Heather Fell: Sleeves or no sleeves? That is the question and it is the question that a lot
of triathletes, when going to buy their first tri suit, sometimes even their second and third
tri suit, are asking. There is a lot to consider. How do you know which one is right for you? Well,
that is why we're here to help so we're going to be covering the points
for both of them so by the end of this video you could, hopefully, work out which one suits you.
[music] As with so many of these
questions, there is no simple, straightforward answer. Trends are always changing and rules
changing as well. It was only as recent as 2016 that the World Triathlon Corporation
changed the rules actually allowing sleeved tri suits to come into competition. Whereas the ITU
didn't follow and they kept the rules as being no sleeves are allowed so if you watch any Olympic
or professional style WTS racing, you'll notice that they're all just wearing sleeveless suits.
Now, when it comes to long-course racing, the athletes now have the choice and, straightaway,
a lot went straight to the sleeved suits, but, however, quite a few have remained
in sleeveless. There's still that diversity now, so, if the pros are mixed, how are we supposed
to choose what is best? Well, both have pros and cons so you need to work out what is most
important for you. Today, we're going to cover seven points or seven things to consider, so
let's take a look. [music]
Mobility in the swim. Obviously, focusing on the shoulders, a sleeveless suit tends
to give you more mobility because there's nothing covering your shoulder compared to a sleeved suit.
Obviously, it does depend on the fit. If you've got something that isn't too tight you've got
a little bit more mobility when it comes to swimming, however, that is less aero,
whereas a tighter suit is going to be more aero when you come to the bike.
There is a way around that, though. You can actually swim with it off your shoulder,
so around your waist, underneath something else, but you've just got to be sure that
you can get it on quickly in T1, done up over your shoulders, and zipped up in that time.
[music] Following on from the previous point is the
resistance and drag in the swim. You might want to consider whether your race or the races you're
going to be doing in be wetsuit or non-wetsuit. If it's a wetsuit swim then that's irrelevant because
it's all tucked away nicely underneath that. However, if a non-wetsuit swim, then you need
to consider if you're going to swim just in your tri suit, and if it's a little bit baggy, it could
add a bit of drag and be billowing around. You do have the option, obviously, of wearing
a swimskin over the top of it. If you've got a sleeved tri suit, then ideally you want to have
a sleeved swimskin which could start to feel a little bit restrictive. You do have the other
option, though, of, if you have a sleeveless swimskin, you can, again, like I mentioned
earlier, fold it down underneath, but you've just got to be sure that you can get your swimskin off
and get that on quite quickly in T1. [music]
Aerodynamic benefits on the bike. Believe it or not, a tri suit is actually-- The material made
from it is more aerodynamic than your skin. There's a couple of things to consider here.
If you're going to be doing draft-legal races then you don't need that aerodynamic benefit.
It's just written off, and also, it's the fit of your tri suit,
because if it is a little bit baggy then that's not going to be as aerodynamic as your skin.
However, a well-fitting tri suit in a non-drafting race
will be more aerodynamic and that's why in races like Kona, where it's very much for aerodynamics
for the pros and the age groupers alike, you'll see the majority of the field actually wearing
sleeved tri suits. [music]
Speed at the loo stop or the toilet break. Here's something you might want to consider. Hopefully,
it's only something you need to think about if you're doing longer distance races, but really,
there's not going to be very much difference. Maybe just a few seconds in taking a sleeved suit
off compared to taking a sleeveless suit off. When it comes to putting it back on, sometimes the arms
can be a little bit twisted, but hopefully, you're only going to do that once in a race, maybe.
If you are worried you're going to need several loo stops, then you can always opt for a two-piece
tri suit but they're definitely less popular now. [music]
Temperature control. This can actually go both ways because having nothing on
your arms, having your arms free and your armpits free allows for
plenty of heat dissipation from your skin. However, a lot of sleeved tri suits now
have integrated technology that actually helps with heat dissipation so you need to do your
research on this one. [music]
Again, leading on from the last point, sun protection. A lot of triathlons tend to be
in lovely, hot, sunny places, but that comes with a downside because your skin,
especially in long-distance racing, you're going to be out there for a long time exposed to that
sun. A sleeveless suit, especially one with a cutout back, is going to have a lot more skin
exposed. Yes, you can put sun cream on, but in the middle of the race, it's going to be hard.
It's going to sweat off and you're probably going to miss patches which can result in some pretty
awful tan lines. A sleeved tri suit will give you that extra protection. You've only then got
to worry about your forearms. [music]
The final point, and in my mind the most important, is comfort. That is one that
I can't really advise you on because each suit varies so much. It depends on your body shape and
your position on the bike, how you swim. There's a lot of factors to take into consideration here.
I personally prefer a sleeved suit. It just feels like there's less seams, there's less things
digging in, but that is my personal preference and I tend to race longer distance races.
Hopefully, with those seven points, that's kind of given you a bit of a scale to work out what's
more important to you so you can go away and make that decision. Do let us know. Have a conversation
in the comments section below as to what style of tri suit you prefer and why, because then if
new people are coming to look at it, it might help them in making their decision. Hopefully,
you've enjoyed it. Give us a like if you have. Follow us on our social media channels and you
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