Initially, given the mounting costs of starting to race, I was in the market for a value for money suit. Not necessarily cheap, as a good friend of mine would say 'cheap can be expensive'.
My research led me to appreciate that the price range went from reasonable to extravagant. I ruled out the extravagant for no other reason than I didn't think anything over £100 seemed justified. So the second thing I learned was that there were suits aimed at different race distances seemingly those aimed at shorter distances (up to Olympic) and then distances over Olympic. The difference mostly seemed to be in the thickness of the chamois insert and on-board storage - which makes sense.
After reading a review of suits in an issue of 220, my attention was drawn to a DHB suit which was suited to shorter distances and was available for a great price of £45. It was available as a short sleeve also, which was my preference. The 220 review was very positive, so this swayed my choice and I ordered one from Wiggle. I went for the Black/Flouro combo (Link to Wiggle here)
Having done my usual and spent months on research, I didn't have time to test the suit I'd bought before my scheduled race. I was slightly less concerned however about trying something out for the first time over a shorter distance in a much cheaper race.
My first 'test' therefore would have to be in a race and as we all know, you never do this, but I did and I got away with it (this time).
So, enough of the preamble, what about the suit itself. I used it for the first time in an Olympic distance race. I'll go though the review in the order in which everything was 'tested' in the race.
First off then, sizing. I'm about 6ft 3 inches tall and of fairly slim build. I went for a 'Large' and the fit is snug ! But this is how you want it so that it doesn't move around and/or ride up during your race.
The fit under the wetsuit was great. There was no 'riding up' on the legs or arms so the comfort box was ticked. In to the water and once the swim was underway, there was no movement of the suit so again, it stayed in place and there was no evidence of the padding in the shorts at all. So for the swim, the suit was spot on for me. Really, you couldn't even feel the suit under the wet suit. I was impressed by the comfort.
Into transition (T1) and this is really where I started to see some payback for the outlay. In the same race the previous year, having to perform a full change cost me about 5 minutes. I exited T1 in around half the time I previously managed. So there was at least 2 'free' minutes right there. If you do not wear socks on the bike, then you are saving even more time.
So out on the bike, this would be a good test. How long would the suit take to dry? I imagine this is as much to do with weather conditions as anything. The first few hundred metres I noticed the fact I was cycling in wet gear....something I hadn't done before. So initially, it felt cold but that feeling soon went as the suit began to dry. The suit had dried fully by the end of my first lap - which was 5k of riding.
Comfort wise, nothing was rubbing, or riding up. However, there was one point of concern, and that was around the padding in the shorts. It is minimal to say the least. There were a few moments in the 40k ride where I felt that lack of padding and had to adjust my saddle position slightly to try and counter it. That said, over 40km, is was bearable. Personally, I wouldn't want to try the suit for anything over the Olympic bike distance.
For storage, there are two decent back pockets and although they didn't seem that deep the one gel I carried on the bike leg was held securely in place.
At the end of the Bike and in to T2 and again, the time savings to be had by using a tri suit are evident. Cycling shoes off, run shoes, visor and sun glasses on and you are good to go. Again, I must have saved minutes over my usual 'full change' affair. The suit was really comfortable to run in. I expect this is where that minimal padding is handy, as you do not feel it at all when you run. On the run there was no rubbing, nothing riding up the legs or arms. This suit comes with built in SPF 50 which at this price point is a great addition. There is a decent zip guard so there is no chance of the zip rubbing or catching one of the two chest hairs I've cultivated.
There is meant to me some slight leg compression in the suit, but to be honest, I didn't notice this really.
For a suit at this price point, I couldn't find fault with it at all, from the swim, through the bike and to the run. It did everything I wanted it to do, in some style and a lot of comfort. It also included some features, like the SPF 50, which I don't have on more well known brand of suit I paid twice as much for.
That padding does suggest this suit is only really going to be suitable for shorter distance events, so if you plan to race at distance above Olympic in the future and you weren't keen on having to upgrade, you might consider buying a suit that would support longer distance racing but could also be used for any shorter events as well.
Overall, I am really pleased with this suit and what it offers at this price point. I've bought other DHB products in the past and have always been pleased. This suit continues the DHB approach of providing really decent gear at affordable pricing points. When you consider how expensive racing triathlon can be, this can only be welcomed.
So if like me, you have reservations with using a Tri suit and cant decide whether it would be for you, this suit gives a good entry point to trying one out to see how it works for you. If you get on with one, then maybe you can think about upgrading to more expensive options, or something specific to the distance you have in mind. However, if its not for you, your initial investment hasn't been too extravagant.
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| Front view |
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| Rear view |
Having done my usual and spent months on research, I didn't have time to test the suit I'd bought before my scheduled race. I was slightly less concerned however about trying something out for the first time over a shorter distance in a much cheaper race.
My first 'test' therefore would have to be in a race and as we all know, you never do this, but I did and I got away with it (this time).
So, enough of the preamble, what about the suit itself. I used it for the first time in an Olympic distance race. I'll go though the review in the order in which everything was 'tested' in the race.
First off then, sizing. I'm about 6ft 3 inches tall and of fairly slim build. I went for a 'Large' and the fit is snug ! But this is how you want it so that it doesn't move around and/or ride up during your race.
The fit under the wetsuit was great. There was no 'riding up' on the legs or arms so the comfort box was ticked. In to the water and once the swim was underway, there was no movement of the suit so again, it stayed in place and there was no evidence of the padding in the shorts at all. So for the swim, the suit was spot on for me. Really, you couldn't even feel the suit under the wet suit. I was impressed by the comfort.
Into transition (T1) and this is really where I started to see some payback for the outlay. In the same race the previous year, having to perform a full change cost me about 5 minutes. I exited T1 in around half the time I previously managed. So there was at least 2 'free' minutes right there. If you do not wear socks on the bike, then you are saving even more time.
So out on the bike, this would be a good test. How long would the suit take to dry? I imagine this is as much to do with weather conditions as anything. The first few hundred metres I noticed the fact I was cycling in wet gear....something I hadn't done before. So initially, it felt cold but that feeling soon went as the suit began to dry. The suit had dried fully by the end of my first lap - which was 5k of riding.
Comfort wise, nothing was rubbing, or riding up. However, there was one point of concern, and that was around the padding in the shorts. It is minimal to say the least. There were a few moments in the 40k ride where I felt that lack of padding and had to adjust my saddle position slightly to try and counter it. That said, over 40km, is was bearable. Personally, I wouldn't want to try the suit for anything over the Olympic bike distance.
For storage, there are two decent back pockets and although they didn't seem that deep the one gel I carried on the bike leg was held securely in place.
 |
| Rear pocket with Gel on board to show pocket depth (other gels are available) |
At the end of the Bike and in to T2 and again, the time savings to be had by using a tri suit are evident. Cycling shoes off, run shoes, visor and sun glasses on and you are good to go. Again, I must have saved minutes over my usual 'full change' affair. The suit was really comfortable to run in. I expect this is where that minimal padding is handy, as you do not feel it at all when you run. On the run there was no rubbing, nothing riding up the legs or arms. This suit comes with built in SPF 50 which at this price point is a great addition. There is a decent zip guard so there is no chance of the zip rubbing or catching one of the two chest hairs I've cultivated.
 |
| Ample zip guard runs the full length of the zip |
There is meant to me some slight leg compression in the suit, but to be honest, I didn't notice this really.
For a suit at this price point, I couldn't find fault with it at all, from the swim, through the bike and to the run. It did everything I wanted it to do, in some style and a lot of comfort. It also included some features, like the SPF 50, which I don't have on more well known brand of suit I paid twice as much for.
That padding does suggest this suit is only really going to be suitable for shorter distance events, so if you plan to race at distance above Olympic in the future and you weren't keen on having to upgrade, you might consider buying a suit that would support longer distance racing but could also be used for any shorter events as well.
Overall, I am really pleased with this suit and what it offers at this price point. I've bought other DHB products in the past and have always been pleased. This suit continues the DHB approach of providing really decent gear at affordable pricing points. When you consider how expensive racing triathlon can be, this can only be welcomed.
So if like me, you have reservations with using a Tri suit and cant decide whether it would be for you, this suit gives a good entry point to trying one out to see how it works for you. If you get on with one, then maybe you can think about upgrading to more expensive options, or something specific to the distance you have in mind. However, if its not for you, your initial investment hasn't been too extravagant.
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