SUGOi Tri Suit Review and Saucony Grid Sinister Review

I’m kind of a sellout.

No, I do NOT have any Google Adsense advertisements on my blog, but I DO accept free things that people want to send me to try and then write about. So, like I said, KIND OF a sellout. Anyway, here are my thoughts on 2 racing articles that I was sent in the last few months.

• SUGOi Velocity Tri Suit:

I first wore this for the 2009 Apple Duathlon:

All I can say is that I’m REALLY ENJOYING IT!! I don’t have much else to say other than some “pros and cons,” so here’s my list:

Pros:
- Smooth and fast.
- Comfortable.
- REALLY cut down my transition times!
- The 2 pockets in the back are in the PERFECT spots. I can easily carry gels or bars.
- The chamois is TINY, and I thought that’d be an issue on the bike (sore ass). But after 1 du (22 mile bike) and 2 tris (25 miles and 21 miles), it’s made me a believer! No sore ass!

Cons:
- If my man-bits aren’t adjusted just right, they’re on display for the world. That really doesn’t bother me too much, but others might care. And this is an issue for ALL tri suits, not just this one specifically.
- It can get warm. But again, that’s an issue for ALL tri suits. And that’s why the zipper goes nearly down to the man-bits.
- This is a weird “con” I never thought of: pre-race, I have to get completely nude in a porta-potty even if I just need to pee. Not too big of a deal, but a little annoying. I’m thinking they need a butt-flap like old-school long johns... ;)
- As with many things in this sport, it’s spendy. It retails around $225.

I really give it my mark of approval! It works great for Duathlons, Sprint Tris, and Oly Tris! I enjoy it, and I’ll keep using it until it completely wears out! Thanks SUGOi!!

• Saucony Grid Sinister Racing Flats:

I first wore these in the 2009 Liberty Olympic Distance Triathlon back in June:

And look... I’m wearing the SUTOi Tri Suit too!...

I got these from OnlineShoes.com, which is a GREAT website to use! Really. This was my FIRST pair of Sauconys, and my FIRST pair of racing flats, so I was nervous. They didn’t have the cushioning I was used to, but they obviously needed to remove some of that weight somewhere (in order to get them faster)! And the lighter shoe with less cushioning held up just fine - no major issues. They worked GREAT in that first test: I ran a 39:33 10K at the end of the Liberty Olympic Triathlon! That was a 2:00 oly run PR! Thanks Saucony and OnlineShoes!!

As a bonus image, here I am half-way into the run at the Chisago Lakes Triathlon 2 weeks ago where I’m wearing the SUGOi tri suit and the Saucony racing flats:

Note: I still also use (and LOVE) my Zeal Sunglasses and my Drymax Socks. I’m wearing both of those items in all those photos above as well!! So thanks Zeal and Drymax!!

Have a great weekend everyone!! (Intervals tomorrow [Sunday] morning at 9 am at the St. Thomas track if anyone is interested...)