I wear trisuits for all my swimming, pool and open water. I have been testing the Pearl Izumi Women’s SELECT Pursuit Tri Suit.
I prefer the fit of the longer legs of a trisuit for swimming because I have always found that swimming costumes creep uncomfortably up my bottom! I usually look for a trisuit that is of average cost and design, rather than a pricey trisuit for competitions.
The Lycra, however well you look after it, fails within about a year if you wear it in chlorinated water so cheaper, so long as it fits well, is what I am looking for.
At £69.99 the Pearl Izumi Women’s SELECT Pursuit Trisuit is on the upper edge of my cost parameters. Quite often you can find a last season suit at cheaper prices, so do look around. Trisuits are rarely cheap though and many people spend more than £100 on one.
Pearl Izumi Women’s SELECT Pursuit trisuit features:
- SELECT Transfer Dry fabric for compression and moisture transfer
- Separate bra top for maximum support and allows easy on/off access of the suit
- Flatlock seams for superior abrasion resistance
- 10″ zipper for venting
- Elastic silicone leg gripper
- One easy-access envelope pocket
- TRI quick-dry chamois
- 8″ inseam (size medium)
- Reflective elements for low-light visibility
- Main body and bra: 88% nylon 12% Lycra elastane.
On test: Pearl Izumi SELECT Pursuit Tri Suit
The bra is a good idea. I always wear a sports bra if I am racing triathlons and I often prefer to wear a bra while swim training. It just feels more secure!
Also, in the case of this trisuit, a bra helps with “decency”. The armholes are wide and low and without a bra I would worry about what can be seen of my chest area. Wide arm holes does help to prevent underarm rubbing so it’s a balancing act when designing trisuits.
The small is aimed at UK10. This is my usual size although I am quite tall. I felt like the fit was a tiny bit too tight. It is good to wear tight fitting suits because they help with speed and sleekness in the water. So I do like a tight fitting trisuits but only if things are not too obvious underneath!
Sadly, when the fabric is stretched so tight there is no hiding what is underneath. All I can say is you need to keep everything well pruned in your lady garden to ensure nothing pops through the fabric.
It could be that the fit was too tight for me, or the fabric was a little thin in that area, so maybe I should recommend you go up a size.
Anyway, moving swiftly on…
I like the colour and design of the suit and the front zip is the right length. It would be good to see a zip guard at the top of the zip.
The padding is ideal for shorter triathlons when you are cycling up to about 40 miles.
The leg length was good for me, and I’m quite tall, and the grippers kept the legs nicely in place.
Swimming in the suit felt really good. There were no annoying rubs and I felt as though I was quite aerodynamic in the water.
Once out of the water the fabric dries quickly, which is important for triathlons.
On the whole it’s a nice trisuit although I would recommend going up a size if you are on the upper limits of a UK sizing. Eg Buy a medium if you are an upper limit UK10. If you can find it at a discount price you’ll be very pleased.