!

Wetsuit TrigirlAfter months of swimming indoors in an overheated, chlorinated, lucky-if-it’s even-25-metres pool, it is with great joy that we announce that it is officially open water swim season here in London!

There may be those die-hard open water swimmers amongst you asking, ‘Isn’t it always open water swimming season?!’, but here at Trigirl we are not ashamed to admit that we prefer our swimming water at least 10 degrees before we take the plunge. And local lakes are opening up now that their magic 12-degree barrier has at last been reached, so we’re not alone in our preference!

Looking for a versatile layer to keep warm and cosy during autumn training? Our new armwarmers are just the ticket. Armwarmers are perfect to convert a short-sleeved top into a long-sleeved one, or under a jacket to keep your arms extra toasty, but they’re compact and packable if you’ve warmed up and no longer need them. A great way to extend your summer kit and a must for the UK’s ever-changing weather!

Our armwarmers match our tubular headscarves (the set makes a great gift!) and with a unisex ‘trikit’ logo, they are perfect to keep both trigirls and triguys warm in the months to come.

Click here to shop.

When it comes to your triathlon kit, you probably spend a decent amount of time and energy finding the right trainers, the best bike, the most comfortable shorts.

But what about your sports bra? Buying a good one – and taking care of it – is important. Read our tips for what to look for, how your sports bra should fit and how to properly care for your bra once you’ve found the perfect one.