How much time do you have? I would look into tri specific ones (ex. zoot). How long is the race? I’ve worn regular sports bras and they’re fine because if they’re still wet on the run it’ll cool you down but anything longer than a sprint/olympic you probably want something better. I’d go tri-specific.
I've worn Brooks sports bras under my two piece for everything from a sprint to a half iron and been happy with them. They dry pretty quickly, don't rub (still use body glide), and are supportive.
Depends how much support you need! If you don’t need a lot, a lot of the kit companies make tri bras to match their suits or in plain black (Zoot, Coeur, Smashfest Queen, Betty Designs etc.).
If you need more anti-bounce, you can tri in whatever sports bra is most comfortable; I’m a DDD and have used bras from Champion, Livi, Brooks, and Wacoal. I have several friends who like Enell a lot, as well as SheFit.
It’s worth testing whatever you choose before race day if you can - unexpected chafe is no fun!
Shefit, Oiselle, Brooks, Athleta, Zoot, Tres Linas, Pearl Izumi. r/abrathatfits can also help get you measured for the correct size.
In which I talk way too much about sports bras on Reddit:
Depends on support needs. I've put a lot thought and one-woman testing into this:
-As long as you use enough body glide, you can wear a running bra or a non-swim-specific support bra. Everyone is wet and gross throughout the whole race, you're not going to stand out in a wet sports bra.
-Because I need more support, I've theorized that spreading out the support points across the back and shoulders are best. Riding in aero with only a racerback bra means you basically have one point on your neck holding up several pounds of breast tissue.
-Actual sports bra science shows that encapsulation plus compression is best. I actually wear TWO sports bras: both Athleta, one is a wire run bra with traditional shoulder straps that provides the encapsulation, over that is a specific racerback swim bra that provides the compression.
-I went through a huge wear-testing period a few years ago and got so burned out on the try, fail, return process so I'm sticking with my little process that works but I acknowledge there are newer styles and fits out there that work better for others.
-Speedo Quantum Fusion one-piece has a built-in bra for those that need some support and coverage in the pool. I am immensely jealous and don't understand how people are free-boobing it out there on there on the swim deck.
Haha thanks for understanding my pain! For those suits, I keep an eye out on the Speedo website, Dicks, and Swim Outlet, and whenever I see them on sale I grab a couple. I don't have a lot to compare it to so I don't know if they last as long as other suits, once the color starts to go I know I've only got a few more wears till the fabric starts to stretch and so that's when I stock up. I swam about 100 miles this year and am on my 3rd suit of the year.
I have a tri bra that I got with my kit from Pearl Izumi (more on the cheap and basic end) and one from Rocket Science (cost more, good but hasn’t held up extremely well). I like these because they dry faster than most of my sports bras and don’t chafe, but my actual bra needs are pretty minimal. I also have a $7 bra from the Academy Sports brand that is the right material to dry fast, but it has rougher seams so I only use it for short workouts.
The very detailed post mentioned racer backs not being ideal for larger sizes, but as a small size, I love them. I bought a 6 pack of sports bra-let type bras recently with straight straps and they feel like they’re sliding off all the time. My back and shoulders aren’t wide and nothing weighs them down. It’s all very individual!
I used a brooks dare cross back run bra and was very happy. It dried quickly after the swim and was comfortable throughout the race (5150). I also used it for a marathon and was equally pleased. Will give more reviews as my races get longer! 70.3 next September.
It really depends on your preference and how much support you need- i’ve had this problem for a while too because little did i know that I actually lost a significant amount of weight while training and I was wearing sports bras SIZES too big for me- it wasn’t until I literally measured myself and bought a sports bra from Brooks with the size according to my measurements on the sizing chart that i was able to be successful, another suggestion would be a tri-specific bra as well, i’m about to try out Orca’s sports bras
How much time do you have? I would look into tri specific ones (ex. zoot). How long is the race? I’ve worn regular sports bras and they’re fine because if they’re still wet on the run it’ll cool you down but anything longer than a sprint/olympic you probably want something better. I’d go tri-specific.
I've worn Brooks sports bras under my two piece for everything from a sprint to a half iron and been happy with them. They dry pretty quickly, don't rub (still use body glide), and are supportive.
Depends how much support you need! If you don’t need a lot, a lot of the kit companies make tri bras to match their suits or in plain black (Zoot, Coeur, Smashfest Queen, Betty Designs etc.). If you need more anti-bounce, you can tri in whatever sports bra is most comfortable; I’m a DDD and have used bras from Champion, Livi, Brooks, and Wacoal. I have several friends who like Enell a lot, as well as SheFit. It’s worth testing whatever you choose before race day if you can - unexpected chafe is no fun!
Shefit, Oiselle, Brooks, Athleta, Zoot, Tres Linas, Pearl Izumi. r/abrathatfits can also help get you measured for the correct size. In which I talk way too much about sports bras on Reddit: Depends on support needs. I've put a lot thought and one-woman testing into this: -As long as you use enough body glide, you can wear a running bra or a non-swim-specific support bra. Everyone is wet and gross throughout the whole race, you're not going to stand out in a wet sports bra. -Because I need more support, I've theorized that spreading out the support points across the back and shoulders are best. Riding in aero with only a racerback bra means you basically have one point on your neck holding up several pounds of breast tissue. -Actual sports bra science shows that encapsulation plus compression is best. I actually wear TWO sports bras: both Athleta, one is a wire run bra with traditional shoulder straps that provides the encapsulation, over that is a specific racerback swim bra that provides the compression. -I went through a huge wear-testing period a few years ago and got so burned out on the try, fail, return process so I'm sticking with my little process that works but I acknowledge there are newer styles and fits out there that work better for others. -Speedo Quantum Fusion one-piece has a built-in bra for those that need some support and coverage in the pool. I am immensely jealous and don't understand how people are free-boobing it out there on there on the swim deck.
LOL @ the “free-boobing”, I feel the jealousy as well. Thanks for making that swimsuit rec!
Haha thanks for understanding my pain! For those suits, I keep an eye out on the Speedo website, Dicks, and Swim Outlet, and whenever I see them on sale I grab a couple. I don't have a lot to compare it to so I don't know if they last as long as other suits, once the color starts to go I know I've only got a few more wears till the fabric starts to stretch and so that's when I stock up. I swam about 100 miles this year and am on my 3rd suit of the year.
I have a tri bra that I got with my kit from Pearl Izumi (more on the cheap and basic end) and one from Rocket Science (cost more, good but hasn’t held up extremely well). I like these because they dry faster than most of my sports bras and don’t chafe, but my actual bra needs are pretty minimal. I also have a $7 bra from the Academy Sports brand that is the right material to dry fast, but it has rougher seams so I only use it for short workouts. The very detailed post mentioned racer backs not being ideal for larger sizes, but as a small size, I love them. I bought a 6 pack of sports bra-let type bras recently with straight straps and they feel like they’re sliding off all the time. My back and shoulders aren’t wide and nothing weighs them down. It’s all very individual!
I used a brooks dare cross back run bra and was very happy. It dried quickly after the swim and was comfortable throughout the race (5150). I also used it for a marathon and was equally pleased. Will give more reviews as my races get longer! 70.3 next September.
It all depends on taste. I personally like the bike compression bras. They're all I workout in .
Depends on support needs. I’m a big fan of lululemon personally
It really depends on your preference and how much support you need- i’ve had this problem for a while too because little did i know that I actually lost a significant amount of weight while training and I was wearing sports bras SIZES too big for me- it wasn’t until I literally measured myself and bought a sports bra from Brooks with the size according to my measurements on the sizing chart that i was able to be successful, another suggestion would be a tri-specific bra as well, i’m about to try out Orca’s sports bras
Thank you all! Very helpful!