I got my triathlon top and bottom I ordered online today and I am unsure about the fit or if I need to further scour the Web and send it back. Before I began training I was a big guy. After training I am still a bug guy with a smaller waist. I have a measured 50 inch chest and a 48/46 inch waist. Finding triathlon clothes and cycling clothes has been difficult, if you look like a football player wearing pads, without pads, your in trouble. After days of exhaustive searching, back to aerotech designs I went. Currently I wear their cycling shorts and love them.
Problem was there were very limited selections. For big guys there were three top options, all same make but different colors. The 4x went up to a 48 inch chest, but with no other options I figured I would take the plunge and try it.
The shorts I decided to get are 3x,48-50. Usually I would have gotten 46/48 but that size included 44 so I figured it would be too small. The shorts seem to fit well, maybe a slight bit loose in the crotch, maybe I should try a size down. But they are comfortable and pull up past my belly button. Might need to try a size down.
The shirt is where I seem to have some concerns. Its tight, but not so tight that I can’t breath. When I motion like swimming it pulls up quite a bit, it almost seems like its not long enough. Before making a swimming motion the shirt hangs just below my belly button. With the extra height of the shorts you would rarely recognize the shirt rising. I think the tightness is fine, but height seems troublesome.
For now I am going to try a few bricks in them and see if they will work. I hope so, its hard finding tri shirts that are bigger or longer. Is this the usual fit for tri gear? Am I over thinking this? Would I be ok on race day with this set up? The joys of being a large athlete. Til next time.
Chatter Gets Fit 
Looks great! Practice in it though to make sure it’ll hold up to the test of all 3 sports.. I discovered on race morning that might top rode up and my shorts slid down.. I improvised with safety pins but it wasn’t a fun discovery to feel like Pooh Bear pre-race!!!
It looks like this top rides up but not too bad. The shorts hold, but seem a bit saggy. Tempted to try a different brand of top and get a size down on the shorts.
You don’t want saggy shorts!! Trust me on this one.. You’ll probably lose more weight between now and then anyway.. find an outlet or something if you can!
You def need to size down in the shorts unless you will be wearing a wetsuit then the shorts being big won’t matter so much.
As for the top, most brands of tri tops are short. As a tall person, who’s also a bit bigger TRI clothing is a real pain. I now use a couple ladies brand TRI wear but I’m not sure about men. I don’t like the tops short b/c they float around in the water. The need to be tight and/or have elastic around bottom. 2XU is long but there sizing is ridiculously small. I don’t know how high they go size wise.
Keep trying & don’t be shy about sending stuff back. A good fit is important.
Right now I am figuring I would use some of the rejects or low end possibilities for training. Due to size I do not have allot of options, but I am going to try a few things.
Definitely do some practise sessions in all three disciplines wearing the gear you want to wear on event day.
I just wore my usual clothes for my first tri. I figured I had enough on my plate with the course, let alone wearing a trisuit to run and cycle through the local streets clothes. I’m not the smallest person either – at 6ft 2, it’s nigh on impossible to find reasonably priced gear that’s comfortable, and I didn’t want to spend a fortune for my first event. So I just wore my swimsuit in the pool, had a towel at T1 and quickly dried legs and arms before popping my running shorts and a tshirt on. End of the day, you have to do what you’re comfortable with. But you know that 🙂
Good suggestions. I plan on doing some bricks in them and see how they hold up.
This is what my very first blog entry was about! http://playing2lose.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/hello-world/
I think it’s really a shame that it’s so hard to find good athletic apparel in larger sizes.
Wow, that was awesome. I think I will be battling this for a long while. I still have some stuff around the middle, but its less than it used to be and my muscles keep getting larger. Thank you for that share. Some stuff can be found at aerotechdesigns, but even they fell short for me.
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Yeah, no one makes them in my size. They tell me buy men’s clothes. Really? Cuz men don’t have boobs like women so the broad chest just droops down and acts as a scoop when I’m swimming!!! Furthermore, I have a short upper body, so the men’s tops go all the way to below my bum. Not great. . .
Danskin is getting closer, but they have a ways to go.