What is the difference between tri shorts and bike shorts

For a higher price, you should expect a more seamless short with leg grips that are barely noticeable. You should also expect a seat pad chamois that is incredibly comfortable. As your budget goes down, you will have trade-offs in some of these features, but rest assured you can still get a very good triathlon short for not a ton of money.

We would stand behind and in any of them. Castelli is known for making high-quality gear at a premium price point, and the Free Triathlon Shorts are no exception.

It is a classic situation of you get what you pay for. The stitching and fit will be excellent, and the GIRO3 elastic leg grips are among the most comfortable we have found on the market. Instead of being more of an elastic strip, they are an entire section of the short that give you more gradual, but firm, grip and performs very well. The KISS seat pad is excellent on the bike and swim, and these shorts dry out quickly.

If you use a Castelli-brand top, the shorts have a snap lock faster that allows the top to hook to the bottom — a nice touch for some athletes. We have also found Castelli products to hold their shape in a highly durable way for many, many uses, making the investment very worthwhile.

They run a bit small, though, so if you are on the borderline order a size up. It is a good short that has had a place on our Top 5 list for several seasons now. Find here on Amazon. Best Overall. De Soto makes some serious tri shorts that are good for both shorter and longer races. When you talk to people who say they enjoy using their tri shorts on regular bike rides, then you know it is a quality garment.

These shorts have been our top pick for several years, and nothing is changing this year. While De Soto might not have the broad distribution network of other big tri clothing manufacturers, they crank out great quality in all of their products. For those looking to build some compression into their triathlon shorts, 2XU makes a good all-purpose tri short in the Active line. These are a best buy on the market.

The first generation 2XU shorts proved to be a great value, and the newer version adds some color accent options as well as two pockets, which are a nice upgrade. Not cheap, the 2XUs are nearly as much as the DeSotos, but you get what you pay for with tri shorts.

Sugoi makes a stiffer, higher-compression triathlon short which many triathletes like. The shorts are comfortable and extremely fast-drying, something that becomes important not only in T1 but also when racing in the rain sooner or later, it will happen.

Our first-hand field tests indicate that the RS shorts tend to run a bit small, and fit quite tightly compared to other shorts. They might be a good option if you are a slim, lean triathlete. If you have a little more muscle on your bones, you might want to consider a different model. These shorts fits best on those that are slender. The 7. These have been designed to provide comfort during all three sections, thereby helping the participant increase their level of performance.

It is a significant difference. Triathlon clothing is designed to offer exceptional comfort in the water, as well as on land. In short, it is intended for a triathlon. Some of the pros of a tri short include:. Cycling shorts are designed and built around the position the rider maintains on the bike. One of the ways of testing the reliability of bike shorts includes holding them by the top of the straps. You will notice the legs folding forward as opposed to hanging down in a pair of non-cycling shorts.

These come with substantial padding, both in terms of pad thickness and the overall size, which is comfortable while riding but not so much when swimming or running. On the other hand, someone with a big cycling background might be a little more used to the feel of a saddle, while the chafing experienced during running may feel unbearable—this cycling-person should go with a thinner pad. Kidding, sort of. This is where things can go off the rails.

If you have big thighs and issues with leg cramping possibly due to constriction on your upper legs, avoid heavy compression this, from personal experience.

Worried about speed only? That marketing talk about clothing saving you watts is actually pretty on point, according to aerogeeks much smarter than me, so look for something that has aero-specific gains. A longer cut gives a little more sun protection for the long day, and it can also give a tiny bit more coverage in chillier climes.

A shorter cut will feel less restrictive and cooler in hot races. Sometimes shorts can be more than just shorts, and the best triathlon shorts for you just might be ones that can carry nutrition or garbage or an inhaler or the kitchen sink. Some shorts have storage in the back, some in the sides, none in the front thank God. Yes, some tri shorts have reflective or hi-viz strips built in. The only downside here is that the ultra-cheap brand is often short on stock.