Zoot Ultra Triathlon P1 Racesuit review

Zoot was the original tri-suit pioneer back in 1983 and this ’40 years’ edition of the Ultra Triathlon P1 Racesuit (released back in 2023) marked the 40th birthday since Kona resident Christal Nylin started sewing pads into run shorts.

Its creation involved two years of development and testing from Ironman and 70.3 champions Ben Hoffman, Sam Long and Ellie Salthouse, with Zoot claiming wind-tunnel testing has taken place on the fabric.

Whether or not it deserves a place on our list of the best tri-suits, however, is up for debate. So let’s find out…

Design and comfort

Zoot labels this as the ‘most technically advanced, fastest, lightest, and most comfortable suit we’ve ever made’, with the aerodynamic promise coming from the lengthy sleeves and pinstripe design on the wind-tunnel tested fabrics.

The suit came in at a mid-table 222g on our scales for a men’s medium.

As we’ve become accustomed to with Zoot over the years, it’s the comfort that truly excels here.

The 15% Spandex (elastane) in the ultra-smooth material offers plenty of stretch without sagging, with the soft Italian chamois and its attached ‘modesty liner’ keeping things concealed around the groin (take note Compressport!).

Meanwhile, the internal flatlock seams ensure a smooth internal experience.

Sadly, and it’s a perennial issue with me and Zoot, but they still haven’t sorted the minimal zipper guard, which led to some rubbing on the chest during bike and run efforts from the YKK Cam Lock zipper head.

There is a full-length breakaway zipper for pre- and mid-race toilet breaks, though, and this also brings some extra stretch and added comfort in the belly area.

Like many of Zoot’s tri-suits, the Hawaiian heritage is again evident in the lively aesthetics here, the floral design of which might divide opinion, but it will help you be seen come race day.

In terms of other colourways, men have seven further eye-popping designs to pick from (the Koa is my favourite), while women racers can opt for 11 options.

Fabric and chamois performance

For all Zoot’s (Ironman) Hawaii heritage and the ‘Ultra’ in the title, the slender and lean Pro Carbon Tri Chamois chamois wouldn’t fit the Iron-distance racing bill for me.

It does dry quickly and sits softly on the skin, but I’d personally want more padding for 6-8hrs in the saddle.

The suit ticks the Hawaiian heat and humidity boxes, though, with a sizeable mesh fabric on the shoulders and the back and breathable materials throughout, plus ice and cold sponge pocket pockets located internally, bringing the coolness.

That mesh area still provides UPF 35 sun protection, too.

Features

In terms of storage, there’s a large kangaroo-style back pocket and two side slots for small energy gels, which remained easy to access and didn’t hamper the swim potential.

Neatly, there’s also an internal pocket for extra nutrition, while I also used this pocket for a key and debit card on brick training sets.

The large gripper bands with silicone dots inside help the leg sleeves stay in place, while the arm sleeves are kept in position using elasticated bands.

There are techier laser-cut options elsewhere on the top-end contenders, but they worked well enough.

Aero performance

In 220’s independent wind tunnel tests at the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub with The Bike Tailor, the Ultra Triathlon P1 lived up to its ‘Racesuit’ billing.

Its performance over our baseline suit at a 7.5° yaw angle (simply, the amount of crosswind on your bike) was a huge 66secs at 30km/h and a monster 87secs over a 40km bike leg with the rider on aerobars, which puts it in the top three on both occasions (and against suits that cost more).

The end result is another massively comfortable suit from the tri pioneers with tunnel-proven results.

Whether the additional aero flourishes are worth the extra £80+ quid over Zoot’s equally-luxurious LTD Triathlon Aero will depend on your bank balance and hunger for saving every possible watt, but we think it’s a winner.

Zoot Ultra Triathlon P1 Racesuit specs

Price:	£315 / $350
Available from:	Zoot
Sizing:	S-2XL (men’s), XS-2XL (women’s)
Pockets:	5
Breakaway zip?	Yes