Gear Review: 2XU Comp Tri Shorts

While cruising on GearScan last week, I found a sweet deal on 2XU Comp Tri Shorts......$32!! I jumped on it for two pair, not really knowing what I was getting but expecting at least some nice bike shorts.

These shorts are really AWESOME!  Theyare still available for reduced price at DepartmentofGoods.

Here's a quick rundown on them. For $32, everyone should jump on this deal. Yes, I normally shop locally, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to ensure you have a nice, clean pair of good shorts laying around so you can't find a reason not to bail on a workout.

Overall thoughts:  AWESOME! These might just take over as my favorites, beating out my truly beloved and treasured DeSoto four pocket tri shorts. WOW!  When I put them on for the first time, my thought was "Ooooooh, these are niiiiicce!"

Fit: These are just a tad bigger than most size large shorts I have. They are certainly bigger than the DeSoto "large" shorts I have. I'm 6'1" and 190 pounds right now, and these are just a bit tight. Come summer when I'm 15 pounds lighter, they might be a bit loose. I'm not worried about it at all, but everyone always wonders how the sizes compare to others.

It seems that these shorts are shorter than other shorts in certain areas. The legs feel like they come down about an inch less than other shorts; not a huge problem but causes a bit of concern about sunburn lines come summer time. The waistband is a bit lower than other shorts, and this is actually a great thing for me because I don't like the waistband coming up near my bellybutton, so I normally just push them down a bit, which causing some bunching of material.

Chamois: I have three rides totalling a bit over five hours int hese shorts. No problems with pinching or rubbing. They are really nice. The tri-shorts I bought last year for the triathlon club pinches alot after 90 minutes or so. These have no stitching in any area that might pinch.

Fabric: The fabric has a nice feel to it. The product description talks about the technical aspect of the shorts. That doesn't really impress me much because I'm more into functionality and feel. These feel great. They stretch well, and it seems like they'll maintain that stretch.  All of my races require a wetsuit, so the hydraphobic characteristics of these shorts don't mean much to me, but I guess that's important to alot of people.

Coolest thing about these shorts:  POCKETS! Four total pockets!  I love pockets because I need a place to hold gels and such.  These have pockets on each leg, and even two more on the outside of the waistband on the back. The leg pockets are a bit shallow, but they work. The waistband pockets are bigger than you'd expect, but I'm not sure I could actually run with a Hammer Gel flask back there...we'll see this week.

Bottom line is that these are some sweet shorts....watch GearScan for the deal and good luck.