Shorts... - Triathlon Week

08-23-2004, 07:09 PM

Doing my first triathlon in September. Have what is probably a
spectacularly dumb question about shorts:

I know there are specialist tri shorts with a bike pad in - but would I be
ok with a normal pair of cycling shorts, or is there something mystical
about the pads in tri shorts that means they shed water like a seal and
don't leave you with three pounds of soggy chamois dangling between your
legs after the swim?

In short: buy shorts or not?

And secondly - how much time do I waste putting socks on - and is talc the
answer?

thanks

andy

08-23-2004, 07:09 PM

On Sat, 31 Jul 2004 12:02:08 +0100, "andrew wiggans"
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].uk> said:

>In short: buy shorts or not?

I wear the tri shorts myself. The padding is thinner than the padding
in regular bike shorts and soaks up very little, if any, water. The
padding is adequate for a race, though I wouldn't wear them for
everyday training. Normal bike shorts I imagine would be a lot like
running with a loaded diaper after swimming in them.

>And secondly - how much time do I waste putting socks on - and is talc the
>answer?

I put on socks by rolling them on like stockings, no talc needed. I
find that it costs me less than 10 seconds to roll them on. If I ever
get to the point that those ten seconds would cost me a top place then
I'll consider leaving them behind, but since I'm firmly in mid-pack,
I'll keep them for now. Being your first race, you probably should
wear them if you wear them while training. A race isn't the time to
try anything new, stick to what you know (especially for your first
race).

Practice transitions before your first race and you'll see how much
time it costs you. Even with socks, my transition times are routinely
faster than most because I practice transitions and have my drill down
pat. I can post my transition routine if you want, though it would be
best to go to a race and watch how others do it.

---
Jet Jaguar
I have a spam blocking address. Replying to me is like pulling teeth.

08-23-2004, 07:09 PM

I've been racing for 5 years and for anything shorter than an ironman, I
wear cycling shorts for the whole race. When you get out of the water and
onto the bike, you don't care about a little wetness...by the time you hit
the run, they are dry, and you are to tired to care about any "diaper
loading", which I've never noticed anyway.

Stan
"andrew wiggans" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].uk> wrote in message
news:cefu7j$ve9$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].pol.co.uk...
> Doing my first triathlon in September. Have what is probably a
> spectacularly dumb question about shorts:
>
> I know there are specialist tri shorts with a bike pad in - but would I be
> ok with a normal pair of cycling shorts, or is there something mystical
> about the pads in tri shorts that means they shed water like a seal and
> don't leave you with three pounds of soggy chamois dangling between your
> legs after the swim?
>
> In short: buy shorts or not?
>
> And secondly - how much time do I waste putting socks on - and is talc the
> answer?
>
> thanks
>
> andy
>
>

08-23-2004, 07:09 PM

> Doing my first triathlon in September. Have what is
probably a
> spectacularly dumb question about shorts:
Quite a common question actually....

>
> I know there are specialist tri shorts with a bike pad
in - but would I be
> ok with a normal pair of cycling shorts, or is there
something mystical
> about the pads in tri shorts that means they shed water
like a seal and
> don't leave you with three pounds of soggy chamois
dangling between your
> legs after the swim?
>
> In short: buy shorts or not?

I used to go the "speedo" route for sprint and Olympic
distance. That is no padding. This year wearing "old" bike
shorts - the padding is virtually shot but the rest of the
shorts are of such quality that they haven't warn out.

> And secondly - how much time do I waste putting socks on -
and is talc the
> answer?

In regards to socks, putting them on will slow you down in
the transition. But if you haven't run without socks
before, doing so will slow you down while running - because
you are likely to blister.

In my first tri of the season I lost a ton of time in the
transition (30-45 seconds which was the difference between
first and second place in my age group) because my feet were
still wet coming off the bike and I couldn't get my socks
on. So for the last month I've been running sockless. I'm
to the point that I can run about 10 miles before my heal
starts to get bloody.

I've also started to use yanks which I'm eager to race-test.
But for a first timer I wouldn't worry too much about
transition times...You'll develop your own routine after
doing a few...

-CF

08-23-2004, 07:09 PM

"ChronoFish" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message news:<pNpPc.18324$cv5.17615@lakeread07>...
> > Doing my first triathlon in September. Have what is
> probably a
> > spectacularly dumb question about shorts:
> >
> > I know there are specialist tri shorts with a bike pad
> in - but would I be
> > ok with a normal pair of cycling shorts, or is there
> something mystical
> > about the pads in tri shorts that means they shed water
> like a seal and
> > don't leave you with three pounds of soggy chamois
> dangling between your
> > legs after the swim?
> >
> > In short: buy shorts or not?

I like the DeSoto tri shorts. Less pad, less bulky, plus the cut is
more suited for running than bike shorts. Bike shorts are usually cut
to fit in a forward-leaning cycling position and are tight in the
front when in a more upright running posture. Also the smaller pad
feels less diaper-like.

08-23-2004, 07:09 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
Jet Jaguar <JetJaguartooth@bellsouth.toothnet> wrote:

> On Sat, 31 Jul 2004 12:02:08 +0100, "andrew wiggans"
> <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].uk> said:
>
> >In short: buy shorts or not?
>
> I wear the tri shorts myself. The padding is thinner than the padding
> in regular bike shorts and soaks up very little, if any, water. The
> padding is adequate for a race, though I wouldn't wear them for
> everyday training. Normal bike shorts I imagine would be a lot like
> running with a loaded diaper after swimming in them.
>

I used to change shorts in transition for races half-IM and greater, but
I bought some tri-shorts and really like them. I've cut off a ton of
time in transition lately, in part due to the shorts.

But for the first few races, don't worry about it. Just have fun!

> >And secondly - how much time do I waste putting socks on - and is talc the
> >answer?
>
> I put on socks by rolling them on like stockings, no talc needed. I
> find that it costs me less than 10 seconds to roll them on. If I ever
> get to the point that those ten seconds would cost me a top place then
> I'll consider leaving them behind, but since I'm firmly in mid-pack,

Hey, that sock rolling is a great idea! Thanks!

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson