Thank You 2XU!

I've tried several brands of triathlon clothing. So far, all are great except perhaps for the older versions of the Orca tri-shorts. The rubberized leg grips gave me an itch on my thighs.
Perhaps I'll have to admit I'll be biased here because the other brands did not get the opportunity to experience what me and my 2XU's went through (and I DO NOT wish to experience the same thing again, mind you).

It was the accident during the Port Dickson Triathlon in July 2006. I wore the 2XU elite tri-suit for the Olympic Distance. I crashed during at the start of the bike course and suffered compound fractures on my left arm and wrist, and some painful grazing on my left butt cheek. To cut the long story short, I was in my tri-suit for more than 12 hours after the accident. I couldn't turn much to see the damage on my tri-suit although I felt a burning sensation on my butt cheek. I thought the damage on my first pair of tri-suit would be irreparable and there were random thoughts of medical personnel snipping away at the 2XU, especially when I couldn't even move my left upper limbs. I suppose the only way was to forego the tri-suit. After all, the hand was more important! DUH!

Alas, I was transfered back to a Singapore hospital for an emergency operation at midnight. The nurse looked at me and my tri-suit and I seriously had no idea what was in her mind. In any case, she said she was going to undress me (FINALLY!). I told her to just snip away at the tri-suit. She said she would do her best to salvage that piece of tri gear. In my head, I was thinking that it would b of no use anyway coz I would have expected it to be shredded at least on my left butt cheek.

But that was not the case. Miss Nurse carefully used her delicate hands and soothing voice to undress me in the most careful of manners. Thanks to the stretchable (and breathable) material, the 2XU came off without a hitch.

Then the nicest words came out from her mouth......

"There's nothing wrong with your trisuit lah! See for yourself!"

Indeed, not even a hole or any sign of fraying at the site of the sacred cloth that covered my butt cheeks. But my butt cheeks were really grazed and bleeding (although not profusely!).

So the moral of the story: the 2XU material is really awesome. It really does protect your skin. The 'grazing' turned out to be small scratches only. Main concern was my left arm (double DUH!)... and best of all, I CAN STILL USE MY 2XU TRISUIT!

There you go... a true life account of the greatness of 2XU material! They should sponsor me in my comeback. :)

Gear Review: Aqua Sphere Kaiman

Simply put: These goggles are awesome! I've had many pairs of kaimans since I started 2 years ago. Everything about it is perfect for me - the fit, the suction, the comfort of the suction, the visibility, etc. I know some people don't like the kaiman, but I kinda swear by them.

Having a good pair of goggles is like having a proper bike fit - it really depends on a person's facial features as much as how a person's body fits any particular bike frame. There's a science to choosing the right type of goggles for triathlon or long-distance swimming and I shall delve in that topic very soon.

Meanwhile, based on my own facial features (asian, round, flat-nose), my personal best pair of goggles are the kaimans.

I've tried the clear lens (great for evening swims), and the black and mirrored lenses are great for swimming in the open sea espeically when your breathing side happens to face the sun! Don't get me wrong but the darker lenses can also be used when swimming in the evenings.

I usually get them from www.trisports.com although I've gotten 2 pairs (separately on 2 different occasions) from Amazon.com, and that's coz I got other non-tri stuff as well.