What’s your favourite piece of kit and why?

Team SOAS tri shorts

What’s the one piece of kit you couldn’t live without?

OK, so there are a few things that I really need as a triathlete, such as my bike (Kuota Kharma Evo), my trainers (Brooks Vapors and Pure Cadence/Flow) and my Garmin, but when it comes to clothing, I can’t tri without my SOAS tri shorts.

Those of you who follow @soasracing on Instagram (no longer available – 2024) may have seen the sneak preview of Sunset Cliffs bib shorts recently:

Sunset Cliffs bib shorts

However, I love my SOAS tri shorts so much that I don’t need bib shorts. It doesn’t matter how many hours I’ve spent in the saddle, I’ve never had a problem with my SOAS kit. The small fleece chamois is much more comfortable than the huge nappies that some brands feel the need to put in cycling shorts (here’s looking at you, Decathlon!!!)

The wicking fabric means that the shorts dry easily, which is great when wearing them for a triathlon or duathlon, but they’re also good to use as ordinary cycling kit. For me the challenge is which pair of shorts to choose:

Arms aloft
Wearing my SOAS Ambassador 2015 shorts at Winchester triathlon
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Wearing my SOAS Racing Black Team Shorts for a visit to the bike fitter
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Wearing my SOAS Brand Ambassador 2014 shorts at Weymouth Half
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Wearing my SOAS pink peacock shorts as I sprint to the finish at Eastleigh aquathlon
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Sunset Cliffs at Eastleigh aquathlon
© Barcelona Nights tri kit… I think I’ve only got selfies wearing this it, which is bizarre as I wear it a lot!

If I could have the whole range, I would, but as I can only choose one pair, it would have to be my 2015 ambassador shorts. They are a size (or two) smaller than the shorts I bought in 2014, which helps me to feel better about my body, they are super comfy (like all of the others) and they remind me about the awesome community of female triathletes that I belong to!

2 Responses

    • Good call! I accidentally put stick deodorant on my neck before an open water swim earlier this summer (I was tired and they were both in silver sticks)… I didn’t realise my mistake until my neck chafed – owwwww!

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