As a triathlete you have a lot of options to choose from in terms of your clothing and gear. You might wear a wetsuit or other specially designed triathlon gear, but the most basic outfit for men is a pair of tri shorts. Wearing a pair of tri shorts is a relatively no-fuss way to get through the entire event without having to mess around with changing. If the swim portion of your event is taking place in warmer water, wearing a pair of men’s tri shorts means you might not have to make any changes at all. That is, you won’t have to change your clothing; though you’ll probably still decide to switch between biking and running shoes.
When you’re deciding between the various types and brands of tri shorts out there, look for a few key features.
Resisting Chafing
If you’ve been on a long ride or two in your lifetime, then you know how uncomfortable it can be to have your thighs rub against your seat. That creates chafing that can lead to painful, sore skin. A good pair of tri shorts will be made with an anti-chafing fabric.
Increasing Performance
If you’re like a lot of guys, you’re competing in a triathlon to beat your personal best, or to beat the time of your biggest competitor. To that end, you need gear that will help you increase your performance and make you faster. A quality pair of tri shorts will provide a small amount of compression, thus increasing blood flow and preventing buildup of lactic acid. Some shorts will also be more aerodynamic, thus helping you reduce drag.
The Right Amount of Padding
Standard bike shorts have padding to protect your groin area during the ride. Tri shorts have padding too, but not so much that the padding gets annoying or in the way during the swim and run sections of the race. What’s more, the padding tri shorts do have will dry quickly.
Wicking Water Away
Speaking of quick drying, your tri shorts should also dry quickly, to help you transition from the water to the bike quickly and without that annoying wet feeling.
Protection from Sun
You’ll also want your shorts to have some type of UV factor, helping to protect you from damaging rays on your ride.
When you get all of these features in one pair of men’s tri shorts, you’re taking a big step toward triathlon success.
