Thanks to Wattie Ink for putting this Champion 2.0 Tri Suit at my disposal to perform this review.
Wattie Ink Champion 2.0 Tri Suit, you asked for Captain America's outfit ?
First impressions
I already had the opportunity to test many Tri Suits, high range, low range, sleeveless, compressive, two pieces, but never I had this feeling the first time I wore the Wattie Ink Champion 2.0 Tri Suit.
It felt like it was tailor-made for me !
First of all, the materials are of very high quality, then the Tri Suits from Wattie Ink are sewn by hand in California. Yes, you read that right, Wattie Ink offers real high-end products ! No wonder that it feels tailor made from the first try.
Wattie Ink uses three types of materials to create this Tri Suit.
A carbon fiber mesh fabric for thermal regulation, a second mesh fabric to speed up drying and a third for comfort and aerodynamics.
The Wattie Ink Champion 2.0 Tri Suit is not only designed to be comfortable, but also to be ultra fast in the wind ....
The Tri Suit closes with a unique and innovative closure called "Jersey zip" to facilitate breathing during swimming and running.
The two front panel of the Tri Suit is independent of the waist, which gives you the comfort of a two-piece Tri Suit, without having the disadvantages ...
And what about the look ? Simply, devastating .... Too often the club's Tri Suits tend to be covered with sponsors in horrible colors scattered all over the body. At Wattie Ink, this is not the case, the brand is constantly renewing its collections by offering ever more innovative colors and designs.
Daily use
Some triathletes only use their Tri Suit on race days. Personally, I think it's important to train occasionally in your Tri Suit and not just on race day.
Take the example of the bicycle part. If you do all your training in your very padded bib shorts, the day of the race, you will have sore buttocks in your Tri Suit ;) The same goes for swimming and running.
So, get into the habit from time to time to train with your Tri Suit. And that's where the Wattie Ink Champion 2.0 Tri Suit offers all its potential. Because it's not only designed for racing, its comfort allows you to keep it for long hours during training sessions without feeling the slightest discomfort.
In addition, the “Jersey zip” closure system guarantees you an extremely easy put on without having to contort yourself like a worm.
Swimming use
It's in swimming that we realize if a Tri Suit is good or not.
Too often the materials used have a brake effect in the water. I even had one that in contact with water yawned at the neckline and created a parachute effect which was very damaging for your swim time.
The Wattie Ink Champion 2.0 Tri Suit thanks to its high-end materials literally glides over the water. For the initiated, you will almost have the feeling of swimming with a speedsuit.
The Wattie Ink Champion 2.0 Tri Suit does not create friction on the arms and does not retain the the shoulders which could reduce your swimming stroke.
Bike use
The Wattie Ink Champion 2.0 Tri Suit thanks to its combination of high-end materials offers very low wind resistance.
The thermal regulation is ideal and the sleeves will protect your shoulders from the sun during long distance races.
The padding of the shorts is very comfortable without being too thick to not interfere on your running stride.
Wattie Ink Champion 2.0 Tri Suit has 4 pockets on the back. Two with a vertical entry and two with a horizontal entry. It's 4 pockets will allow you to optimally organize your supplies.
Triathletes know only too well that when you are in the red zone, you do not want to be searching in your large back pocket to finally bring out the wrong gel .....
Running use
As described above, the padding of the Wattie Ink Champion 2.0 Tri Suit is thin enough not to interfere with your stride.
The ventilation of the Wattie Ink Champion 2.0 Tri Suit is optimal and if it's not enough, it's very easy for you to increase it thanks to the “Jersey zip” closure system.
The high-end materials will protect you very effectively from the sun and will keep you fresh and cool for the last part of the race ...
Here also, the 4 back pockets will be useful for you to optimally manage your nutrition up to the finish line.
In conclusion
There is the high end, but with the Wattie Ink Champion 2.0 Tri Suit we are in the very high end ....
You might think that such a Tri Suit is expensive ?
I disagree, have you thought about how much time you will spend in your low-end Tri Suit scratching your neck or suffering on the saddle or even getting sunburned thinking to yourself that you shouldn't have skimped on the price ?
When you know how much a triathlon requires in terms of training hours, suffering and money, would you take the chance to ruin it because of a Tri Suit that itches ? Wouldn't that be a bit of a shame ?
If the “star spangled banner “ design scares you, they have some more discreet and just as trendy on their web site ;)
So, be ready for this season which promises to be very hot and adopt the Californian look to stand out from the crowd of banal Tri suits !
See you soon.